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ifa ECP Monitor Country Report

                                 ifa ECP Monitor Country Report
Singapore
2   ifa ECP Monitor Country Report | Singapore

    1.          External cultural policy objectives in
                geopolitical context
    Singapore is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula with a pop-
    ulation of 5.69 million.1 Once a British colony, Singapore first joined the Federation of Ma-
    laysia on its formation in 1963 but seceded to become an independent nation on August 9,
    1965. After gaining its independence, Singapore quickly moved out of its developing country
    situation and ascended to prominence in the global economy. It is ranked as the most open
    and the most pro-business economy globally by the World Economic Forum in 2019.2

    Table 1: Singapore’s geopolitical and geo-economic position
                                                     2019                                2015

        Hard power rank                              40th (2021)                         n/a                         -

        World trade rank ($ million)3                15th / 749,307                      14th / 666,063              

        Soft power rank                              21st / 61.51                        21st / 52.50                -

        Diplomacy rank                               n/a                                 50th   (2016)
                                                                                                                     -

    Singapore is ranked 40 out of 140 for “hard power” by the Global Fire Power in 2021. Keenly
    aware of its limitations in hard power, Singapore focuses on creating diplomatic and economic
    space for itself through proactive and creative diplomacy. According to the USC Soft Power
    30, Singapore’s strongest influence is in its position as a global hub of finance and business.
    Thanks to its strategic position as a global node, instead of expanding its overseas presence
    through “brick and mortar institutions,” Singapore opens its gate widely for stakeholders
    across the globe. For example, Singapore is ranked the 2 nd in Global Talent Competitiveness
    Index 2017 with its heavy investment in digital technology and educational reforms.

    In one of the speeches given by Rosa Daniel from the Ministry of Culture, Community and
    Youth (MCCY), cultural diplomacy is important for Singapore to stay relevant regionally and
    globally.4 However, at the same time, external cultural policies are always a negotiation be-
    tween its economic agenda and socio-cultural agenda (Kong, 2000). On the one hand, Singa-
    pore has an acute need for arts and culture to build a coherent and robust national identity as
    a multi-racial and multi-cultural society. On the other hand, Singapore also needs to
    strengthen its edges in finance and business and embrace technologies and innovation to gain
    greater influence in regional and global dialogues. In recent years, an emphasis has been placed
    on cultural values than immediate economic gains in its foreign policy. It seems that Singapore
    seeks to harness its strength in innovation to slowly expand into areas like arts, culture, and
    media.

    1
      https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=SG in 2020.
    2
      World Economic Forum (2019). https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_TheGlobalCompetitivenessReport2019.pdf.
    3
      https://wits.worldbank.org/countrysnapshot/en/SGP. The rank is taken from the table of leading exporters and importers
    in world merchandise trade in World Trade Statistical Review 2016 & 2020.
    4
      Refer to Remarks by Mrs Rosa Daniel, Deputy Secretary Of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth at the Malraux
    Seminar on 12 Mar 2018, at the National Gallery Singapore.
3   ifa ECP Monitor Country Report | Singapore

    Table 2: Economy of Singapore
                                                       2019            2015

        Population (millions) / ranking                5.70 / 114th    5.54 / 116th

        GDP ranking                                    34th            37th

        GDP per capita ($)                             65,640          55,647

        Cultural economy (%GDP)                        0.37            0.64

        Education economy (%GDP)                       2.5             2.8

        R&D economy (%GDP)                             1.8 (2018)      2.3

        Media economy (%GDP)                           0.11            0.15

    Sources: World Bank, Data.gov.sg

    The nation-building politics as a soft authoritarian regime has determined Singapore’s devel-
    opment model and directed it in a planned, top-down fashion. After implementing several
    master plans like the Arts and Culture Strategic Review (2012-2016, with an injection of $270
    million), Singapore successfully shifted from Asia’s Global City to the world’s leading techno-
    nation (Chung, 2017).5 However, arts and culture still take a secondary position compared to
    other indicators like education and R&D. Culture, to the Singapore government, serves more
    as an ideological tool to socialize the migrant society into a cohesive community (Chong,
    2018).

    Table 3: Government spending on ECP fields as a % of total outlays
                                                        2019           2015

        Culture                                         2.5            3.8

        Education                                       16.9           17.7

        R&D                                             11.9 (2018)    13.7

        Media                                           0.75           0.90

    Sources: Data.gov.sg, Singapore Cultural Statistics 2020

    In general, government expenditures in all four areas of ECP have decreased compared to
    2015. Notably, from 2017 to 2021, the Singapore government has shifted its focus to domestic
    social development in recent years. Singapore’s spending on foreign affairs averages about
    470.6 million Singapore dollars (€300 million) every year, about 0.1% of the government’s
    annual total expenditure. The government funding and philanthropy for arts and culture have
    also decreased steadily from 2015 to 2019.

    5
        Refer to pp.7 of Our SG Arts Plan (2018-2022) Draft.
4   ifa ECP Monitor Country Report | Singapore

    2.          External cultural policy: an overview
    One of the primary goals of Singapore as a small state is to find its niche identity and balance
    its economic and cultural agendas in practicing cultural diplomacy and expanding foreign pol-
    icy space. Education and science are two of Singapore’s strengths in ECP, with scholarships,
    the Global Ready Talent program, and collaboration projects funded and supported by MOE
    and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Culture and arts are a secondary concern to Sin-
    gapore in its external cultural policies when it comes to governmental funding. According to
    Singapore Cultural Statistics published in 2020, the number of international development
    grants allocated by the National Arts Council to artists and art companies to promote Singa-
    pore arts internationally has decreased significantly from 435 in 2015 to 192 in 2019.

    Singapore does not emphasize marketing its culture as uniquely different from others. On the
    one hand, it is de rigueur to describe Singapore as a “cultural desert” in the sight of its short
    national history and lack of longstanding artistic traditions. On the other hand, all major areas
    of Singapore’s ECP are interconnected and shielded under the umbrella of technology and
    innovation. For these reasons, Singapore focuses on people-to-people diplomacy by inviting
    actors overseas and across all social sectors to also engage in and shape its cultural diplomacy.

    Table 4: Key ECP Statistics for Singapore
                                                                                           2019

        Number of countries with ECP activities                                          >60 (2021)

        Total number of institutions abroad                                              >27 (2021)

        Total number of FTE staff engaged in ECP activities                                  -

        ECP freelance & local contract staff                                                 -

        Government financial support (€ million)                                      16.4 (2014-2019)

        Financial scale of all ECP activities (€ million)                                 15.026

        Comparative ECP ranking                                                          medium

    Singapore embraces the objectives of regional and international bodies like UNESCO and
    ASEAN. It also keeps open and productive diplomatic ties with many countries, mainly the
    Commonwealth, East Asian, and Southeast Asian countries. According to Lowy Institute
    Global Diplomacy Index in 2019, Singapore has 28 embassies and high commissions abroad,
    17 consulates, and 4 permanent missions. However, while Singapore houses many cultural
    institutions from abroad, it does not actively seek to increase its overseas presence through
    similar channels. In this regard, Singapore’s approach of drawing foreign institutions to its
    home soil instead of projecting its power of influence abroad is similar to Qatar. Both Doha
    and Singapore position themselves as global cultural hubs well integrated into regional and
    international networks.

    6
      Singapore Budget 2019. MCCY (International & Public Relations, Public Communications). Singapore’s fiscal year starts
    from 1 April to 31 March next year. Calculated with an average exchange rate of SGD to EUR 0.656:1 from 1 April 2019 to
    31 March 2020 ECB.
5   ifa ECP Monitor Country Report | Singapore

    In 2014, the Singapore government established the Cultural Diplomacy Fund of about S$25
    million (about €16 million) to support various cultural diplomacy platforms worldwide for
    the next five years. Some examples of projects funded included platforms for ASEAN, show-
    case opportunities in Australia like AsiaTOPA, and George Town Festival. 7 The Cultural
    Diplomacy Fund is comprised S$20 million (€13 million) from the Ministry of Culture,
    Community and Youth (MCCY), and S$5 million (€3 million) from the Ministry of Foreign
    Affairs (MFA).

    Figure 1: Institutional map of Singapore’s ECP

    3.           Fields of ECP
    In Singapore, cultural diplomacy is carried out by government bodies like the National Arts
    Council (NAC) and the National Heritage Board (NHB) under the Ministry of Culture,
    Community and Youth (MCCY). They often work closely with the Ministry of Education
    (MOE) and other statuary boards like the Economic Development Board (EDB) and the Sin-
    gapore Tourism Board (STB) to push forward international collaborations in various fields.
    For example, from 2014 to 2019, MCCY, NAC, and NHB have supported over 1,000 artists,
    arts groups, and cultural professionals’ participation in more than 300 international festivals,
    exhibitions, residencies, and professional development programs. 8

    At the grassroots level, artists, arts groups, and other organizations also engage in cultural di-
    plomacy (often with government funding) by organizing or attending festivals and residencies
    or artistic collaboration. However, these activities are usually carried out at an individual level
    and scatter across all social sectors of Singapore. Two examples of independent arts and cul-
    ture groups are Dance Nucleus and Singapore Unbound, a New York City-based literary non-
    profit facilitating cultural exchanges. Another noteworthy example is the Gillman Barracks
    Program. It is a joint effort from the EDB, NAC, and JTC Corporation to set up galleries with

    7
        Refer to the Full Report on the IPS-SAM Roundtable on Cultural Diplomacy.
    8
        Refer to pp. 12 of the MCCY COS 2019 FACT SHEET.
6   ifa ECP Monitor Country Report | Singapore

    an international focus and implement projects in collaboration with arts from countries like
    the US, China, Australia, and Japan.9

    In addition to state-planned and grassroots arts and cultural activities, non-state actors like the
    Singapore International Foundation (SIF) also play a crucial role in shaping Singapore’s cul-
    tural diplomacy. From 2000 to 2016, the SIF partnered with art creators as cultural ambassa-
    dors and supported over 700 artists in presenting Singapore culture in more than 50 coun-
    tries.10 The SIF works with individuals and groups from all social sectors, including academia,
    young citizens, civil society, to seek international collaborations through fellowship opportu-
    nities, Volunteer Cooperation programs, and initiatives like Arts for Good. The SIF sees itself
    as a complementary alternative to initiatives led by the Singapore government, which are often
    constrained to a small budget compared to other nations like the UK, Japan, and Korea. It
    aims to develop a coherent and strategic national framework for cultural diplomacy focusing
    on people-to-people connection.11

    3.1. Culture and the arts
    Table 5: Key statistics on culture and the art
                                                 2019                                       2015

                                                 Singapore International
         Number of countries present             Foundation: > 60                           -
                                                 Gilman Barracks: 10

         Number of institutes                    0                                          0

         Number of artists in exchange           Singapore International
                                                                                            -
         programs                                Foundation: 501(2021)

         Number of cultural agreements           >8                                         -

         Government financial support
                                                 -                                          -
         ($ million)

    In 2012, the Arts and Culture Strategic Review 2012-2016, with a fund of S$16.35 million
    (about €11 mllion), cemented the importance of arts and culture in building a Singaporean
    identity and social life. The latest Singapore Arts Plan 2018-22 resonates with the critical 1989
    Report of the Advisory Council on Culture and the Arts. It emphasizes the social dimension
    instead of the economic gains brought by cultural exchanges. Three strategic thrusts that lie
    at the core of its vision are “Inspire our people,” “Connect our communities,” and “Position
    Singapore globally.” The third goal to position Singapore globally is further divided into three
    components – establishing Singapore as a valuable collaborative partner for arts and culture
    in the region, developing international residencies and capacity-building programs, and ex-
    tending an effective Singapore presence overseas.

    9
      Refer to pp. 359 of The State & the Arts in Singapore: Policies and Institutions.
    10
       Refer to pp. 5 of the Full Report on the IPS-SAM Roundtable on Cultural Diplomacy.
    11
       Refer to pp. 28 of Winning Hearts and Minds: Public Diplomacy in ASEAN by the SIF.
7   ifa ECP Monitor Country Report | Singapore

    In particular, Paul Tan, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer at NAC, stresses the non-instru-
    mental value of arts and how the SG Arts Plan will serve as a document to help other govern-
    ment agencies appreciate what the arts can do (IPS, 2018). In other words, Singapore’s cultural
    diplomacy aims to secure a more independent existence from the states while inviting individ-
    ual artists and professionals to get engaged. At this stage, Singapore is not mainly concerned
    with building a particular national image but an arts community with a local and global reach.

    As articulated in the SG Arts Plan, NAC plans to sustain and expand Singapore’s influence in
    arts and culture by hosting and participating in regional and international events and festivals.
    Some of the most important platforms for Singapore include Venice Biennale, International
    Society for Performing Arts (ISPA), Australia Performing Arts Market (APAM), BIG-
    SOUND, Internationale Tanzmesse NRW, Art Basel (Hong Kong), and international book
    fairs such as the London Book Fair and Beijing International Book Fair. Domestically, NAC
    focuses on building networks and Singapore-led platforms like Singapore International Festi-
    val of the Arts, Singapore Art Week, Singapore Biennale, and Singapore Writers Festival.

    In the cultural policy report produced by the Institute of Policy Studies at the National Uni-
    versity of Singapore, speakers representing crucial cultural institutions like Esplanade, Singa-
    pore’s national performing arts center, have emphasized Singapore’s focus on people-to-peo-
    ple connections in practicing its cultural policy. 12 The SIF and NAC have adopted a similar
    approach. On the one hand, Singapore’s focus on people-to-people diplomacy may partially
    explain its reluctance to establish overseas cultural institutions. On the other hand, it also
    shows the Singapore government’s readiness to welcome more ground-up initiatives, espe-
    cially with grants like the Market and Audience Development Grant and Capability Develop-
    ment Grant offered by NAC to support overseas presentations.

    Singapore has one World Heritage site, the Singapore Botanic Gardens, and one Intangible
    Cultural Heritage, Hawker Culture. The limited number of cultural heritages is one of Singa-
    pore’s weaknesses in attracting visitors. However, the Singapore government has been learning
    to use digital media for marketing Singapore arts and culture, especially those that enhance
    the quality of urban life. In addition, NAC has been working with STB to implement its
    global Passion Made Possible campaign to attract travelers and potential audiences, focusing
    on larger markets like Australia and China. 13

    3.2. Language
    Singapore is a multi-racial country with diverse ethnic groups and cultures. The major ethnic
    groups in Singapore are the Chinese, Malays, Indians, and others (mainly Eurasians). While
    the government recognizes the importance of English from the early stage of its independence,
    it also adopts Mandarin, Malay, Tamil, along with English, as the four official languages of
    Singapore. A bilingual education policy is implemented and promoted in Singapore. It re-
    quires all students in public schools (known as ‘national schools’ in Singapore) to learn English
    as the first language in schools and a ‘Mother Tongue Language’ (MTL) as a second language.
    In 2020, the literacy rate among the resident population aged 15 and over remained high at

    12
       In particular, Jean Tan (Executive Director of the Singapore International Foundation) and Kenneth Kwok (Assistant Chief
    Executive of the NAC).
    13
         https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/singapore-tourism-board-and-singapore-economic-development-
    board-launch-passion-made-possible-brand-for-singapore-602752
8   ifa ECP Monitor Country Report | Singapore

    97.1 percent in Singapore. Among those who spoke English most frequently at home, most of
    them also spoke a mother tongue language or dialect as a secondary language (Singapore De-
    partment of Statistics, 2020).

    While Singlish, a localized version of English in Singapore, has gained momentum in Singapo-
    rean popular culture, the Singapore government does not promote it in official channels. One
    concern may be that Singapore has to weigh the economic value of its official languages against
    their cultural value. For example, the Singapore government launched the Speak Good English
    Movement (SGEM), which lasted until this day to enhance its international profile. In recent
    years, Singapore has also put more emphasis on Mandarin because of China’s rise. However,
    these shifts contradict the ideology of its bilingual policy, which is to preserve ethnic and cul-
    tural heritage (Tan & Ng, 2011). In addition, Singapore does not have any language institutes
    abroad or participate in international promotion of languages like Belgium. In this regard,
    Singapore’s language policy is similar to Switzerland’s, which is to keep a peaceful co-existence
    of multiple official languages.

    3.3. Primary and secondary education
    Table 6: Key figures on primary and secondary education
                                                 2019                                  2015

         Number of countries                     7                                     -

                                                 1 directly funded by MOE

         Number of schools                       17 authorized as Appointed            -
                                                 Examination Centres admin-
                                                 istering the iPSLE

                                                 Singapore International
         Number of students                      School Hong Kong (SISHK):             -
                                                 ~1,500

                                                 Singapore International
         Number of staff / teachers              School Hong Kong (SISHK):             -
                                                 >150

    While Singapore is home to 61 international schools, it only has one overseas school run by
    MOE, Singapore International School in Hong Kong. 14 In addition, 17 schools are not funded
    by but are officially affiliated with the Singaporean government. They are authorized as Ap-
    pointed Examination Centers administering the iPSLE – a specialized version of Singapore’s
    multilingual, standardized test for students leaving primary schools in Singapore. These

    14
      “The Singapore International School Hong Kong (SISHK) is the only overseas school run by MOE to cater to Singaporean
    students who are based abroad. We currently do not have any plans to set up a similar school elsewhere.” In March 2017.
    Retrieved from: https://www.international-schools-database.com/in/singapore;
    https://www.moe.gov.sg/news/speeches/20170307-moe-fy-2017-committee-of-supply-debate-speech-by-minister-
    of-education-schools-ng-chee-meng
9   ifa ECP Monitor Country Report | Singapore

    schools are in seven countries: Cambodia, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Philippines, Thai-
    land and Vietnam.15

    In addition, ASEAN international students in Singapore enjoy lower tuition fees in govern-
    ment-aided primary, secondary and pre-university schools.16 Together with students from
    China, they are also eligible to apply for the ASEAN scholarships provided by MOE. 17

    3.4. Tertiary education and science
    Table 7: Key figures on tertiary education and science
                                                 2019                                   2015

         Tertiary education

         Number of countries
         (Fulbright)
                                                 >40                                    -

         Number of universities / colleges
                                                 0                                      -
         abroad

         Number of students

            Inbound                              ~50,000                                -

            Outbound                             23,752                                 -

            Number of government schol-
                                                 -                                      ~900
            arships awarded 18

         Government financial support
                                                 85.28                                  -
         (€ million)19

         Science

         Number of countries                     >15                                    -

                                                 >15 International
         Number of projects                                                             -
                                                 Collaboration Projects

    15
       SEAB (Singapore Examination and Assessment Board). (2021). Retrieved from https://www.seab.gov.sg/home/ser-
    vices/ipsle
    16
        https://www.moe.gov.sg/news/press-releases/20201209-school-fees-to-remain-unchanged-for-singapore-citizens-
    and-permanent-residents-in-government-and-government-aided-schools-in-2021
    17
       https://www.moe.gov.sg/financial-matters/awards-scholarships/asean-scholarships
    18
       https://www.moe.gov.sg/news/parliamentary-replies/20150713-scholarships-awarded-to-international-students; In
    one of Singapore MOE’s parliamentary replies in 2015, it mentioned that since 2012, about 900 scholarships are awarded
    to international students each year.
    19
       The number (S$130 million) only indicates the worth of the total scholarships instead of the real costs incurred in the
    education system. Retrieved from: https://www.moe.gov.sg/news/parliamentary-replies/20190805-government-spend-
    ing-on-foreign-students.
10   ifa ECP Monitor Country Report | Singapore

     Singapore is the choice destination for around 50,000 foreign students from around the
     world. Singapore also has 23,752 students studying abroad in 2021, according to UNESCO.20
     Since 2012, MOE has been offering about 900 scholarships annually to international students
     at local universities.

     Another major part of Singapore’s education diplomacy is the Singapore Cooperation Pro-
     gram (SCP) under MFA. The SCP works with more than 50 local and international partners
     and shares Singapore’our development experiences with over 132,000 government officials
     from 180 countries, territories, and intergovernmental organizations. As part of the SCP, the
     initiative for ASEAN Integration targets individuals explicitly with the potential to take on
     leadership positions across the ASEAN region. So far, it has organized capacity-building
     courses for over 43,000 officials from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam.

     Singapore is in the process of transforming itself into a global research hub. In 2019, its Gross
     Expenditure on R&D (GERD) is S$9.7 billion (€6.5 billion), which is 1.9% of Singapore’s
     overall GDP. The National Science Foundation is the leading science institution located in
     the National University of Singapore, and it is situated directly under the Prime Minister’s
     Office. According to its RIE2025 Plan, there are 15 interdisciplinary programs collaborating
     with nine partner universities from 7 countries housed at CREATE under the National Sci-
     ence Foundation.21 One notable example is the Singapore-Berkeley Building Efficiency and
     Sustainability in the Tropics (SinBerBEST). It is a joint program between the University of
     California, Berkeley, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), and NUS. The interdiscipli-
     nary program aims to develop innovative energy-efficient and sustainable technologies for
     buildings in the tropics.

     Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) under the Ministry of Trade and
     Industry (MTI) is another key player in Singapore to push forward international scientific
     collaborations. Through a number of fellowships and scholarships A*STAR offers to interna-
     tional scientists, it has funded more than 1,000 scholars since 2009.

     Singapore has been actively looking for international partnerships in science and innovation.
     For example, from 2016 to 2019, the National University of Singapore was a member of the
     European Leadership in Culture, Science and Innovation Diplomacy (EL-CSID), which anal-
     yses the relevance of cultural, science, and innovation diplomacy for EU external relations and
     locates developments in these fields in the evolving global context. In 2019, a new European
     Union-Singapore initiative was launched to encourage top Singaporean scientists to join re-
     search teams funded by the European Research Council (ERC).22

     20
        http://uis.unesco.org/en/uis-student-flow.
     21
        Refer to pp.45 of Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2025 Plan.
     22
          https://www.nrf.gov.sg/programmes/international-collaborations/new-eu-singapore-initiative-for-top-singaporean-
     scientists-to-join-european-research-council-teams
11   ifa ECP Monitor Country Report | Singapore

     3.5. Foreign Media
     Table 8: Key figures on foreign broadcasting, including social media
     statistics
          Mediacorp                               2019             2015

          TV

            Number of countries                                    29
            broadcasted to

            Number of languages                                    4

            Number of channels                                     1; CNA.asia

            Audience / weekly (million)23                          CNA: >2.3 million

            Digital & social media followers                       YouTube: 1.51 (2021 Aug)
            (million)                                              Facebook: 3.79 (2021 Aug)
                                                                   Twitter: 1 (2021 Aug)

          New Media

            Active users of social networks                        Facebook: 2853 (2021)
            (in millions)                                          YouTube: 2291 (2021)
                                                                   WhatsApp: 2000 (2021)
                                                                   Instagram: 1386 (2021)

            Mediacorp

            TV                                     -               -
                           Audience /
            Radio                                  -               -
                           weekly (million)
            Digital                                73(2021)        -

            Total          Number of coun-
                           tries broad-            29              -
                           casted to

                           Number of
                                                   4               -
                           languages

                           Number of
                                                   6               -
                           channels

                           Audience /
                                                   -               -
                           weekly (million)

                           Budget
                                                   -               -
                           (€ million)

     23
          https://www.mediacorp.sg/en/advertising/our-brands/cna
12   ifa ECP Monitor Country Report | Singapore

     Singapore’s broadcasting and film and video sectors make up about S$1.3 billion (€873 mil-
     lion). Its entire media industry is about S$3 billion (€2 billion) value-added, which is about 1
     percent of Singapore’s Gross Domestic Product (How & Krishnan, 2020). Mediacorp is Sin-
     gapore’s largest content creator and public-owned transmedia platform. In particular, its
     Channel NewsAsia (CNA) is a subscription network to 29 countries across Asia, Australia,
     and the Middle East. Digitally, CNA content is consumed by an increasing average of about
     10 million unique visitors, generating about 73 million page views every month. CNA has also
     collaborated with international partners, including ESPN, 99.co, Mothership, Vice Media, and
     more.24

     In recent years, the Economic Development Board has also successfully attracted large multi-
     nationals like Netflix, iQiyi, and HBO to set up their headquarters in Singapore. As a media
     hub in Asia and a global hub for content distribution, Singapore aspires to achieve more with
     digital innovation. Starting from 2013, Mediacorp seeks to build a single multi-media digital plat-
     form, meCONNECT, that integrates media services including television, radio, and news channels
     like CNA.25

     In 2020, Mediacorp officially renamed its over-the-top (OTT) platform, Toggle, to me-
     WATCH, which offers media services directly through the Internet. With increasing cooper-
     ation with key partners like Netflix and HBO, Singapore’s television landscape exhibits an
     obvious trend to embrace digital transformation in its media diplomacy, blurring the line be-
     tween what is domestic and foreign.

     4.         Challenges and future outlook
     According to Softpower 30, Singapore easily breaks into the top global hubs of finance, busi-
     ness, and innovation with its attractive business models and creative approach. However, its
     glaring weakness lies in its cultural engagement. Indeed, there is no single image of Singapo-
     rean arts and culture that can be exploited by the government and “marketed” to an interna-
     tional audience. Nevertheless, the government’s seemingly discrete and discontinuous act of
     promoting arts programs and projects is consistent with its “bureaucratic imagination” of the
     arts, which is to selectively apply arts to counter socio-economic challenges and bring different
     people together in a society (Chong, 2015).

     In recent years, the Singapore government has tended to invest in its ECP without expecting
     immediate economic gains with programs like the SCP. However, there is still an identifiable
     gap between Singapore’s ambition to position itself globally with a declining number of inter-
     national development grants supported by NAC to artists and art companies to promote Sin-
     gapore’s arts internationally from 2015 to 2019.

     In other ECP fields like education, science, and media, of its ECP, Singapore fully embraces
     innovation and keeps strengthening its position as a global node. Singapore has successfully
     established a model of economic development that has guiding significance to its ASEAN
     neighbors as well as the world, and it continues to attract foreign talents and seek cooperation

     24
        https://www.channelnewsasia.com/mediacorp-digital-network
     25
         https://www.mediacorp.sg/corporate/news-release/media-releases/mediacorp-rolls-out-mewatch-melisten-mere-
     wards-and-meconnect-12369778
13   ifa ECP Monitor Country Report | Singapore

     in all the ECP fields. To advance its cultural diplomacy, Singapore will need to strengthen its
     image as a regional leader and feed into the narrative that highlights its positive contributions
     to global challenges.
14   ifa ECP Monitor Country Report | Singapore

     References
     MCCY (Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth). (2018). Remarks by Mrs Rosa Dan-
            iel, Deputy Secretary Of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth at the Mal-
            raux Seminar on March 12 2018, at the National Gallery Singapore. Retrieved from:
            https://www.mccy.gov.sg/-/media/Mccy-Ca/Feature/Resources/Speeches/Malrux-
            DS-Speech.pdf
     MCCY (Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth). (2019). MCCY COS 2019 FACT
            SHEET Partnering Singaporeans to build a Caring, Cohesive and Confident Nation.
            Retrieved from https://www.mccy.gov.sg/-/media/MCCY-corp/Budget/Fact-
            sheet_MCCY_COS.pdf
     NAC (National Arts Council). (2018). SG Arts Plan (2018-2022). Retrieved from
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15   ifa ECP Monitor Country Report | Singapore

     Imprint

     The External Cultural Policy Monitor
     Developed by Helmut K. Anheier, Hertie School & UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs,
     and ifa Competence Centre. Supervised by Helmut K. Anheier. Coordinated by Sarah
     Widmaier for ifa.

     Preferred citation
     Yang, Yuqing (04/2022). “Singapore. Country Report,” in: Helmut K. Anheier and ifa (eds.).
     The External Cultural Policy Monitor. Stuttgart: ifa.

     The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the ifa.

     Publisher:
     ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen)
     Charlottenplatz 17,
     70173 Stuttgart,
     Postfach 10 24 63,
     D-70020 Stuttgart

     www.ifa.de

     © ifa 2022

     Author: Yuqing Yang

     Copy-editing by:
     ifa’s Research Programme “Culture and Foreign Policy”

     Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)

     DOI: https://doi.org/10.17901/ecp.2022.018
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