The Limits of Authoritarian Governance in Singapore's Developmental State

Description

This book delves into the limitations of Singapore’s authoritarian governance model. In doing so, the relevance of the Singapore governance model for other industrialising economies is systematically examined. Research in this book examines the challenges for an integrated governance model that has proven durable over four to five decades. The editors argue that established socio-political and economic formulae are now facing unprecedented challenges. Structural pressures associated with Singapore’s particular locus within globalised capitalism have fostered heightened social and material inequalities, compounded by the ruling party’s ideological resistance to substantive redistribution. As ‘growth with equity’ becomes more elusive, the rationale for power by a ruling party dominated by technocratic elite and state institutions crafted and controlled by the ruling party and its bureaucratic allies is open to more critical scrutiny. Front Matter ....Pages i-xxiii Introduction: Authoritarian Governance in Singapore’s Developmental State (Lily Zubaidah Rahim, Michael D. Barr)....Pages 1-25 Front Matter ....Pages 27-27 Singapore and the Lineages of Authoritarian Modernity in East Asia (Mark R. Thompson)....Pages 29-48 Independence: The Further Stage of Colonialism in Singapore (Ping Tjin Thum)....Pages 49-69 Albert Winsemius and the Transnational Origins of High Modernist Governance in Singapore (Kah Seng Loh)....Pages 71-91 Front Matter ....Pages 93-93 Social Policy Reform and Rigidity in Singapore’s Authoritarian Developmental State (Lily Zubaidah Rahim, Yeoh Lam Keong)....Pages 95-130 New Politics and Old Managerialism: Welcome to the New Normal (Michael D. Barr)....Pages 131-149 Intra-Party Dynamics in the People’s Action Party: Party Structure, Continuity and Hegemony (Walid Jumblatt Abdullah)....Pages 151-171 The Growing Challenge of Pluralism and Political Activism: Shifts in the Hegemonic Discourse in Singapore (Stephan Ortmann)....Pages 173-194 PAP Vulnerability and the Singapore Governance Model: Findings from the Asian Barometer Survey (Bridget Welsh, Alex H. Chang)....Pages 195-216 Front Matter ....Pages 217-217 Aligning Media Policy with Executive Dominance (Cherian George)....Pages 219-232 Pragmatic Competence and Communication Governance in Singapore (Terence Lee)....Pages 233-253 Front Matter ....Pages 255-255 Legislating Dominance: Parliament and the Making of Singapore’s Governance Model (Kevin Y. L. Tan)....Pages 257-275 Governing Authoritarian Law: Law as Security (Jothie Rajah)....Pages 277-303 Conclusion: Democratising Singapore’s Developmental State (Dan Slater)....Pages 305-319 Back Matter ....Pages 321-329