Criticising SG Government Policies Without Getting Into Trouble | Sociologist Prof Teo You Yenn

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:00]In 2018, a sociology book about inequality unexpectedly became one of Singapore's bestsellers. Over 43,000 copies sold and 80 weeks on the Straits Times bestsellers list, cited in parliament, debated by officials. That book is This is what inequality looks like. And its author is Professor Tio Yu Yen. Now, she's back with a new book.

[00:00:20]And this time, it's not just about low-income families. It's called Unease.

[00:00:24]And it's about the niggling unease that all Singapore parents feel despite our pro- family policies and worldclass education system. And this is both sides of political aisle. You hear a lot more language of >> yeah, >> you know, uh whether it's work life balance or just parents just how to help our parents and all. Do you feel that this generation of of younger leaders are much more focused on inequality and and does that make you optimistic?

[00:00:50]I think certainly in the um political capital political P sphere right um definitely there has been a lot more attention to the issue um in the last >> 10 15 years I would say >> right uh and increasing right and and I think that is of course good um I think the trend trends in Singapore and globally don't look great >> still. Um, of course, the genie is one way to look at it and much of the the recent uh figures in Singapore indicate they are trending in the at least the income inequality is trending in a positive direction in the sense of reduced inequality. But if you look at other kinds of data, so in the book I cite the world inequality database uh partly because they have cross-country comparisons and explicitly and they use they've they've they've used more comparable data right so it's it's better for my purposes when I want to show different countries to use that data and that data is presented not just as genie coefficient which I find is not so intuitive to understand. Yeah. So the way the world inequality um database folks present it is by looking at the income share or wealth share of the top 1% versus the top 10% versus the bottom 50%.

[00:02:25]>> Yeah. And I think this way of presenting inequality data if I'm not wrong it was uh pioneered by uh Tomar Picetti who wrote that very uh influential book on inequality called capital in the 21st century. And um I think that that way of looking at things is quite important because it shows the concentration >> yeah of income and even more starkly of wealth you know in the top 1% and then in the top 10% and the um quite low levels of income shares and especially wealth shares in the bottom 50%. Mhm.

[00:03:05]>> Right. It's very consequential because uh this means that because wealth especially Yeah. compounds.

[00:03:14]>> Yeah. And um and wealth in the form of capital allows for a lot of activities that income does not.

[00:03:22]>> Right. Uh it allows for investing in businesses. It allows for uh maybe taking time off so you can make different kinds of choices. Right? Yeah, >> it allows for passing money from one generation to the next.

[00:03:38]>> So I think looking at those figures is quite important and that continues to be trending in the direction of more inequality >> globally.

[00:03:46]>> Yeah. So I think that there is still quite a lot of concern. I mean we should still continue to be quite concerned about this. I think um so coming back to your question about whether political leaders are paying enough attention, I think they're certainly paying attention, but I think they can continue to pay more attention.

[00:04:07]>> And I think that um there is still a lot that can be done in terms of uh more social welfare.

[00:04:17]>> Yeah. By which I mean more of a social safety net.

[00:04:20]>> Yeah. for broad swaths of the population >> um and more income redistribution and wealth redistribution.

[00:04:28]>> So I mean speaking of the capital P and the fact that they're paying attention um how has the the brushes with the capital P uh impacted you because when the report the MIS report came out there was a rebuttal from I think three ministries who issued a joint statement um the this is what uh inequality um looks like. Uh I mean I think you you mentioned that you got certain um corrections that you were requested to make which you declined in this case with a even more bolder book. How how do you think about it or do you not think about it at all during the writing process?

[00:05:04]>> Yeah, I mean during the writing process I tried my best not to think about it too much. Yeah. I mean I'm I by that I mean of course it is in the of course it is in somewhere in my attention. Yeah.

[00:05:20]>> But I tried not to fixate too much on on this. And this is because I didn't want to um my writing to become defensive and to be oriented around specific groups concerns.

[00:05:36]>> Yeah. So earlier I already mentioned including my readers and all that I have to shut out the voices a little bit or mute it a little bit right is there but it's like you put a bit of a lid so that you can hear ambient sounds >> but you cannot hear the specific things you know that are that are said and I think that's very important for anybody trying to write something because you want to make sure you find the through line of of your argument based on the empirical findings based on what I know from other scholars work, right? Rather than based on who will I try to please or who am I trying to fend off or what arguments I'm trying to argue against, >> right?

[00:06:20]>> Um I think that would number one make for a very unruly read and a very irritating read >> because it's like you're having conversation with specific people but not all your readers are in on the conversation.

[00:06:32]>> Yeah.

[00:06:33]>> Right. and it would in some ways uh I think not not speak so true to either your empirical evidence or for me you know existing scholarship.

[00:06:44]>> So I tried to to mute it a bit to not worry too much about that.

[00:06:49]>> But I'm sure you get asked like you know oh then you professor in um you know uh national university how is the impact and all um how how do you normally respond to that?

[00:06:59]>> What do you mean by how is the impact?

[00:07:00]>> Like uh if you're writing something that is critiquing general policies right uh and I think a lot of people appreciate what you write there is momentum growing there is the older school uh way of thinking that oh if you're critiquing the incumbent or your career cha even my my mom still gets worried when we talk about >> politics do you get that a lot or you think times are changing >> um I think that I have managed to surround myself a little bit with people who uh braver than I am.

[00:07:36]>> Yeah. And people who will push me to uh I suppose be true to the work.

[00:07:44]>> Mhm.

[00:07:45]>> So I'm I'm I don't have a lot of people saying directly to my face, don't do that.

[00:07:51]>> Um and I think that's that's important.

[00:07:54]I think that's really important. And so I I often tell young scholars, you know, you this is this is part of what you need to do is you need to spend time and energy uh making friends, making allies, finding other people who are trying to do um uh who are who are sort of not not entirely in agreement necessarily, but maybe share some of the same values uh of of what you're trying to do as a scholar.

[00:08:20]>> And making sure that you support one another. I think it's very that's very helpful for curbing the instinct to to not want to do. Yeah. And to to curbing the instinct towards self censorship or curbing the instinct towards taking fewer risks. I think I think structurally we are probably pushed towards taking fewer risks and and not rocking the boat and you know being very careful especially when talking about um policy >> and um I think that I think that there's value in that you know and there's there is value in being careful >> uh because there is value in being rigorous you know there's value in sort of being serious about the work and and knowing that there is scrutiny can push you to be serious about the work. So I think that's good.

[00:09:15]>> Um in the you know the when I think of myself as an employee of a public university I don't think of myself as a state employee. I think of myself as an employee of a public university.

[00:09:29]>> Yeah. Public university is a very good thing. public like education should be a public good, right? And it should be the case that a public supports this work either the the teaching of students or or as well as as research, right? And I think that that in some ways has given me um the sense that I mean part part of why I do all this work is is also partly because I think well I I am I I've had the privilege to work in a public institution. This is an institution supported by the resources of people.

[00:10:08]>> Yeah. And so it is also my duty and responsibility to do what I can to be useful to the public. Um, that's different than thinking you are a representative of the government, I think. Right. And that that distinction is important to make.

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[00:10:58]Thank you so much.