INSTITUTE OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN STUDIES LSE ASIA FORUM 2008 THE POLITICS OF KNOWLEDGE Equality and diversity are central to the aims and objectives of LSE. The School actively promotes the involvement of all students and staff in all areas of School life and seeks to ensure that they are free from discrimination on the grounds of gender, race, social background, disability, religious or political belief, age and sexual orientation. At LSE we recognise that the elimination of discrimination is integral to ensuring the best possible service to students, staff and visitors to the School. Design: LSE Design Unit (www.lse.ac.uk/designunit) The London School of Economics and Political Science is a School of the University of London. It is a charity and is incorporated in England as a company limited by guarantee under the Companies Act (Reg. No. 70527) SINGAPORE, 11 APRIL 2008 The information in this programme can be FORUM PROGRAMME made available in alternative formats, on request. Please contact: [email protected] LSE ASIA FORUM 2008 1 CONTENTS WELCOME TO THE LSE ASIA FORUM LSE and ISEAS are grateful for the support WELCOME TO THE LSE ASIA FORUM 1 We are delighted to welcome you to the fourth received from all of the following organisations: LSE Asia Forum, held in conjunction with the RATIONALE 2 Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, which MAIN SPONSOR LSE HONORARY FELLOWS IN SINGAPORE 3 is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. FORUM PROGRAMME 4 Our focus this year is ‘The Politics of Knowledge’. These SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES 5-8 days we are bombarded by suggestions that ‘knowledge is power’, that we are operating in a knowledge economy, ISEAS AT 40 9 and that the greatest driver for financial growth and THE LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND national development is the knowledge industry. There POLITICAL SCIENCE 10 are more sources of knowledge available to a wider range of the world’s population than ever before. The LEAD SPONSOR LSE IN ASIA 10 internet has made the dissemination of knowledge THE LSE SINGAPORE TRUST 12 Ambassador Howard Davies possible in ways not contemplated 50 years ago. National K Kesavapany Director, LSE and boundaries are crossed with consummate ease. THE CAMPAIGN FOR LSE 13 Director, ISEAS and Asia Forum Host Knowledge is not like other assets. It can be accessed LSE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 14 Asia Forum Host rapidly and used by thousands, often millions, of LSE CONTACTS 16 people. This makes knowledge as an asset something completely different from the tangible assets that ISEAS PUBLISHING 17 generated much of the wealth in the early development of most nations. And different countries and regions need different strategies to support and promote the growth of their knowledge economies. These call for nationally and regionally-based approaches, and they SUPPORTING SPONSORS entail new dynamics and challenges in wealth creation, legal regulation, national and social organisation and the protection of environmental and natural resources. The LSE Asia Forum brings together business leaders, policy makers and academic experts to explore strategic developments in this key region of the world. Following the success of the third Asia Forum in New Delhi, India, we are delighted to host this event in Singapore. The Forum will cover four main themes: • Knowledge as a Driver for Economic Growth • Protecting Knowledge: balancing commercial needs and public benefits • Controlling Knowledge: responding to contest and change in control over religious knowledge OFFICIAL ALUMNI RECEPTION SPONSOR • Sharing Knowledge: reconciling conflicting aims on climate change and the environment We hope you will be stimulated by the presentations today. SPEAKER’S DINNER SPONSOR 2 LSE ASIA FORUM 2008 LSE ASIA FORUM 2008 3 RATIONALE LSE HONORARY FELLOWS IN SINGAPORE This fourth LSE Asia Forum is an important and very Dr Goh Keng Swee East Asian Institute (EAI) in the National University of public part of the School’s strategy to enhance its Dr Goh Keng Swee was Singapore. In 1968, Dr Goh initiated the establishment long standing relationship with the rapidly developing elected as an Honorary of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), Asian region. This strategy in Asia forms part of the Fellow of the London which is celebrating its 40th Anniversary in 2008. School’s wider international strategy, which has at its School of Economics and core the building of deep and sustainable alliances The Straits Times Professor Saw Political Science in 1966 for and partnerships as a means of broadening research Swee Hock having attained distinction and teaching offerings, and enhancing the School’s in the arts, sciences and Professor Saw Swee Hock international reputation. LSE historically attracted many was elected as an Honorary very talented students and staff from all major Asian public life, and having Fellow of the London countries. The School has a large and distinguished rendered outstanding School of Economics and group of alumni in the region and has been active in services to the School. Photograph by courtesy of SPH – Political Science in 2007, building partnerships with business and government He spent three years in the second Singaporean for many years. As one of the world’s top social science the School, graduating in June 1951 with a Bachelor of after Dr Goh Keng Swee to universities, LSE has been at the forefront of the analysis of Science (Economics), and three years later, he returned be honoured by their alma globalisation and is the alma mater of many public leaders to pursue a doctorate under a London University in Asia. The LSE Asia Forum is a unique opportunity scholarship. He obtained his PhD in November 1956. mater. After graduating to bring together LSE’s key partners in the region. from the University of Thereafter, Dr Goh returned to Singapore to serve as Malaya (in Singapore) in 1957, he joined the Department Asia’s current renaissance, in particular the emergence of Director of the Social and Economic Research Division of Statistics in the Colonial Government, and returned India and China as important partners in managing the in the Department of Social Welfare. When Singapore to the University to study for a master’s degree in dynamics of globalisation and growth, has motivated LSE attained self-government in 1959, he became the first 1959. After obtaining this degree, he proceeded to to convene forums in Asia. While much public debate Minister for Finance, and continued in this capacity LSE in September 1960 to pursue a doctorate degree and commentary focuses exclusively on the commercial until Singapore became a fully independent country in in Statistics, which he obtained in April 1963. opportunities offered by the growth of India and China, August 1965. He embarked on a pragmatic programme the investigation of future global governance and policy of industrialisation, focusing initially on the development Thereafter, Professor Saw joined the University of Malaya challenges and opportunities created by Asia’s success of the Industrial Estate in Jurong and later similar ones (in Kuala Lumpur) to serve as a Lecturer and later Senior is equally important. LSE’s mission has always been to in other parts of the island. The industrial estates were Lecturer. In October 1969, he became the Founding provide rigorous analysis of human development and supplemented with other incentives designed to attract Professor of Statistics at the University of Hong Kong to offer research-based intelligence aimed at informing foreign capital and entrepreneurs into Singapore to until September 1971 when he returned to Singapore to sound policy choices and business strategies. Given create jobs and raise the living standards of the citizens. take up the post of Chairman of the newly-established the multi-faceted challenges now facing the world, LSE National Statistical Commission of Singapore, spearheaded believes that Asia must be an important contributor In late 1965, Dr Goh moved on to become the Minister by Dr Goh Keng Swee. He returned to academia in 1975 to global development and governance. The LSE Asia for Defence, charged with the specific task of building at the National University of Singapore as Professor of Forum provides an opportunity for analysis of different up a strong defence force capable of defending the Statistics until he retired in 1991. Since then he has been perspectives on the economic, social, political and cultural newly-independent nation against foreign aggression. Senior Consultant in the Applied Research Corporation, contributions Asia is making to global development. After spending some years creating a credible defence and currently holds the post of Professorial Fellow in force, he became Minister for Finance again in August the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS). 1967, and was reappointed Minister for Defence in late 1970. He remained in this ministerial position until Professor Saw has served as a consultant to governments, 1978 when he was given the new job of Minister for international organisations and private corporations. Education. In the Ministry of Education, he introduced He has held visiting positions in, among others, many important changes aimed at providing quality and Princeton, Stanford, Cambridge and LSE. He has relevant education, in order for the children to meet published some 90 articles, 16 monographs, 25 book the challenges posed by an economy increasingly based chapters, and 43 books on statistics, demography and on high technology and a globalised environment.