Economic Society of Singapore

11/05/2026

Join us in person or online for a seminar co-organized by AMRO, the Economic Society of Singapore (ESS), and ESSEC Business School to discuss these issues on May 21, 2026, from 10:00am to 11:00am (Singapore Time).

"Future of ASEAN: Navigating Global Uncertainty "

ASEAN is navigating an increasingly complex global environment, shaped by rising fragmentation, geopolitical volatility, and persistent external headwinds. While the region has demonstrated resilience, supported by strong macroeconomic fundamentals, the outlook ahead remains challenging.

Registration link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdRwhYr0vazj2U5erbfP7neWL8XPZ5THlSq65BUMs3utNb2Xw/viewform?pli=1

29/04/2026

03/04/2026

Economic Society of Singapore Unveils New Council, Welcomes Prominent New Faces

The Economic Society of Singapore (ESS) held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 31 March 2026, where members reviewed the Society’s activities over the past year and elected the new Council for the upcoming term.

ESS is pleased to announce the election of the following office bearers:
• President: Professor Euston Quah, Albert Winsemius Chair Professor (Economics) & Director (Economic Growth Centre School of Social Sciences), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Editor, Singapore Economic Review
• Vice Presidents:
Dr Chua HakBin, Regional Co-Head (Macro Research), Maybank
Dr Prakash Kannan, Managing Director & Chief Economist, GIC
Miss Cindy Khoo, Managing Director, Enterprise Singapore
Professor David Lee, Chairman, Global Fintech Institute & Professor, Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS)
Ms Selena Ling, Chief Economist & Head (Global Markets Research & Strategy)
OCBC
• Honorary Secretary: Dr Chua Yeow Hwee, Assistant Professor (Division of Economics)
Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
• Honorary Assistant Secretary: Dr Eugene Or, Lecturer, Applied Economics Minor, School of Business, SUSS
• Honorary Assistant Secretary: Ms TYAGI Ashima, Economics Associate Director, Pricing & Purchasing, S&P Global
• Honorary Treasurer: Associate Professor Chia Wai Mun, Associate Chair (Academic) & Associate Professor (School of Social Sciences), Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
• Honorary Assistant Treasurer: Dr. TENG Siow Song, Harold, Chief Project Coordinator
• MKX Technologies PTE

In addition, the following members were elected to the Council:
• Dr Taimur Baig, Chief Economist, DBS Bank
• Mr Manu Bhaskaran, Partner, Centennial Group International, Founding Director and Chief Executive Officer, Centennial Asia Advisors
• Associate Professor Chang Youngho, Head, Applied Economics Minor, Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS)
• Mr James Cheo, Managing Director & Chief Investment Officer, Southern Asia and Australia Global Wealth Management, UBS AG
• Mr Philip Chua, Former Senior Country Executive, American Express Bank Ltd
• Ms Maureen De Rooij, Chief Executive Officer, The Executive Forum
• Mr Marcus Fum, Executive Director (Economic Analysis Department), Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)
• Dr Derrick Kon, Chief Executive Officer, CEO Solutions and Adjunct Lecturer, Singapore Management University (SMU).
• Associate Professor Jamus Lim, Associate Professor of Economics, ESSEC Business School and Member of Parliament
• Dr Michael Syn, President & Head (Global Markets Division), Singapore Exchange Limited
• Ms Jacqueline Poh, Chief Executive Officer, JTC Corporation
• Professor John Quah, Distinguished Professor and Head of Department (Economics), Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, National University of Singapore (NUS)
• Mr Suan Teck Kin, Head (Research) and Executive Director, Global Economics and Markets Research, United Overseas Bank (UOB)
• Dr Kelvin Bryan Tan, Principal Health Economist, Chief Health Economist's Office, Ministry of Health
• Associate Professor Tan Swee Liang, Associate Professor of Economics (Practice), School of Economics, Singapore Management University (SMU)
• Mr Franky Tanudjojo, Global Head, International Clients Network, Standard Chartered Bank
• Associate Professor Walter Theseira, Associate Professor (Economics), School of Business
• Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, Asia Competitiveness Institute, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (NUS)
• Professor Jun Yang, Dean, College of Business, President’s Chair in Finance
• Professor, Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University
• Miss Vanessa Yiak, Deputy Director, Humanities, Curriculum Planning and Development Division 2, Humanities Branch, Ministry of Education
• Ms Yong Yik Wei, Chief Economist, Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI)

The Society is pleased to welcome new faces to the Council, including:
• Mr Neil Parekh, Deputy Chairman, GFTN; Vice Chairman, Asia Pacific, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) Group
• Mr Kenneth Ho, Head of Sustainability, Seviora Group
• Dr Jang Ping Thia, Assistant Chief Economist, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)
• Professor Joseph Liow, Dean and Wang Gungwu Professor in East Asian Affairs, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore (NUS)
• Professor Sumit Agarwal, Low Tuck Kwong Distinguished Professor of Finance, Economics and Real Estate; Managing Director, Sustainable and Green Finance Institute; Head, Department of Real Estate; President, Asian Bureau of Finance and Economics Research; National University of Singapore and ABFER

The Co-Opted Council Members:
• Mr Lau Kok Hui, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Vector Infotech Pte Ltd
• Mr Benjamin Lau, ESS Young Professionals Chairperson and Client Account Manager, UBS AG

The newly elected Council members bring a diverse range of expertise spanning finance, sustainability, international economics, and academia, further strengthening the Economic Society of Singapore’s role as a platform for informed economic discourse.
The Council will continue to advance ESS’s mission of promoting economic research, education, and policy dialogue. ESS also extends its sincere appreciation to the outgoing Council members for their dedicated service and valuable contributions.

31/03/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17C2Gmmaf5/

Following my talk to the Economic Society of Singapore last year (go.gov.sg/m62syg), I wrote an essay “Microeconomics in Public Policy: A Practitioner's View”. It has been published in the Singapore Economic Review journal.

A core responsibility of any government is to grow and sustain a well-functioning economy. The theories on how to do so are well-studied. They go all the way back to Adam Smith, who described how self-interest and free markets can yield good economic outcomes.

Smith’s idea of the “invisible hand” remains very relevant today. But societies are now far more complex, and Governments have to balance economic growth with other important policy goals and considerations.

My essay discusses how and why the Singapore Government has applied economic principles and market incentives systematically across many public policies, e.g. our HDB programme and CDC Voucher scheme.

This approach works with human nature, rather than against it. The better we understand and make use of powerful economic forces, the more effectively we can achieve not only economic but also social and political goals.

In particular, we have found three practical rules of thumb useful:

i) When designing and implementing policies, use economic principles and market forces;

ii) When allocating a scarce resource, just price it; and

iii) When providing assistance, cash or cash-like is better.

The results - in terms of economic growth, equity, social cohesion and quality of public services – show that this way to improve the lives of our people works.

You can read the full article here: go.gov.sg/lhl-ser-essay-2026

– LHL

(MDDI Photo by Sean Koh)