Commenting on the upcoming Budget, SMU Dean of Students and Professor of Sociology Paulin Straughan said that the Budget is not just about giving money or redistributing surpluses, although many Singaporeans looked at it that way. She added that Singapore, being at “the nexus of global trends’, would have to “ride the trend or get left behind”, given that that there is no way to prevent technology from altering the global economy. SMU Associate Professor of Law Eugene Tan said that the government has tried to “delicately balance” economic imperatives and social challenges and attaining equilibrium between the two is always “work in progress”. He also added that the authorities are beginning to regard them as “two sides of the same coin and appreciate that you can’t have a vibrant economy if society lacks safety nets.” He noted that the government’s emphasis in the last few Budgets had been on the importance of balancing the books and managing people’s expectations. Commenting on environmental challenges, Prof Tan said economic policy cannot ignore the environmental concerns and we will have to balance both needs.