Income protection and the elderly: an examination of social security policy in Singapore.

Abstract

This article examines the impact of the aging population on social security policy in Singapore. The adequacies of public policy responses, specifically the Public Assistance Program and the Central Provident Fund (CPF), are explored. The Singapore government's strategy of minimal approach to social security is challenged. Poverty among the elderly is on the rise. Members from the working poor, a group that disproportionately consists of women and Malays, have inadequate retirement income protection and are most likely to slip into poverty as they age.