April 2018, Volume 29, Issue 2
China in Xi’s “New Era”: Singapore and Goliath?
Despite its tiny size, Singapore has shown that a firm stance can help to resist Chinese encroachment.
Country: Singapore
January 2016, Volume 27, Issue 1
China and the “Singapore Model”
China’s government looks to Singapore, the only country in the region to modernize without liberalizing, in hopes of finding the key to combining authoritarian rule with economic progress and “good governance.”
April 2012, Volume 23, Issue 2
Southeast Asia: Strong-State Democratization in Malaysia and Singapore
The strong state in Malaysia and Singapore best explains why their authoritarian regimes have proved so stable and enduring. That is also the reason why democratization would go smoothly in both countries—yet, paradoxically, might never happen there at all.
April 2012, Volume 23, Issue 2
Southeast Asia: Minding the Gap Between Democracy and Governance
Do democracy and good governance necessarily go hand-in-hand? In most Southeast Asian countries, a gap exists between the two. How should we understand good governance in an authoritarian context? And what does poor governance mean for the legitimacy of democracy?
January 2012, Volume 23, Issue 1
China and East Asian Democracy: The Coming Wave
If there is going to be a great advance of democracy in this decade, it is most likely going to emanate from East Asia.
January 2012, Volume 23, Issue 1
China and East Asian Democracy: The Patterns of History
The legitimacy and appeal of democracy in East Asia will depend on how democratic countries in the region stack up against China.
October 2011, Volume 22, Issue 4
Singapore: Authoritarian but Newly Competitive
Singapore has long been known for combining economic development with strict limits on political opposition. But its 2011 parliamentary elections suggest that it is moving toward “competitive authoritarianism.”
April 2009, Volume 20, Issue 2
Singapore: Does Authoritarianism Pay?
The same policies that fostered decades of prosperity in Singapore have also led to longer-term economic ills that might have been averted in a freer society.
January 2002, Volume 13, Issue 1
What Democracy Can Do for East Asia
The implicit social bargain that carried many East Asian countries through the Cold War has lost its currency. If the peoples of this region are to secure the blessings of peace, liberty, and prosperity in the century ahead, they will need to have a new and explicitly democratic bargain working for them.
April 2001, Volume 12, Issue 2
Field Report: Pressing for Openness in Singapore
Although friendly to business, Singapore’s government represses dissent and is far from transparent in its management of public funds. A leading dissident chronicles his struggle for greater openness.
April 1997, Volume 8, Issue 2
Hong Kong, Singapore, and “Asian Values”
The Editors’ introduction to “Hong Kong, Singapore, and ‘Asian Values.'”
April 1997, Volume 8, Issue 2
Hong Kong, Singapore, and “Asian Values”: Why Asia Needs Democracy
Read the full essay here.
April 1997, Volume 8, Issue 2
Hong Kong, Singapore, and “Asian Values”: Governance That Works
Read the full essay here.
October 1996, Volume 7, Issue 4
Soft Authoritarianism in Malaysia and Singapore
Read the full essay here.
July 1995, Volume 6, Issue 3
Trouble in Paradise
A review of To Catch a Traitor in Lee Kuan Yew’s Prison, by Francis T. Seow.