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