European Integration Studies in Singapore: Potential Untapped?

Southeast Asia is a key geographical region for the European Union (EU), with Singapore being a particularly important partner in the region. This paper explores the state of European Integration Studies in the Lion City, as Singapore is also known, which is exceptional for its status as an educational and research hub in the Southeast Asian region. As a research location, it is renowned for its excellence and its integration in international networks, and, as an educational destination, it attracts an unusually high number of students from Northeast, South, and Southeast Asia for full-time degrees. The paper shows that Jean Monnet funding remains a key source of funding for European Integration Studies in the City State: it contributed to setting up an EU Centre, multiple Jean Monnet Chairs, numerous Jean Monnet Networks that connected those involved in European Integration Studies with those in Asia and elsewhere. At the same time, the paper also reveals that the field of European Integration Studies remains modest and its infrastructure similar in prominence to those in other Asian countries.