What do you think?
Rate this book
Singapore: Smart City, Smart State
"
How Singapore’s solutions to common problems can provide examples for other societies.
Nearly everyone knows that Singapore has one of the most efficient governments and competitive, advanced economies in the world. But can this unique city–state of some 5.5 million residents also serve as a model for other advanced economies as well as for the emerging world? Respected East Asia expert Kent Calder provides clear answers to this intriguing question in his new, groundbreaking book that looks at how Singapore’s government has harnessed information technology, data, and a focus on innovative, adaptive governance to become a model smart city, smart state.
Calder describes Singapore as a laboratory for solutions to problems experienced by urban societies around the world. In particular, he shows how Singapore has dealt successfully with education, energy, environmental, housing, and transportation challenges; many of its solutions can be adapted in a wide range of other societies.
Calder also explains how Singapore offers lessons for how countries can adapt their economies to the contemporary demands of global commerce. Singapore consistently ranks at the top in world surveys measuring competitiveness, ease of doing business, protection of intellectual property, and absence of corruption.
The book offers concrete insights and a lucid appreciation of how Singapore's answers to near-universal problems can have a much broader relevance, even in very different societies.
"
How Singapore’s solutions to common problems can provide examples for other societies.
Nearly everyone knows that Singapore has one of the most efficient governments and competitive, advanced economies in the world. But can this unique city–state of some 5.5 million residents also serve as a model for other advanced economies as well as for the emerging world? Respected East Asia expert Kent Calder provides clear answers to this intriguing question in his new, groundbreaking book that looks at how Singapore’s government has harnessed information technology, data, and a focus on innovative, adaptive governance to become a model smart city, smart state.
Calder describes Singapore as a laboratory for solutions to problems experienced by urban societies around the world. In particular, he shows how Singapore has dealt successfully with education, energy, environmental, housing, and transportation challenges; many of its solutions can be adapted in a wide range of other societies.
Calder also explains how Singapore offers lessons for how countries can adapt their economies to the contemporary demands of global commerce. Singapore consistently ranks at the top in world surveys measuring competitiveness, ease of doing business, protection of intellectual property, and absence of corruption.
The book offers concrete insights and a lucid appreciation of how Singapore's answers to near-universal problems can have a much broader relevance, even in very different societies.
"
247 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2016
10 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 17, 2020
(As a Singaporean,) I felt weird about this book because it was too complimentary of Singapore. I've never given a thought to the institutions that surround us: to me, they just work.
This book was full of praise for Singapore's institutions and the historical governance of Singapore that helped to create the institution. That made it a hard read: I kept waiting for the criticism, but this was mostly confined to the conclusion. Is it possible that Singapore's institutions are fantastic? Yes - from an outsider's perspective. I mostly found myself thinking of "what about this policy?" even though (logically speaking) the policy was separate from the institution.
On the book itself - it thematically deals with various aspects of Singapore's institutions, such as transport, housing and foreign policy.
I liked Chapter 3 for its summary on the four pathologies that can affect bureaucratic states: (1) clientelism (the regulated coopt their regulation), (2) routinization (bureaucracies being preoccupied with internal coordination rather than external response), (3) vertical communication (stalemates due to top-down information flow and incentives), and (4) inadequate institutionalisation (need to accommodate popular desires for political participation).
I also enjoyed Chapter 4 because of the way it explained foreign policy - leveraging on its nation-state status. This allows Singapore to deal with nations on a nation basis (ex: Singapore-Taiwan) as well as with another nation's state on a state basis (ex: Singapore-Taipei). Some praise also goes to the diplomats, whose antics don't tend to be remarked upon in Singapore's domestic politics.
4/5 stars
This book was full of praise for Singapore's institutions and the historical governance of Singapore that helped to create the institution. That made it a hard read: I kept waiting for the criticism, but this was mostly confined to the conclusion. Is it possible that Singapore's institutions are fantastic? Yes - from an outsider's perspective. I mostly found myself thinking of "what about this policy?" even though (logically speaking) the policy was separate from the institution.
On the book itself - it thematically deals with various aspects of Singapore's institutions, such as transport, housing and foreign policy.
I liked Chapter 3 for its summary on the four pathologies that can affect bureaucratic states: (1) clientelism (the regulated coopt their regulation), (2) routinization (bureaucracies being preoccupied with internal coordination rather than external response), (3) vertical communication (stalemates due to top-down information flow and incentives), and (4) inadequate institutionalisation (need to accommodate popular desires for political participation).
I also enjoyed Chapter 4 because of the way it explained foreign policy - leveraging on its nation-state status. This allows Singapore to deal with nations on a nation basis (ex: Singapore-Taiwan) as well as with another nation's state on a state basis (ex: Singapore-Taipei). Some praise also goes to the diplomats, whose antics don't tend to be remarked upon in Singapore's domestic politics.
4/5 stars
August 2, 2017
Singapore is my favorite country in the world. Everything seems to be working in perfect order, like well-oiled cogs. I love the pervasive sense of orderliness, which I believe, is possible because of the works of PAP. Singapore usually ranks among the top in terms of how advanced a country is, although it is only a teeny tiny island, sandwiched between largest countries in the world. It is succeeded both as a nation and a city, making it a policy laboratory and an example to other much larger countries around the world.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews