In this page I include links to selected commentaries, academic articles, interviews, multimedia and other material that I have written or to which I have contributed. For a complete list of my publications, please see my CV.
JOURNAL ARTICLES AND BOOK CHAPTERS
- (with Ng Kok Hoe, Neo Yu Wei, Ad Maulod and Ting Yi-Ting) “Measuring needs and setting standards in Singapore” in Researching Minimum Income Standards: International and Comparative Policy Perspectives, edited by Christopher Deeming (Policy Press, 2020)
“Seeing a story to get to a case”, pp. 34-43 in They Told Us to Move, edited by Ng Kok Hoe and the Cassia Resettlement Team (Ethos Books, 2019) - “Falling Short: Class and the Performance of the Familial”, pp. 96-111 in Family and Population Change in Singapore: A unique case in the global family changes, edited by Wei-Jun Jean Yeung and Shu Hu (Routledge, 2018)
- “Poor people don’t like oats either” in Living with Myths in Singapore, edited by Loh Kah Seng, Thum Ping Tjin and Jack Meng-Tat Chia (Ethos Books, 2017)
- “Not everyone has ‘maids’: class differentials in the elusive quest for work-life balance.” Gender, Place & Culture 23(8): 1164-78 (2016)
- “Interrogating the limits of welfare reforms in Singapore.” Development and Change 46(1): 95-120 (2015)
- “Support for deserving families: inventing the anti-welfare familialist state in Singapore.” Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society 20(3): 386-406 (2013)
- “Shaping the Singapore family, producing state and society.” Economy and Society 39(3): 337-359 (2010)
- “Gender disarmed: How gendered policies produce gender-neutral politics in Singapore.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 34(3): 533-558 (2009)
OPINION AND COMMENTARIES
- ‘Security and independence are basic needs‘ (written with Ng Kok Hoe, Neo Yu Wei, Ad Maulod and Stephanie Chok) (Academia.sg, 1 July 2020)
- ‘In this zombie apocalypse, your homework is due at 5pm‘ (Academia.sg, 9 April 2020)
- ‘Crisis is exactly the time to make structural changes to address poverty and inequality‘ (Academia.sg, written with Ng Kok Hoe) (Academia.sg, 17 March 2020)
- ‘Making sense of data: Household income and expenditure, basic needs and inequality‘ (written with Ng Kok Hoe) (The Edge, 13 August 2019)
- ‘S$1,379 a month needed for basic needs? This is how Singapore’s seniors agree on this baseline‘ (written with Ng Kok Hoe) (TODAYonline, 4 June 2019)
- ‘How to achieve a basic standard of living for older people in Singapore‘ (written with Ng Kok Hoe) (The Edge, 23 May 2019)
- ‘Let’s talk about a living wage: Singapore should consider a society-wide approach to raising low wages‘ (The Straits Times, 7 March 2019, paywall).
A Mandarin translation of this article was published by New Naratif on 16 April 2019: ‘谈一谈生活工资:新加坡应该从整体社会角度探讨如何解决底薪问题‘. - ‘Academic Freedom in Singapore and the “Fake News” Law‘ (New Naratif, 11 April 2019).
A Mandarin translation is also available: ‘新加坡的学术研讨自由与”假信息”法案‘. - ‘Merdeka Generation Package: Time to move beyond one-time ‘packages’‘ (The Straits Times, 22 February 2019, paywall). A Mandarin translation of this article was published by New Naratif on 22 March 2019: ‘是时候超越种种“一次性配套”政策‘.
- ‘What Spore’s fertility debate teaches us about inequality: More schemes won’t work unless we look at big picture‘ (The Straits Times, 17 July 2018, paywall)
- ‘Lack of social mixing is a symptom of inequality, not a cause‘ (The Straits Times, 7 June 2018).
A Mandarin translation of this article was published by 联合早报 on 29 June 2018: ‘勿将不平等症状误解为原由‘ (paywall) - ‘Let’s talk about meeting needs, not just equality of opportunity’ (The Straits Times, 30 May 2018)
- ‘Tackling inequality vigorously: academics give their views‘ (with others) (The Straits Times, 11 May 2018)
- ‘Commentary: Why investing in early childhood education cannot be the primary solution to inequality‘ (Channel News Asia, 9 May 2018)
- ‘The economy as a means to an end, not an end in itself‘ (The Straits Times, 23 February 2018)
- ‘Let’s talk about poverty and inequality today‘ (The Straits Times, 17 October 2017)
- ‘Civil society’s role cannot be to provide public goods‘ (written with Ng Kok Hoe) (The Straits Times, 5 June 2017)
- ‘Speak about inequality, not just inclusion‘ (The Straits Times, 4 May 2017)
- ‘Why low-income parents may make ‘poor choices’‘ (The Straits Times, 10 March 2016)
- ‘Equality among adults begins with kids‘ (The Online Citizen, 29 October 2015)
- ‘Support for single parents will strengthen our society‘ (AWARE, 11 February 2015)
- ‘Celebrate all families on International Day of Families‘ (written with Jolene Tan) (The Straits Times, 15 May 2014)
- ‘Modeling good values by treating domestic workers with respect‘ (AWARE, 18 March 2014)
- ‘An inclusive approach to family‘ (The Straits Times, 13 January, 2014)
- ‘The trouble with limited paternity leave‘ (TODAYonline, 18 June 2013)
- ‘Mums aren’t super, they’re just ordinary‘ (TODAYonline, 6 May 2013)
- ‘How Stiglitz weakens change in Singapore‘ (TODAY, archived on AWARE website, 27 March 2013)
- ‘Beware the unintended consequences‘ (TODAYonline, 7 February 2013)
- ‘Why fertility measures matter to all‘ (TODAYonline, 28 January 2013)
- ‘Let’s stop conflating wealth with worth‘ (written with Kamaludeen Mohamad Nasir) (TODAY, archived on AWARE website, 29 October 2012)
- ‘May all fathers enjoy the right to a family life‘ (written with Vivienne Wee) (TODAY, archived on AWARE website, 17 June 2012)
- ‘The privilege of care and the right to rights‘ (written with Vivienne Wee) (TODAY, archived on the AWARE website, 16 March 2012)
- ‘Protecting younger members of our society‘ (TODAY, archived on the AWARE website, 10 May 2012)
- ‘Having kids is not just a personal choice‘ (The Straits Times, archived on the AWARE website, 28 January 2011)
INTERVIEWS AND MULTIMEDIA
- ‘Education as care labor‘, Seminar given at the Centre for Family and Population Research, National University of Singapore (13 November 2020)
- ‘Beyond the Pandemic: What have we learned and have still to learn‘ (AcademiaSG webinar, 1 May 2020)
- ‘Universal welfare and saying ‘no’ to tuition: Teo You Yenn goes On the Record about inequality‘ by Bharati Jagdish (Channel News Asia, 22 May 2018). You can also listen to the full interview.
- ‘Underclass: Interview with Alvin Tan, Kok Heng Leun and Teo You Yenn‘ (podcast) by Corrie Tan (ArtsEquator, May 2018)
REVIEWS
- ‘What we know shapes how we imagine affects how we live together—Book review of 90 Years in Singapore by Irene Lim‘ (New Mandala, 14 August 2020)
- ‘Wretchedness and absurdity: thoughts on Bong Joon-Ho’s Parasite‘ (Arts Equator, 18 February 2020)
- ‘Doing: the work of dreaming‘ (M1 Peer Pleasure Youth Theatre Festival, July 2019)
- ‘Foreword’ to Hard at Work: Life in Singapore, edited by Gerard Sasges and Ng Shi Wen (National University Press, 2019)
REPORTS
- ‘What older people need in Singapore: A household budgets study‘ (May 2019). For more on this study and the Minimum Income Standard methodology, see the research website.