Volume 13 Issue 1 | April 2026
VANTAGE POINT
The Impact Imperative: Building Universities and Institutions that Demonstrably Matter
Why impact has become a test of institutional design, purpose and credibility.
By Scott Fritzen
Endnotes
1. Levine, Arthur and Scott Van Pelt. The Great Upheaval: Higher Education's Past, Present, and Uncertain Future. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2021.
2. For a comprehensive framework on the evolution of research universities and their societal roles, see Michael M. Crow and William B. Dabars, Designing the New American University (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2015), which articulates the principles of institutional models that combine academic excellence, broad inclusiveness, and societal impact.
3. Rich, Michael D., RAND Year in Review 2015. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2016. https://www.rand.org/pubs/corporate_pubs/CP401-2015.html.
4. Research Excellence Framework, "REF 2029," UK Research and Innovation, https://2029.ref.ac.uk/. The REF allocates approximately £2 billion per year of public funding to UK universities based on assessments of research quality, impact beyond academia and research environment. Impact case studies were first introduced in REF 2014 and have since become a central component of research funding allocation.
5. For critical assessment of the REF's impact on research culture and productivity, see Smith, Katherine E., Justyna Bandola-Gill, Nasar Meer, Ellen Stewart, and Richard Watermeyer. The Impact Agenda, (Bristol, UK: Policy Press, 2020), https://doi.org/10.51952/9781447339861.
6. Northeastern University, “Career Outcomes Powered by Experience,” https://careeroutcomes.northeastern.edu/. As of 2024, 96 percent of Northeastern graduates are employed or in graduate school within nine months of graduation, with knowledge rates exceeding 84 percent—a figure the university attributes substantially to its cooperative education model.
7. Michael M. Crow, “Biography and curriculum vitae,” Arizona State University Office of the President, https://president.asu.edu/the-president/biography.
8. Brian Rosenberg, "Whatever It Is, I'm Against It": Resistance to Change in Higher Education, (Harvard Education Press, 2023).
9. Rosenberg, Whatever It Is, I'm Against It, 101–07. Rosenberg observes that "to an even greater extent than shared governance, tenure is expressly designed to prevent change... If the goal is preservation and very slow, very incremental evolution, tenure is a tool of enormous value."
10. For broader context on organizational change in higher education and the conditions under which reform succeeds, see the interview with Brian Rosenberg in Scott Jaschik, “Former college president offers harsh critique of higher ed,” Inside Higher Ed, September 28, https://www.insidehighered.com/news/governance/executive-leadership/2023/09/28/former-college-president-offers-harsh-critique. Rosenberg notes that universities “heading to a cliff together” often lack incentives for individual institutions to innovate, making system-wide transformation exceptionally difficult.
INSIGHTS
From Index to Impact: How Vietnam’s Provincial Competitiveness Index Shapes Governance, Investment and Reform
By Edmund J. Malesky
References
1. Nguyen Hanh Vu. “Vietnam’s Provincial Mergers: Consolidation from 63 to 34 Provinces and Cities.” Vietnam Briefing, June 12, 2025. https://www.vietnam-briefing.com/news/vietnams-government-introduces-official-plan-for-provincial-mergers.html/.
2. The Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI). “PCI data aggregation,” n.d. https://pcivietnam.vn/en/pci-data.
3. Arendse Huld. “Vietnam Provincial Competitiveness Index: Key Findings from the 2024 Report.” Vietnam Briefing, May 16, 2025. https://www.vietnam-briefing.com/news/vietnam-provincial-competitiveness-index-key-findings-from-the-2024-report.html/.
4. U.S. Government Accountability Office. “Foreign Aid: USAID Has Increased Funding to Partner-Country Organizations but Could Better Track Progress,” April 2014. https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-14-355-highlights.pdf.
5. Hải My. “Tân Hiệp Phát đồng hành VCCI triển khai Báo cáo kinh tế tư nhân.” VnExpress, September 13, 2025. https://vnexpress.net/tan-hiep-phat-dong-hanh-vcci-trien-khai-bao-cao-kinh-te-tu-nhan-4938724.html.
INSIGHTS
Bold and Humble in the Age of Impact
By Robert Klitgaard
References
1. Robert Klitgaard. 2023. Bold and Humble: How to Lead Public-Private-Citizen Collaboration, with Five Success Stories. Thimphu, Bhutan: Royal Institute for Governance and Strategic Studies. Open access text and audio book here: https://robertklitgaard.com/bold-and-humble.
INSIGHTS
The Cost of Silence: When Decisions Are Shaped by Confidence, Not Evidence
By Sabine Benoit
References
1. Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne. “‘She was like a deer in headlights’: how unskilled radical birthkeepers took hold in Canada.” The Guardian, December 22, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/19/she-was-like-a-deer-in-headlights-how-unskilled-radical-birthkeepers-took-hold-in-canada.
2. The Skin Cancer Foundation. “Skin Health Misinformation: The Dark Side of Social Influencers.” November 20, 2025. https://www.skincancer.org/blog/skin-health-misinformation-the-dark-side-of-social-influencers/.
3. Sarah Williams. “Sunscreen Fact and Fiction: What the Science Says.” Stanford Medicine, June 23, 2025. https://med.stanford.edu/news/insights/2025/06/sunscreen-science.html.
4. Bagus A. Rizaldi and Sri Haryati, trans. “Victims lost Rp24 billion in Salmanan investment scam: prosecutor.” Antara News, August 4, 2022. https://en.antaranews.com/news/242753/victims-lost-rp24-billion-in-salmanan-investment-scam-prosecutor.
5. Belinda Yohana. “Former Binomo affiliates talk temptations, tribulations of investment scams.” The Jakarta Post, March 26, 2022. https://www.thejakartapost.com/paper/2022/03/25/former-binomo-affiliates-talk-temptations-tribulations-of-investment-scams.html.
INSIGHTS
The Role of Institutes of Higher Learning in Deepening Social Impact
By Steve Loh and Janna Wong
References
1. Santiago Pulido-Gómez, Jorrit de Jong, and Jan W Rivkin. “Cross-sector collaboration in cities: learning journey or blame game?”. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 35, no. 2 (April 2025): 117–132. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muae026.
2. Michael R. Bloomberg. “The Economy of Urban Replication: Why Cities Need to Be Sharing Ideas”. Bloomberg, October 23, 2023. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-18/cities-idea-exchange-to-spur-innovation-break-urban-doom-loop.
3. Bloomberg Philanthropies. “Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative,” n.d. https://www.bloomberg.org/government-innovation/supporting-city-leaders/bloomberg-harvard-city-leadership-initiative/.
4. Dominic Llewellyn. “Stronger Together: What the Impact Economy Policy Labs Are Teaching Us.” The Social Business Hub (blog), December 4, 2025. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/socialbusinesshub/2025/12/04/stronger-together-what-the-impact-economy-policy-labs-are-teaching-us/.
5. Duke-NUS Medical School. “About Duke-NUS Centre for Ageing Research & Education,” n.d., https://www.duke-nus.edu.sg/care.
6. Centre for Research on Successful Ageing (ROSA). “Centre for Research on Successful Ageing (ROSA),” n.d. https://rosa.smu.edu.sg/.
7. Parliament of Singapore. “New Initiatives for Support and Outreach to Senior Caregivers with Dependents,” November 4, 2025. http://sprs.parl.gov.sg/search/#/sprs3topic?reportid=written-answer-20789.
8. Ministry of Health. “Number of active ageing centres set up in public and private estates since January 2024 and challenges faced,” November 13, 2024. https://www.moh.gov.sg/newsroom/number-of-active-ageing-centres-set-up-in-public-and-private-estates-since-january-2024-and-challenges-faced/.
9. Singapore Statutes Online. “Workplace Fairness Bill,” November 12, 2024. https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Bills-Supp/50-2024/Published/20241112?DocDate=20241112.
10. Tania Nagpaul, Dalvin Sidhu, and Jinwen Chen. “The hunger report: An in-depth look at food insecurity in Singapore,” 2020. https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lien_reports/15.
11. Social Innovation of Health Initiative. “SIHI Philippines at the University of the Philippines,” n.d. https://socialinnovationinhealth.org/philippines/.
12. Thammasat University. “Thammasat Students Win National Title with ‘Cow Eco+’, a Global Warming-Reducing Calf Supplement,” January 9, 2026. https://tu.ac.th/en/tu01060168/.
13. Weng Lin Ng and Dalvin Sidhu. “Impact Assessment of UNIQLO’s Neighbours Helping Neighbours”, 2025. https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lien_reports/20.
14. Marshall Institute. “100x Impact,” n.d. https://www.100ximpact.org/.
PRACTITIONER'S GUIDE
The Impact Reporting Playbook: Credibility and Accountability Beyond the Laundry List
Ditch the proverbial laundry list and build impactful reports with evidence of change that leaders, partners and the public can trust and act on.
By Julian Tang
References
1. Ernest & Kin. “Ditching the Laundry List: The Art of Impact Reporting in Science, Tech and Healthcare,” August 2025. https://ernestandkin.media/the-art-of-impact-reporting/.
IMPACT SPOTLIGHT
What Does it Take to Make Housing Affordable?
Professor Phang Sock Yong’s body of work has shaped conversations around housing affordability both in Singapore and abroad—helping policymakers manage land, supply, finance and market rules as one integrated system.
By Sock-Yong Phang
References
1. Maimunah Mohd Sharif, “Addressing the Housing Affordability Challenge: A Shared Responsibility,” October 31, 2020, https://unhabitat.org/news/31-oct-2020/addressing-the-housing-affordability-challenge-a-shared-responsibility.
2. “Housing,” UN-Habitat, n.d., https://unhabitat.org/topic/housing.
3. Sock-Yong Phang and Matthias Helble, “Housing Policies in Singapore,” Asian Development Bank Institute, March 2016, https://www.adb.org/publications/housing-policies-singapore.
4. Sock-Yong Phang, Policy Innovations for Affordable Housing in Singapore: From Colony to Global City (Palgrave Macmillan Cham, 2018), https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75349-2.
5. Sock-Yong Phang, Housing Finance Systems: Market Failures and Government Failures (Palgrave Macmillan London, 2013), https://link.springer.com/book/10.1057/9781137014030.
6. OECD, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, and PKU-Lincoln Institute Center, Global Compendium of Land Value Capture Policies, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1787/4f9559ee-en.
7. 4th Global Conference on Housing Finance in Emerging Markets, May 26-27, 2010 (World Bank, 2010). https://www.worldbank.org/en/events/2010/05/26/4th-global-conference-on-housing-finance#:~:text=The%204th%20Global%20Conference%20on,stock%20and%20building%20the%20future.%22.
8. ESC Subcommittee, “Maximising Value From Land as a Scarce Resource,” 2010, https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/data/pdfdoc/20100211007/subcommittee_on_maximising_value_from_land_as_a_scarce_resource.pdf.
9. Centre for Liveable Cities, Working With Markets: Harnessing Market Forces and Private Sector for Development, Centre for Liveable Cities Knowledge Hub, 2025, https://knowledgehub.clc.gov.sg/publications-library/working-with-markets-harnessing-market-forces-and-private-sector-for-development/.
10. Centre for Liveable Cities, Groundbreaking: 60 Years of National Development in Singapore, Centre for Liveable Cities Knowledge Hub, 2025, https://knowledgehub.clc.gov.sg/publications-library/groundbreaking-60-years-of-national-development-in-singapore/.
11. Meeting the Challenge: Global Innovations in Urban Housing, April 8-9, 2019 (Boston University, 2019). https://sites.bu.edu/urbanhousing/.
12. “I Live in an HBD Flat: Ask Me Anything.” Uploaded by Stanley Chang, January 16, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4pR25eU4e0.
13. Hawai’i Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice and Hawai’i Budget and Policy Center, “ALOHA Homes Implementation Study,” Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, September 2021, https://dbedt.hawaii.gov/hhfdc/files/2021/10/ALOHAHomesStudy_Sept2021-FINAL.pdf.
14. Office of Planning and Sustainable Development and Hawai’i Housing Finance and Development Corporation, “Hawai'i Interagency Council for Transit-Oriented Development 2024 Annual Report,” December 2024, https://files.hawaii.gov/dbedt/op/lud/20250117TODMtg/07a-2024TODCouncilAnnualReport_Final2.pdf.
15. “How Singapore Solved Housing - Professor Sock-Yong Phang.” Uploaded by Stanley Chang, October 3, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l3N6VKifHs.
16. Sock-Yong Phang, “Value Capture and Affordable Housing: Insights From Singapore.” Transcript of speech delivered at the 133rd Annual Henry George Commemorative Dinner and Address, Melbourne, Australia, August 15, 2023. https://www.prosper.org.au/2024/09/value-capture-singapore-henry-george-address/.
17. Gareth Hutchens, “How Did Singapore Achieve a Home Ownership Rate of 90 per Cent? Can Australia Learn Anything From It?,” ABC News, August 18, 2024, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-18/singapore-homeownership-sock-yong-phang-henry-george/104237980.
IN MOTION
When Performance Is Not Enough: Managing NGOs in an Age of Digital Mistrust
As NGOs lack formal authority, their influence depends on legitimacy, which can be contested at scale online. Leaders must treat social media as a governance decision, with clear scope, speaking authority and response protocols.
By Christianna Sirindah Parr
References
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3. Beetham, D. (1991). The Legitimation of Power. London: Macmillan.
4. Edwards, M. (2000). NGOs Rights and Responsibilities. London: The Foreign Policy Center.
5. Parr, C. S. (2025). Advocacy under authoritarianism: Civil society's impact on environmental treaty ratification in Southeast Asia. Global Policy, 16(3), 1-12.
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7. Dolšak, N., Parr, C. S., and Prakash, A. (2018, February 19). "The Oxfam scandal shows that, yes, nonprofits can behave badly. So why aren't they overseen like for-profits?" The Washington Post. Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2018/02/19/the-oxfam-scandal-shows-that-yes-nonprofits-can-behave-badly-so-why-arent-they-overseen-like-for-profits/.
8. Lee, T., Johnson, E., & Prakash, A. (2010). Media Independence and Trust in NGOs: The Case of Postcommunist Countries: The Case of Postcommunist Countries. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 41(1), 8-35. https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764010384444.
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11. Banks, Nicola & Hulme, David & Edwards, Michael, 2015. "NGOs, States, and Donors Revisited: Still Too Close for Comfort?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 707-718.
12. How the CIA’s Fake Vaccination Campaign Endangers Us All. (2013, May 1). Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-cia-fake-vaccination-campaign-endangers-us-all/.
13. Martinez-Bravo, Monica & Stegmann, Andreas, 2021. "In Vaccines We Trust? The Effects of the CIA's Vaccine Ruse on Immunization in Pakistan," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 1332, University of Warwick, Department of Economics. https://ideas.repec.org/p/wrk/warwec/1332.html.
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