Singapore Initiative on Digital Economics
Mission Statement
The rise of digital platforms and artificial intelligence has raised concerns regarding their impact on society, business, and the global economy. The Singapore Initiative on Digital Economics (SIDE) seeks to address these concerns by bringing research to practice.
We aim to foster collaboration between industry professionals and scholars from business and allied disciplines, including computer science, economics, law, etc. Our goal is to generate valuable insights and share them with a diverse audience, including academics, business leaders, and the public.
Focus areas
- Analyse innovation, disruption, and competition within online platforms and attendant ecosystems
- Assess how regulation impacts platform competition and value creation
- Review policy recommendations from legislators, think tanks, industry associations, and consumer advocacy groups
- Explore the impact of artificial intelligence on product and labour markets, consumer privacy, and related issues
Media inquiries/Collaboration
- Xijie Gao (NTU Economics)
- Kwok-Hao Lee (NUS Strategy and Policy)
- Tat-How Teh (NTU Economics)
- Tiffany Tsai (NUS Economics)
SIDE Workshop, March 7, 2026, NTU Singapore
Our second SIDE Workshop will be held on March 7, 2026, at the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore.
Event Details
- Date: March 7, 2026
- Time: 9.00am-5.20pm
- Location: SHHK-B1-11 (Seminar Room 9), Nanyang Technological University of Singapore
- Invited Guests
- External Attendees: Chiara Farronato (HBS), Hyunjin Kim (INSEAD), Matthew Leisten (FTC), Sandro Shelegia (UPF and Barcelona GSE)
- NUS Attendees: Ruben Durante, Kwok-Hao Lee, Pinchuan Ong, Tiffany Tsai, Julian Wright, Wenxuan Xu
- NTU Attendees: Xijie Gao, Tat-How Teh, William Cong
Conference program to follow.
| Time | Programme |
|---|---|
| 9:00 | Opening Remarks |
| 9:05 | Keynote: Will Cong (NTU / Cornell) “AI for Social Science: Generative Modeling Beyond LLMs” |
| 10:00 | Hyunjin Kim (INSEAD Singapore) “Reimagining the Firm with AI: Experimental Evidence from Startups” Discussant: Pinchuan Ong (NUS) |
| 10:45 | Tea Break |
| 11:15 | Sandro Shelegia (UPF & BSE) “Ranking Algorithms, Learning, and Pricing” Discussant: Matthew Leisten (FTC) |
| 12:00 | Xijie Gao (NTU) “Measuring Welfare Gains from Digital Variety: Evidence from App-level Time Use in China” Discussant: Wenxuan Xu (NUS) |
| 12:45 | Lunch |
| 13:50 | Matthew Leisten (Federal Trade Commission) “Open(?) AI” Discussant: Tat-How Teh (NTU) |
| 14:35 | Ruben Durante (NUS) “GenAI Misinformation, Trust, and News Consumption: Evidence from a Field Experiment” Discussant: Kwok-Hao Lee (NUS) |
| 15:20 | Tea Break |
| 15:50 | Chiara Farronato (Harvard) “Designing Consent: Choice Architecture and Consumer Welfare in Data Sharing” Discussant: Tiffany Tsai (NUS) |
| 16:35 | Julian Wright (NUS) “Personalization, Data Portability and Competitive Dynamics” Discussant: Sandro Shelegia (UPF & BSE) |
| 18:30 | Dinner Reception (for presenters and discussants) |
SIDE Workshop, March 22, 2025, NTU Singapore
Our inaugural SIDE Workshop was held on March 22, 2025, at the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore.
Event Details
- Date: March 22, 2025
- Time: 9.00am-5.50pm
- Location: Nanyang Technological University of Singapore
- Invited Guests
- Overseas Attendees: Alexandre de Cornière (TSE), Kohei Kawaguchi (HKUST), Greg Taylor (Oxford), Chuan Yu (HBS), Zenan Wu (PKU)
- NUS Attendees: Kwok-Hao Lee, Tiffany Tsai, Allen Vong, Julian Wright
- NTU Attendees: Xijie Gao, Tat-How Teh, Laura Wu
| Time | Programme |
|---|---|
| 8:55 | Opening Remarks |
| 9:00 | Kohei Kawaguchi (HKUST) “Estimating the Value of Retargeting in the Online Advertisement” Discussant: Chuan Yu (Harvard) |
| 9:50 | Zenan Wu (PKU) “Multidimensional Consumer Profiling and Personalized Pricing” Discussant: Zhaoneng Yuan (NTU) |
| 10:30 | Tea Break |
| 11:00 | Greg Taylor (Oxford) “Fulfilled By Amazon: Platform Tying of Ancillary Services” Discussant: Allen Vong (NUS) |
| 11:50 | Xijie Gao (NTU) “Rise of Digital Platforms and Aggregate Market Power” Discussant: Nan Chen (NUS) |
| 12:30 | Buffet Lunch |
| 13:50 | Chuan Yu (Harvard) “The Welfare Effects of Sponsored Product Advertising” Discussant: Kwok-Hao Lee (NUS) |
| 14:40 | Tat-How Teh (NTU) “Network Interoperability and Platform Competition” Discussant: Greg Taylor (Oxford) |
| 15:20 | Tea Break |
| 15:50 | Tiffany Tsai (NUS) “Entry Design in Cross-Border E-Commerce” Discussant: Kohei Kawaguchi (HKUST) |
| 16:30 | Laura Wu (NTU) “Estimating the Real Effect of Endogenous Digital Technology Adoption” Discussant: Xijie Gao (NTU) |
| 17:10 | Julian Wright (NUS) “The Emergence of a Platform Trap” Discussant: Alexandre de Cornière (TSE) |
| 18:45 | Dinner Reception (for presenters and discussants) |