Singapore: An evolving and increasingly complex relationship

The development of scientific communication in Singapore can be described in terms of an evolving and increasingly complex relationship between discourses about science and its role in society, and the communication of science and its ideas, through formal education and other forums. From early beginnings with top-down government-initiated promotion of science for pragmatic societal ends, discourses about science have broadened to now incorporate multiple voices, including more ground-up ones emerging from an established scientific community as well as members of the public. In tandem with this, the communication of science has also grown from early basic concerns with extrinsically motivated promotion of scientific literacy for economic needs to include more mature intrinsic concerns such as helping developing and established scientists to communicate their work more effectively. This chapter traces this evolution, highlighting the ways in which extrinsic and intrinsic motivations, as well as top-down and ground-up movements have shaped discourses about science, and the communication of science, in Singapore.