Population Policy and Reproduction in Singapore

Shirley Hsiao-Li Sun is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Her main research interests are population studies, social inequalities, citizenship and immigration, economic development and social reproduction, and science and technology.

• 1. Introduction: Making Future Citizens 2. Low Fertility and Pronatalist Policies 3. Economic Development, Social Investments, and Population Control 4. Class Differentiated Pronatalism 5. Privileging the Citizen-Worker 6. Constructing Children’s Multi-dimensional Qualities 7. Conclusion

"Population Policy and Reproduction in Singapore: Making Future Citizens urges us to rethink the most difficult questions of pronatalist policy, and to create a more intensive dialogue between state and citizens for the sake of successful policy." - Irina Kalabikhina, Lomonosov Moscow State University; Journal of Population Studies, No. 44, June 2012"This is an indispensable book, not only for those seeking to understand population policy in Singapore but for anyone concerned about what kinds of policies can stem the decline of birth rates throughout the world. It displays a remarkable mastery of the field. Sun demonstrates the ability to ask the right questions, develop an effective and appropriate methodology and provide answers. One looks forward to Sun’s continued research in the field of population policy." - Steven Philip Kramer, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University"Sun’s book convincingly establishes the advantages of qualitative research in the field of population studies. Overall, the book makes an important contribution to the analysis of population policy and reproduction in low-fertility contexts, and will thus be of interest to researchers concerned with these issues in Singapore and beyond. It will also be useful and informative reading for policy-makers. It is my hope that Sun’s book will encourage other researchers to engage various aspects of reproduction and family formation using qualitative methods." - Kristina Göransson, School of Social Work, Lund University, newasiabooks.org 2013."the book offers several useful elements to the scholar of population policy or to someone teaching on the topic" - Rachel Sullivan Robinson, American University, Contemporary Sociology"Though this book has been published for a number of years, the policy challenges it discusses remain relevant for Singapore and other modernizing Asian societies encountering decreasing fertility rates… The issues Sun discuss hence remain salient for Singapore—while the size of its territory has not been Singapore’s destiny for the previous 50 years, for the next 50, the size of its committed citizenry will be." — Journal of East Asian Studies, Volume 17, Issue 2, July 2017