自1980年代開始，全球化與新自由主義的浪潮猛烈衝擊世界各國，許多東南亞、中南美國家在發展的理論與實務上皆遭遇嚴重挑戰。但，新加坡不但挺住了，更在1980年代中期轉型後再出發，表現亮麗。日本、臺灣等，則在競爭優勢上呈現相當的衰退。
本文認為官僚體系在治理上的角色與表現，亦即專業能力與自主性，有其宏觀且自主的形成機制。此機制取決於兩項關鍵因素，包括發展政策的整合程度與高級文官的文官制度。因此，本文將先分兩階段（1959年至1980年代中期之前與1980年代）檢視1959年人民行動黨執政後的發展政策的特色、高級文官的文官制度，以及其在政策過程中所扮演之角色與表現。再由發展政策上的跨領域整合程度與文官制度出發，分析新加坡高級文官在政策上的角色與表現，特別是專業能力與自主性如何形成。
最後，本文也將分析官僚在專業能力與自主性上的提升不但大大強化政府的適法性與威權，更使高級文官成為主導人民行動黨、國會與社會的主要力量。在高級文官能襄贊大有為政府的背景下，公民社會不斷萎縮，社群團體對民主政治的自主性參與也漸呈疏離。
Developmental State: Singapore’s Bureaucratic Innovation, Administrative Service, and the Evolution of Its Governing Regimes
Huei-Huang Wang
Abstract
The raging trends of globalization and neo-liberalism have strongly impacted countries all over the world ever since the 1980s. The developments of Southeast Asian and Central American countries have since faced tough challenges, both theoretically and practically. Amazingly, Singapore has not only held out well till now but also has achieved dazzling performances after she initiated a series of reforms in the mid-1980s. Therefore, Singapore has stood in stark contrast to Japan and Taiwan, both of which have suffered from waning competitiveness during the same period.
This paper argues that there are independent and macro-level processes through which bureaucracies build their professional capacity and autonomy. There are mainly two types of mechanisms in these processes, i.e. the extent of integration among development policies and the Singaporean system of Administrative Service. Consequently, this paper will examine the extent of integration among development policies, features of the Administrative Service, and the role and performance of the Administrative Service in two periods, from 1959 to the mid-1980s and from the mid-1980s to the early 2010s.
Then, based on the findings of the extent of integration among development policies and the Singaporean system of Administrative Service, this paper will analyze how the roles and performances of the Administrative Service took shape, and how the professional capacity and autonomy of the Administrative Service were forged.
Finally, this paper argues that the significant progress of the professional capacity and autonomy of the Administrative Service have consolidated greatly the authority and legitimacy of the Singaporean government. Meanwhile, the Administrative Service also has become a dominant force over the PAP, the Congress, and the Singaporean society. The civil society of Singapore has dwindled significantly as a result, together with their autonomy and participation in democratic politics.
Keywords: policy innovation, developmental state, government-linked enterprises, administrative service, promotion and rotation