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After some time in the wilderness, civl society is, once again, back in favour. Braema Mathi traces the incredible journey that it has taken in Singapore and asks what the future has in store.

In line with Lien Centre's vision to catalyse positive social change, this research was carried out to understand social gaps in Singapore and how our society's ability to meet social needs can be enhanced. Despite basic social needs in Singapore being essentially met through direct government interventions and the contributions of non-governmental social service activities, there are today some vulnerable groups that remain or have become more prominent. This research project aims to identify some of these needs and the possible approaches to addressing them. It is hoped that some of the recommendations of this report will be helpful for both the government and non-governmental players, in our collective efforts to plug the gaps and meet the needs of emerging constituencies. For example, making social policies more transformative than reactive, building institutional capacity to provide information that will be accessible to researchers, service providers and policy planners, and prioritising higher-risk social groups within an inclusive approach. These are expounded in the report. The Lien Centre hopes that this research will further its broader objective of encouraging thoughtful reflections in the social space and engaging the social sector in meaningful ways.