Showing posts with label Singapore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Singapore. Show all posts

Nov 7, 2014

Oct 1, 2014

New article written by SEARC core member


Dr. Stephen Ortmann, a SEARC core member, has an article in the latest Taiwan Journal of Democracy.
The title is: Democratization and the Discourse on Stability in Hong Kong and Singapore.
Taiwan Journal of Democracy, Volume 10, No. 1: 123-145
Democratization and the Discourse on Stability in Hong Kong and Singapore
Stephan Ortmann

Abstract
Democrats in both Hong Kong and Singapore face a discourse on stability that is hostile to liberal democracy, but only activists in Hong Kong have successfully reframed this discourse to motivate potential supporters to actively push for democratization. The difference between the situations in Hong Kong and Singapore can be explained by the concept of collective action frames, which demonstrates that it is not sufficient to associate stability with democracy, for supporters also need to establish a motive for activism. The study shows that the success of reframing rests with the saliency of the notion that authoritarianism is a problem for stability, in part influenced by the degree of access to the media.
Keywords: Discourse on stability, opposition, Hong Kong, Singapore, collective action frames.

Sep 17, 2014

Sep 16, 2014

Aug 18, 2014

Jul 14, 2014

Jul 9, 2014

May 21, 2014

Singapore's PM's interview about TPP with The Nikkei

The Singapore Prime Minister was interviewed by the Nikkei about how he thinks about the TPP:
It has strategic significance, not just economic significance.
 
TPP vital not just economically but strategically: Lee Hsien Loong - Nikkei Asian Review
http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/International-Relations/TPP-vital-not-just-economically-but-strategically-Lee-Hsien-Loong
 
See the full interview:

May 8, 2014

Two new articles written by SEARC's members have just been released online !

We are pleased to notify our reader that two articles written by SEARC's director, Prof Thompson, and two other SEARC members has been published online as "ahead of print."

 
 
China's obsession with Singapore: learning authoritarian modernity
Stephan Ortmann, Mark R. Thompson
The Pacific Review
 
Abstract
Chinese government officials and academics have shown disproportionate interest in the small city-state of Singapore. The Southeast Asian country with a majority ethnic Chinese population has drawn their attention because it is the only country in the world that combines advanced industrial development with stable one-party rule. Singapore not only seemingly defies Western predictions that modernization will inevitably lead to democracy, but also appears to show that authoritarian regimes may be better suited to achieving societal stability in an Asian context. In particular, the ruling party of the city-state, the People's Action Party, has drawn the attention of conservative Chinese reformists who seek to fill the ideological void that emerged following the decline of Maoist ideology. Reformers in China also derive practical governance lessons from Singapore about fighting corruption, increasing professionalization, and improving responsiveness within the party-state. As such, political learning from the Singapore model must be seen as part of the ongoing process of transformation of the Chinese Communist Party. As a consequence of this learning process, Chinese reformers are using lessons from the Singaporean model as arguments in their efforts to bolster the ideological foundations and strengthen the governance capacity of one-party rule, thus reducing pressures for democratization.
 
 
"Access to Finance" and the Death of Development in the Asia-Pacific
Toby Carroll
Journal of Contemporary Asia
 
Abstract
This article details and dissects the promotion by the World Bank's International Finance Corporation of financial intermediaries – entities such as wholesale and retail micro-finance organisations and deposit-taking banks – as a key component within the push to establish and extend capitalist social relations in the underdeveloped world. It argues that the approach must be seen as emanating not out of some (re)discovery of key methods that foster the substantive and sustainable improvement of material conditions but rather the material and ideological interests attending late capitalism. Focusing on financial intermediary support in the Asia-Pacific, this article begins by outlining the new politics of development driving financial intermediary support and the broader agenda to which it belongs. The second section of the article details some "working examples" of the International Finance Corporation's support of financial intermediaries in the Asia-Pacific, fleshing out the precise form that financial intermediary support takes. The article concludes by highlighting how the approach is further consolidating the death of development as a modern nationalist/internationalist project and deepening the distribution of late capitalism's contradictions.

Apr 3, 2014

check ‏Michael Barr on Singapore’s impotent immigration policy @east_asia_forum

Dr Michael Barr has written a analysis on Singapore immigration policy in Singapore which is very worth to read:
The obvious solution for the Singaporean government, which has at its fingertips many levers of social, economic and political power, would be to drastically decrease the number of foreign workers. But here there is a problem: its development model relies on the exploitation of these foreign workers.
If we go beyond the immediate problem to more remote causes, we come to matters of national identity. Singapore’s state-constructed national identity rests on a firm foundation of racial stereotypes and smug confidence in the superiority of Singapore as a ‘success’ that ‘punches above its weight’ and is a ‘model’ to the world. The smug confidence may be slipping a bit in the wake of a litany of government failures, but it still has life in it; and the racial stereotyping is stronger than ever.

Mar 9, 2014

Check this: Life in the world's most expensive city | The Star Online

 
Read about how a local feel when they were notified that they are living in the most expensive city in the world.
 
Columnists - Insight Down South | The Star Online
 
How do ordinary Singaporeans cope? Over lunch yesterday, my young son, who earns a normal graduate wage, confessed to me that he had not been to Orchard Road for a long time. This tourist shopping zone is one of the world's most expensive shopping belts. Other youths, I was told, avoid even shopping malls in housing estates where prices are escalating.

Feb 10, 2014

Feb 3, 2014

From Thailand recent political saga to worries about the effects of regional populism

Just read a article in BloombergView about the rise SEA populism.

Thailand Is Only the Tip of Asia’s Iceberg @BloombergView
By William Pesek Jan 24, 2014

http://bloom.bg/19R4Mb0
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-23/thailand-is-only-the-tip-of-asia-s-iceberg.html

Similar examples of populism trumping progress can be found in such places as Vietnam, Brunei and Myanmar. Even the most first-world of Southeast Asian economies -- Singapore -- has some worried. Case in point: a Jan. 13 Forbes article alleging that the city is headed for an “Iceland-style meltdown.”

The common denominator in all these countries is weak leadership, and it’s appearing at the worst possible moment. The rapid growth Asia has enjoyed since the 2008 global crisis had more to do with Ben Bernanke than we like to admit. All that hot money pumped up gross domestic product, boosted asset prices and pushed yields lower to make government debt loads appear manageable.

The Fed chairman’s largesse made growth too easy. It bred hubris. Officials in Bangkok, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur were too busy cutting ribbons, toasting flashy new skyscrapers, applauding splashing initial public offerings, and basking in headlines about Asia having decoupled from the West to do their jobs properly.

Dec 10, 2013

Understanding the background of the Singapore's riot in Little India

Using the title of Forbes's report, the riot is "a shock, but not a total surprise." This blog post is not about the incident itself, but see what academic has done to understand the South Asian migrants or migrants issue in Singapore.
Doing some research, researches about South Asian migrants in Singapore is not as many as studies about domestic workers.

Dec 8, 2013

What does Southeast Asia look in OECD’s latest PISA survey? (Updated)

Yesterday, news talked about the PISA result. There were five ASEAN countries participated in PISA 2012. They were Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Most SE Asian PISA-related news was only appeared in their local news headline but not in international news. This post summarized the PISA result of SEA participants and the local commentary about the result.