Singapore’s social welfare system and its impact on China 1

Abstract

Singapore has built a social welfare model based on a small-scale social security system that emphasizes personal and family roles in basic health care, pension, and child care while focusing on government functions in public services, such as housing, transportation, education, and employment. This social welfare model allows Singapore to make social progress while at the same time avoiding the burden of a welfare state. China and Singapore have the same ideology of social welfare and similar social assistance systems, while Singapore’s public welfare system of quantitatively large services is in line with the requirements and objectives of China’s social security reform. Singapore’s housing system, social services, and concept of public services have had varying degrees of impact on China. However, there is a gap between the results of Singapore’s social welfare policy and its economic strength, social development needs, and national aspirations, which China should avoid. At the same time, China’s existing public welfare mechanism is superior to Singapore’s.