LITMIR.BIZ

       Foreword

      I first read Kiasunomics^© back in 2017, when Sumit, Swee Hoon, and Tien Foo sent me a copy. It was interesting and easy to read.

      I have some background in economics — I completed a BSc (Econ) degree back in 1991 — and I have to admit that economics concepts are not easily explained to the layman. I enjoyed how the authors contextualised the topics to Singapore, and made the issues easy to understand.

      In January 2020, Swee Hoon passed me the draft for Kiasunomics^©2, and I had the privilege of a preview before the book was published.

      I believe most of us will find the authors’ insights on topics such as app-hailing, mobile payments, mobile wallets particularly interesting, with these technologies being recent innovations that have very quickly become part and parcel of consumer behaviour in Singapore. ‘Like Father, Like Son?’ will resonate with many parents. Inter-generational housing wealth is a topic that many in my generation are probably thinking about.

      More importantly, many academics know that I am a champion of research into Singapore issues. We are a crucible of policy experimentation. Many countries are curious about how Singapore manages issues like ageing, education for a new era, housing for masses, inequality, and environmental protection. Even in managing the coronavirus disease, or COVID-19, other countries are interested in what we do.

      I do not think that doing research on Singapore topics, versus gaining an international audience and publishing in top-tier journals, are mutually exclusive. Local research in fact distinguishes Singapore universities from other universities around the world.

      I would therefore like to thank Sumit, Swee Hoon, and Tien Foo for their enthusiasm in local research. I am glad that they are donating the royalty proceeds from Kiasunomics^© to bursaries and scholarships, and have pledged to do the same for Kiasunomics^©2.

       Ong Ye Kung

      Minister for Education

      (2015 – 2020)