ComLink+, dignity and deservedness, and the promise of “targeted universalism” (November 2023)
“Within a targeted universalism framework, universal goals are established for all groups concerned.”
Social work researchers, like yours truly, are often described as Negative Nancy’s, eager to criticise the Singapore government – including its relationship with low-income households – for the sake of criticism. Which is why I’m lauding, unequivocally and at the outset, the government’s increased attention to social mobility and income inequality. This was expressed most recently through its Forward Singapore report (specifically in the “Empowering those in need” chapter) and enhancement of the Community Link (ComLink) scheme.
Specifically, the new ComLink+ builds on the existing ComLink programme through four packages: first, pre-school education (i.e., top-ups to Child Development Accounts); second, stable employment (i.e., financial top-ups if adults work and stay in Central Provident Fund (CPF)-paying jobs); third, debt matching and clearance (i.e., one-off repayment, up to S$5,000); and fourth, progressive saving for home ownership (i.e., matching the family’s voluntary contributions to the CPF Ordinary Account).
Lower-income Singaporean households will undoubtedly benefit. And that is progress.
At the same time, these enhancements to ComLink+ also prompted me to think about how socio-economic assistance is delivered – vis-à-vis the notions of dignity and deservedness as well as the principles which undergird our social welfare system (i.e., individual responsibility, family as the first line of support, and “Many Helping Hands”) – and the promise of “target universalism,” to see the empowerment of disadvantaged and marginalised Singaporeans as a collective and structural endeavour.
On dignity and deservedness: The administration of ComLink+ on the ground will fall on the shoulders of “family coaches,” described at the moment as existing ComLink officers to be trained with expanded roles: “The coaches will work with each family to develop action plans tailored to each family’s needs. They will also coach and motivate the families to achieve their goals, and act as a single point of contact to help them better navigate social support services.” In this vein, I’d love to learn more about how family coaches interact with households.
For instance, how do family coaches understand their responsibilities, and how much power do they hold? To what extent do they determine access to the ComLink+ packages and conditional cash transfers? And what are the instances when our social welfare principles do not quite apply to the circumstances of some low-income households (e.g., when they are physically and psychologically exhausted, family relationships are more negative than constructive, and family needs are especially complex).
On the promise of “targeted universalism”: The government plays an outsized role in the support of lower-income households, but I’m also thinking about how we might frame policy discourse more collectively and structurally. “Targeted universalism” has been discussed in recent years - mostly within academic circles - and is of some interest to me (Parolin et al., 2023, paywalled):
“Targeted universalism promotes a way of developing social policies that involves specifying a goal and articulating the various kinds and levels of aid different groups would require for that goal to be met. Moving beyond the binary pitting targeted strategies against universal ones, targeted universalism emphasises ends rather than means and in so doing attempts to shift the policy debate away from categorical eligibility for aid to categorical specificity to achieve certain outcomes.”
Further discussions on target universalism’s implementation and implications are warranted, but a five-step primer has been preliminarily offered: first, define a universal goal; second, measure the overall population; third, measure population segments; fourth, understand group-based factors; fifth, implement targeted strategies. Overall, to me, in the Singaporean context, it offers some potential for us to be bold (e.g., specify significant reductions in poverty and socio-economic insecurities), centre communities and understand systemic problems which complicate their lives (e.g., how particular groups are challenged, and in what manner), and innovate (e.g., test and evaluate experimentalist programmes, services, and interventions).
Other Singaporean social service news
Here are other social service news articles of note in Singapore:
An eight-year-long professional mentoring programme: Designed for children from low-income households, Shine Children and Youth Services’ Star programme hopes to “maximise their potential and break the cycle of poverty.” The programme will engage paid and trained mentors and parenting support specialists.
Research, education, and training collaborations: Through a memorandum of understanding, these collaborations for the social service and early childhood sectors include “will include conducting research into family and early childhood-related areas, equipping practitioners with an understanding of social policy approaches, and expanding service-learning opportunities for SUSS students.” In addition to the Singapore University of Social Sciences, the Ministry of Social and Family Development and the National Council of Social Service are involved.
A new counselling track for Singapore’s social service sector: The national skills framework for the sector “will map out job pathways for counsellors, and specify the skills and abilities needed for each role.”
The 2023 Outstanding Social Worker Awards: Congratulations to Dr. Peace Wong Yuh Ju, Ms Flora Tan Chunxiu, and Ms Nisha Sanjay Verma!
Civic participation and government engagement: As a recommendation from the Forward Singapore report, as referenced above, the Singapore Government Partnerships Office “will lead national efforts to engage citizens who want to contribute, by facilitating interactions between them and relevant government agencies.”
Global news roundup
Argentinian voters, frustrated with triple-digit inflation and chronic poverty, elected a right-wing libertarian as its new president with 56 per cent of the vote. And in the Netherlands, far-right politician Geert Wilders won the Dutch general election and now seeks to form the next Dutch government.
Also read about the following in this month’s roundup:
US-China relations;
Israel’s destructive Gaza invasion; as well as
Political churn and demonstrations.