Good to have more data-driven policies: Swee Keat

Singapore

SINGAPORE would benefit from a more data-driven approach to policymaking, said Minister for Finance Heng Swee Keat on Monday.

"I do think that as a society we need to be better at using data, we need to be better at looking at how we can have more data-driven policymaking and data-driven work," said Mr Heng to about 900 attendees at the Singapore Perspectives 2016 conference, organised by the Institute of Policy Studies.

He was responding to a question about public access to information from Ho Kwon Ping, chairman, board of trustees, Singapore Management University, who aired the view that information is the "lifeblood" of dialogue in civil society. Acknowledging the view that a US-style Freedom of Information Act would be too radical here, Mr Ho had asked whether…