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Singapore had, by the 1980s, emerged as one of the world's great oil refining and trading centres, with the \"East of Suez\" region within its sphere of influence. The city-state's policy-making went against the grain in much of its practice of economic development. It ensured that energy products were bought and sold in the domestic market at essentially global prices, in contrast to the common practice in developing countries of subsidizing energy fuels for social equity. Without a drop of oil of its own, Singapore also managed to attract large foreign investments in the capital-intensive oil refining and petrochemical manufacturing sectors in an export-oriented strategy. This was at a time when governments of most newly independent countries were busy trying to promote heavy industry by protectionist trade policies and import-substituting industrialization. The purpose of this book is two-fold. It is intended to introduce a host of energy-related discussions relevant to a wider group of readers who do not \"do energy\" for a living, yet are keenly interested in understanding the many complexities of modern industrial societies which need to balance economic, environmental, and security priorities of ordinary citizens. It is also meant to serve as an introductory assessment of key energy-related issues, with a particular relevance for small advanced countries such as Singapore.

This volume is conceptualised around the notion by Raymond Williams, a cultural theorist, that any cultural system comprises fragments of the past and the emergent alongside the dominant. The book focuses on 'governance' or how a society governs itself across the state, business and civic sectors in Singapore and how it might evolve over the next decade. Its first section looks at how Singapore's political history has shaped today's political institutions and culture and why these might change. Three scenarios of Singapore's political future are proffered. The authors argue how there are and must be nevertheless some fundamental values that underpin Singapore's governance system that are unchanging. In the second section, the authors discuss how the relationship among the key elements of the governance equation have changed to adapt to current conditions, and must continue to change to respond to internal demands and external conditions. The first paper describes how the relationship between government and business, or state and market have adapted to achieve strategic national imperatives but also to ensure that citizens benefit from the most efficient and effective ways of providing important public goods. The second paper argues for institutionalised dissent and policy experimentation as disciplines needed in the public sector to make it innovative and resilient. The third section offers views on emerging trends in political culture and the relationship between the government and civil society, business and other political parties. These are based on findings of an IPS survey, and opinions of civic leaders and a leader of the political opposition in Singapore. The final section comprises an edited transcript of a dialogue session with the Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Lee Hsien Loong on the same theme of 'governance'. The authors are thought-leaders and political leaders in Singapore. This book serves as a pathfinder to emerging political trends in the country.

This book is the first of its kind to systematically analyze and apply Lim Chong Yah's S-Curve Hypothesis to the various facets of economic growth and economic transition. By augmenting the mathematical and economical sophistication of the hypothesis, this book extends the S-Curve hypothesis to provide further insight into economic growth and transition.

Research on Singapore's economic history has been complicated by the absence of economic data on pre-independence Singapore. This book aims to fill the gap by presenting a time-series of historical GDP estimates for the periods 1900–39 and 1950–60. The new data presented in the book sheds light on two key aspects of Singapore's economic history, namely the relationship between economic instability and growth, as well as the government's fiscal policy towards economic growth. As the first comprehensive empirical economic history of twentieth-century Singapore, this book is a valuable reference source for academics and graduate students interested in development and empirical economics.

Singapore might not have survived the 1960s and prospered thereafter had it not built its economy on the foundations of oil refining, trading and support for oil and gas exploration and production. Cheap oil, sound policies and strong government combined to produce the Singapore economic miracle in its first 50 years of self-rule/independence. With the end of cheap oil, how will Singapore fare and what is the relevance of its model of development for other countries? Singapore’s successful launch coincided with a golden period of cheap energy, and a pro-globalization and free trade environment. These three elements are now under threat from rising energy prices and the global financial crisis which started in 2007 that will leave a lasting impact on the world's political and economic landscape. If the Singapore model is reaching or has reached its peak, what could take its place? This book poses questions for not just for Singapore planners, but also for anyone interested in modern economics and trade beyond the current era. The book also looks into the numerous subsectors within Singapore’s broad energy sector and examines the energy sector’s links with the other pillars of its economy: trade, financial, offshore/marine operations, manufacturing and transportation. It considers possible threats and challenges: Singapore’s rising energy intensity, its vulnerability to energy supply cut-offs, the likely impact of peak oil, terrorism and environmental / climate issues. It also looks at China’s growing investment and role in Singapore’s oil and gas industry. The book is a must-read for an excellent insight into Singapore’s energy economy, filled with data, information, interviews and analyses previously not available to the public.

What happens after a country splits apart? Forty-seven years ago Singapore separated from Malaysia. Since then, the two countries have developed along their own paths. Malaysia has given preference to the majority Malay Muslims—the bumiputera, or sons of the soil. Singapore, meanwhile, has tried to build a meritocracy—ostensibly colour-blind, yet more encouraging perhaps to some Singaporeans than to others. How have these policies affected ordinary people? How do these two divergent nations now see each other and the world around them? Seeking answers to these questions, two Singaporeans set off to cycle around Peninsular Malaysia, armed with a tent, two pairs of clothes and a daily budget of three US dollars each. They spent 30 days on the road, cycling through every Malaysian state, and chatting with hundreds of Malaysians. Not satisfied, they then went on to interview many more people in Malaysia and Singapore. What they found are two countries that have developed economically but are still struggling to find their souls.

Today, more than ever, the state of a country's science and technology is a critical factor for economic competitiveness and long-term growth. This book traces the development of science and technology policies and initiatives in Singapore since 1965. Developed as a trading entrepôt by the British, science and technology were never strongly emphasized, right up to the 1970s. However, the need to stay ahead of economic competitiveness motivated the Singapore Government to initiate its national science and technology policy from the 1980s – moving Singapore from a low-skilled, low-technology economy to a high-skilled, high-technology one. Today, the drive for Singapore to become a hotbed for technological start-ups and R&D activities, supported by strong government funding and cutting-edge facilities, seems promising. Are the aspirations of nurturing a Silicon Valley–type culture in Singapore achievable? Are pragmatic, risk-averse Singaporeans ready for the mindset change? Can a nation of traders and service-brokers become a nation of technological innovators and entrepreneurs? This book attempts to provide the answers.

The importance of fast economic growth in developing countries has been an undeniable fact since the early 1970s, Singapore, in its rice from a struggling colony to its present status as an economic success, offers a glimpse of the factors that contribute to the growth of a thriving economy. This book is a collection of Dr Goh's essays during his years as Minister of Defence. Besides defence, Dr Goh explores sociological and economic issues extensively. (30 speeches and essays, 1972-77).

The Singapore Perspectives series is a yearly publication that provides critical analysis of emerging trends and issues Singapore faces in terms of social, economic and political development. It is a quick and essential reference for understanding the broad policy discussions that animate thought leaders, policy-makers and the public in the country during the immediate period or that are likely to do so in the short and medium term.

In Networks beyond Empires, Kuo finds that Chinese speech-group ties were key to understanding diasporic businesses and nationalism. These transnational networks transformed the Hong Kong-Singapore corridor into a space autonomous from Chinese official nationalism and British as well as Japanese empires.