Singapore's Success Research Articles

Taxation and Income Inequality in ASEAN Countries

Research Originality: This study contributes to literature by investigating the impact of taxation on income inequality, with a specific focus on Southeast Asian countries.Research Objectives: To investigate the impact of taxation on income inequality in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries.Research Methods: A panel data model focusing on ASEAN from 1998 to 2021 was used, and a two-stage least squares (2SLS) estimation method, incorporating fixed effects and instrumental variables was used. Tax instrument comprised two components, namely tax ratio, reflecting volume of tax; and tax structure, representing direct, indirect, and income taxes.Empirical Results: The results showed that tax ratio, direct tax, and income tax reduced income inequality in Southeast Asia. However, the magnitude of the impact should be more significant. Prioritizing education and improving the quality of workforce could effectively reduce income inequality, as shown by Singapore's success in this area.Implications: This study had significant implications for ASEAN policymakers, as it offered valuable insights into designing and implementing taxation policies to reduce income inequality and promote economic development across the region. JEL Classification: D63, H20, H23How to Cite:Alexander, A., Gitaharie, B. Y. (2024). Taxation and Income Inequality in ASEAN Countries. Etikonomi, 23(1), 397 – 414. https://doi.org/10.15408/etk.v23i2.32352.

“Let’s ride this out together”: unpacking multilingual top-down and bottom-up pandemic communication evidenced in Singapore’s coronavirus-related linguistic and semiotic landscape

Abstract Access to languages is a human right and multilingual crisis communication is vital during a pandemic. Multilingual and (super)diverse Singapore features four official languages (English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil), with English being a dominant lingua franca. Additionally, other minority/migrant languages are also spoken to varying degrees (e.g. Tagalog, Thai, Burmese, Hindi, Punjabi, and Nepali). Contributing to public health communication research, this study explores Singapore’s multilingual pandemic communication practices evidenced on its COVID-related linguistic landscape, drawing on real-world top-down and bottom-up signs (N = 128). Top-down signs in Singapore are found to mostly feature English monolingualism or the four official languages. In comparison, Singapore’s bottom-up COVID-scape manifests in more scenarios. The findings are aligned with Singapore’s linguistic policy and existing pre-COVID linguistic ecology. What is conspicuously absent is that minority/migrant languages other than the four official languages are rarely represented. Despite Singapore's relative success in the anti-Covid journey overall, this raises questions of inclusiveness and accessibility and suggests that the city state needs to get out of its linguistic “comfort zone” and use a broader range of languages in crisis communication, especially considering the possibility of disease X and other future public health contingencies. The wider significance and ramifications of the study are also explored and discussed.

Enabling Real Estate Development: The Role of Housing Boards on a National & Global Scale

India, recognizing housing as a fundamental necessity, has grappled with deteriorating urban housing conditions driven by factors like rural-to-urban migration and rising construction costs. To address this challenge, the government initiated social housing programs during its third five-year plan, establishing housing boards and city development agencies at central and state levels. These entities aim to provide affordable housing solutions, slum rehabilitation, and urban renewal. Central and state housing boards collaborate to make housing accessible to those with limited resources. The paper presents case studies from states like West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Chandigarh, and Gujarat, highlighting diverse strategies, including public-private partnerships, to address housing needs for various income groups. These partnerships aim to bridge the housing gap and promote urban development. However, challenges persist, particularly in achieving affordability and efficient delivery of housing. Singapore's Housing Development Board (HDB) model offers insights into the transformative potential of public housing in shaping the real estate landscape. Foreign investment and proactive improvements are crucial for India to replicate Singapore's success and ensure quality housing for all citizens. Key Words: Housing boards, affordable housing, Public- private partnerships, Urbanization

Adopting the MPH Model: Lessons from Singapore for Nigeria's Economic Development

This study aims to evaluate the potential for adapting the meritocracy, pragmatism, and honesty (MPH) model to the Nigerian context with the aim of promoting economic development in the country. The study begins by providing an overview of the MPH model and its success in Singapore. This is followed by an examination of the current state of the Nigerian economy and the challenges it faces. A comparative analysis of the MPH model in Singapore and the Nigerian economy is also conducted, highlighting key differences and similarities between the two contexts. The study also includes qualitative research methods, such as stakeholder interviews, to gain insights into the potential for adapting the MPH model to the Nigerian context and potential solutions for addressing corruption and improving the business environment. The results of the study suggest that adopting the MPH model in Nigeria could lead to increased economic growth, improved competitiveness, and reduced poverty and inequality. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers, business leaders, and other stakeholders interested in promoting economic development in Nigeria.

How the Esther Network model for coproduction of person-centred health and social care was adopted and adapted in Singapore: a realist evaluation

ObjectivesThe Esther Network (EN) model, a person-centred care innovation in Sweden, was adopted in Singapore to promote person-centredness and improve integration between health and social care practitioners. This realist evaluation...

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Public Confidence in the Judiciary and Strict Laws with a Deterrent Effect as Two of the Many Enablers of Economic Success in Singapore

Public Confidence in the Judiciary and Strict Laws with a Deterrent Effect as Two of the Many Enablers of Economic Success in Singapore

A comparison of antenatal prediction models for vaginal birth after caesarean section

An antenatal scoring system for vaginal birth after caesarean section (VBAC) categorises patients into a low or high probability of successful vaginal delivery. It enables counselling and preparation before labour starts. The current study aims to evaluate the role of Grobman nomogram and the Kalok scoring system in predicting VBAC success in Singapore. This is a retrospective study on patients of gestational age 37 weeks 0 day to 41 weeks 0 day who underwent a trial of labour after 1 caesarean section between September 2016 and September 2017 was conducted. Two scoring systems were used to predict VBAC success, a nomogram by Grobman et al. in 2007 and an additive model by Kalok et al. in 2017. A total of 190 patients underwent a trial of labour after caesarean section, of which 103 (54.2%) were successful. The Kalok scoring system (area under curve [AUC] 0.740) was a better predictive model than Grobman nomogram (AUC 0.664). Patient's age (odds ratio [OR] 0.915, 95% CI [confidence interval] 0.844-0.992), body mass index at booking (OR 0.902, 95% CI 0.845-0.962), and history of successful VBAC (OR 4.755, 95% CI 1.248-18.120) were important factors in predicting VBAC. Neither scoring system was perfect in predicting VBAC among local women. Further customisation of the scoring system to replace ethnicity with the 4 races of Singapore can be made to improve its sensitivity. The factors identified in this study serve as a foundation for developing a population-specific antenatal scoring system for Singapore women who wish to have a trial of VBAC.

Contingency Plan: Comparison of Health Policies in Managing COVID-19 in Singapore and Indonesia

Introduction: Singapore is one of the countries with the lowest mortality rate and the best handling of COVID-19. Singapore can be an example for Indonesia on COVID 19 pandemic handling.Methods: The method used is a literature review from google platform with these keywords: “Singapore Health Policy in COVID-19, Indonesian Health Policy in COVID-19, Singapore's success in suppressing COVID-19”. The analysis was done by comparing the policies taken from the two countries in dealing with COVID-19.Results: Singapore and Indonesia did indeed have very big differences in terms of government and in broad areas, it cannot be denied that Indonesia can have the same opportunity as Singapore in providing a good health disaster mitigation system for the community. Three factors influence Singapore's success in dealing with COVID-19: 1) having a responsive and efficient health disaster mitigation system, 2) government legitimacy which is determined by the capacity of the state. Singapore has a semi-centralized government with high legitimacy the experience of dealing with pandemics in the past, 3) Singapore's experience with SARS in the past makes Singaporeans understand very well the impact of the pandemic on their economic activities and social life.Conclusion: Several things can be emulated from Singapore in handling COVID-19 was the transparency, strong communication between community and the government, prioritizing the benefit and safety of civil society and building obedience and awareness of Covid 19 prevention.

Limited Shareholder Inspection Rights in Singapore: Worrying Legal Gap or Unnecessary for Rankings?

Singapore’s formal corporate law and governance rules normally meet or exceed global standards – which explains why it regularly tops prominent Asian and global rankings for good corporate governance. As such, Singapore’s outlier status, as the only leading economy in Asia that does not provide a specific mechanism for shareholders to access corporate information, is puzzling. In this Article we aim to solve this puzzle by offering two explanations that appear to make sense out of Singapore’s outlier status as having an unusually restrictive shareholder inspection rights regime. The first, demand-side, explanation is that Singapore’s controlling shareholder-dominated landscape generates little demand for greater shareholder information rights. The second, supply-side, explanation rests on two elements. First, as the government is indirectly the largest controlling shareholder in Singapore, it may not have an incentive to expand inspection rights to allow shareholders greater access to the information of its government-controlled companies. Second, and most importantly, shareholder information rights have yet to become established as a significant indicium of “good corporate governance” by globally influential actors. As such, for now, the Singapore government has not needed to supply the formal law to send a signal of good corporate governance by meeting a prominent global standard for inspection rights, because such a standard does not yet exist. Viewed through the lens of our supply-side and demand-side explanations, in the context of Singapore’s unique corporate governance model, its restrictive shareholder inspection rights regime makes sense. Given the success of Singapore’s state and family controlling shareholder dominated system of corporate governance, its lack of shareholder inspection rights does not seem to have resulted in any serious corporate governance maladies. However, there are some signs that Singapore’s model of corporate governance may gradually be changing – and that the international interest in inspection rights is increasing – which may portend a greater need for a more facilitative inspection rights regime in the future.

Special Report on Online Legal Education in Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Singapore

This report compares the development of online legal education in Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Singapore, three quite closely linked Asian economies following the English common law tradition. Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, these countries all faced pressing needs to shift their legal education to mostly online modes. In Malaysia, where the health and economic consequences of the pandemic were the most salient, universities and institutions have been struggling to deliver online teaching due to the uneven allocation of internet resources among the large population scattered across large and sometimes remote areas. Being instead small but well-resourced states, Brunei and Singapore were well positioned to weather the global pandemic and adopt online legal education. In particular, Singapore is a leader of online legal education in ASEAN, thanks to its advanced ICT infrastructures and outstanding preparedness for online teaching. Both Brunei and Malaysia can learn from the success of Singapore, to become strong players in the field of online legal education.

Studi Komparasi Perencanaan Ruang Terbuka Hijau Perkotaan Antara Jakarta dan Singapura

Green open space has functions ecologically, economically, and socially to improve the quality of urban life. Urban green space is one of the keys to sustainability. The purpose of this study was to analyze green open space planning in Jakarta and Singapore using a comparative study method. The study locations were chosen in Jakarta and Singapore because they are geographically located in Southeast Asia but have a vastly different area of ​​green open space. Singapore has the largest area of ​​green open space in the world, amounting to 47% of the total area and Jakarta only has a range of 5 to 10% because of the baseline of green open space that has not been officially set by the Government. Green open space planning in Jakarta has decreased from 1965 to the present due to the rapid development of residential and commercial areas. On the other hand, Singapore's success in increasing the area of ​​green space is due to its strong political policy in greening which is directly led by the Prime Minister and supported by all stakeholders. The vision of Singapore as a Garden City is clearly stated in the Green and Blue Master Plan and implemented in government programs. Cooperation between stakeholders in Singapore continues to make public awareness about successful greening. Jakarta needs a strong political policy to increase green open space by formulating a green open space Master Plan that is integrated with a network of roads, blue spaces, and increased cooperation between stakeholders.

Introduction: The “Singapore model” and China's Neo-Authoritarian Dream

AbstractThis special section deals with China's longstanding fascination with Singapore's development experience that has preoccupied post-Maoist leaders from Deng Xiaoping to Xi Jinping despite the obvious differences between the tiny Southeast Asian city-state and the most populous country on earth. In particular, there is great Chinese interest in Singapore's success in combining effective governance and efficient state capitalism with stable one-party dominant rule. As a consequence, Chinese observers paid much less attention to electoral democracies that were well-governed states with mature economies.

Singapore Success: New Model Helps Forecast Dengue Outbreaks.

The island city-state of Singapore reported a record 2,441 cases of dengue fever in January 2016, 1 triggered by all-time-high temperatures in the preceding weeks. 2 , 3 Singapore is a potential hotbed for the widespread disease thanks to its tropical climate and highly urbanized environment. But it’s also a leader in mitigating the spread of dengue virus through an advanced mosquito control program, 4 aided in the past 3 years by a sophisticated model to forecast dengue outbreaks. 5

The Beijing Consensus and Possible Lessons from the 'Singapore Model'?

This paper suggests that there is very little substance to the so-called Beijing Consensus. Instead, China's political system is simply the consequence of the communist triumph over the Kuomintang, and her economic approach the reversal of the disastrous policies of the Mao period coupled with lessons learnt from the economic development of other Asian economies including Singapore. As Singapore is often touted as a model for China, this paper sets out an important but often underappreciated element that underpins Singapore's success, namely its democratic system of government. It suggests that this may be the most important lesson that China can learn from Singapore.

LESSONS OF SINGAPORE'S DEVELOPMENT FOR OTHER DEVELOPING ECONOMIES

While Singapore is grappling with policy options to sustain its success over the next 50 years, the developing world is wondering what made it such a success so far. By looking at some developing countries that are stuck in a roller-coaster ride of economic development I highlight some policy lessons they can learn from Singapore's success story. In a nutshell, as pointed out by Singapore's economic architect, Dr. Goh Keng Swee, non-economic factors matter more than the economic factors for a successful take-off of a developing economy. The paper also highlights some complementary development strategies that are instructive to developing economies.

Approaches to Financial System Regulation: An International Comparative Survey

In the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis (GFC), and the catastrophic scale of regulatory failure, much attention has been paid to the various systems of financial system regulation currently in force. Of the total of four financial regulatory systems currently in use, ‘Twin Peaks’ has garnered the most interest, and gained widespread recognition; as has Australia both as an exemplar of ‘Twin Peaks’, and in its success in navigating the worst of the GFC. As a result of these factors, several countries have moved or are moving towards a ‘Twin Peaks’ system, most notably the Republic of South Africa (RSA) and the United Kingdom (UK). In an effort to place ‘Twin Peaks’ in context, this article makes a comparative analysis of the four systems in use, along with descriptive case studies. Particular attention is paid to the failings of the previous UK regulatory arrangement, and the success of Singapore, in order to demonstrate that the solution to successful prudential regulation, and regulatory enforcement, is not simply the regulatory architecture. It is as much a function of regulator culture, inter-agency co-ordination, and regulatory philosophy. Additional analysis is also provided for Germany, due to the importance of its banking sector. The four systems are described in the following order: first, the institutional or traditional approach (with emphasis on China, Mexico and Hong Kong); second, the functional approach (with a description of Italy and France); third, the integrated approach (as employed in Japan, Singapore, Germany, and formerly in the United Kingdom); and finally, fourth, the ‘Twin Peaks’ approach (as found in The Netherlands, Switzerland, Qatar, and Spain).

Curbing police corruption in Singapore: lessons for other Asian countries

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explain why Singapore has succeeded in curbing the problem of police corruption and to identify the six lessons which other Asian countries can learn from Singapore's experience.Design/methodology/approach– The paper analyzes the causes of police corruption in Singapore during the British colonial period and describes the measures adopted by the People's Action Party government after assuming office in June 1959 to curb police corruption. The effectiveness of these measures is assessed by referring to Singapore's perceived extent of corruption according to three international indicators and the reported cases of police corruption from 1965 to 2011.Findings– The Singapore Police Force has succeeded in minimizing police corruption by improving salaries and working conditions, cooperating with the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, enhancing its recruitment and selection procedures, providing training and values education for its members, and adopting administrative measures to reduce the opportunities for corruption. Other Asian countries afflicted with rampant police corruption can learn six lessons from Singapore's success.Originality/value– This paper will be of interest to those policy makers, scholars, and anti-corruption practitioners, who are interested in learning how Singapore has succeeded in curbing police corruption.

Singapore. A slow ride into the past: The Chinese trishaw industry in Singapore, 1942–1983. By Jason Lim. Clayton, Victoria: Monash University Publishing, 2013. Pp. 163. Plates, Notes, Bibliography, Index.

A slow ride into the past: The Chinese trishaw industry in Singapore, 1942-1983 By JASON LIM Clayton, Victoria: Monash University Publishing, 2013. Pp. 163. Plates, Notes, Bibliography, Index. doi: 10.1017/S0022463413000738 This terrific study of the trishaw industry in post-Second World War Singapore illustrates important aspects of postcolonial Singapore historiography. On one level, it tells the story of a section of Singapore society which epitomises the Republic's own historical trajectory. On a deeper level, it illustrates the challenges of researching Singapore history, and demonstrates both how the skill of the historian can overcome the limitations which exist in the field, as well as where the limitations simply make it impossible for the historian to proceed due to a paucity of sources and information. Jason Lim has been superb at marshalling a wide variety of resources to tell the story of a very much neglected section of the economic, social, and labour history of Singapore. The book details the story of trishaw drivers, who provided cheap and accessible transportation to Singapore's residents and must be credited with their role in the economic success of Singapore. In a tropical urban city-state, it was a difficult and backbreaking job, carried out under the hot sun and at constant risk from the ever-increasing cars and trucks that filled Singapore's roads. Trishaw driving was seen to be a low and demeaning occupation, dominated by the Henghua and Hockchia dialect groups who were unable to enter into other trades already claimed by other dialect groups, including, as Lim notes, the collection of faeces, which was already a Teochew-dominated industry (p. 40). The first four chapters of the book provide an excellent overview, bringing together a wide variety of published and unpublished sources to situate trishaw drivers and owners in the broader context of Singapore and Southeast Asia. The reader gains a good sense of the vast amount of discrimination and desperation faced by the trishaw drivers. They were harassed by the authorities; looked down upon by the elite; seen as objects of curiosity, pity, or disgust; and intimidated and treated with contempt. Their very occupation, as beasts of burden, left one in no doubt the relationship between driver and passenger. Lim does justice to the plight of these men (Lim never notes the existence of any female drivers). In particular, the economic and social structure of the industry and its position with relation to the Singapore economy is well detailed. The third and fourth chapters, detailing the industry's position within the Chinese community's hierarchy, and the role of the industry in the lives of Singapore's peoples, are the highlight of the book. The fifth chapter is where Lim runs up against the historiographical limits of independent Singapore. The moment he crosses into postcolonial Singapore, unpublished sources dry up and frameworks vanish. As a result, the fifth chapter covers approximately the same amount of time as the first four chapters, but in just a fifth of the space. Lim valiantly tries to make up for these shortcomings with official publications and newspaper reports. …

So Goes California, So Goes the Nation?

Once viewed as separate and distinct, potable water, wastewater, recycled water, and stormwater are now being viewed as different aspects of the same thing: water. This shift in perception ‐ stimulated by Singapore's NEWater success, dwindling supplies, burgeoning populations, stressed sources, and droughts ‐ has opened the door for utilities to consider previously taboo alternatives, such as incorporating potable reuse into their water portfolio. A major obstacle to public acceptance of this practice has been overcoming the perception that treated wastewater is repugnant ‐ a perception that exists mainly because people never realized that unplanned reuse has always existed in any community downstream of another.