Singapore: the city-state model

Singapore has 5.6 million inhabitants in less than 730 square kilometers. It has no significant natural resources, no agriculture and depends on foreign trade for almost everything. In 1965, when it gained independence from Malaysia, per capita income was less than 500 dollars. Today it exceeds 65,000 dollars. Few cases of accelerated economic development in history are as studied as Singapore's.

The model combines elements that in other contexts are often seen as contradictory: total economic openness with high state intervention in key areas such as housing, education and transport. Eighty percent of the population lives in subsidized public housing, yet the capital markets are among the freest in the world. The bureaucracy is designed to be efficient and has very low corruption levels by global standards.

The criticisms of the model also exist: restrictions on press freedom, limitations on political pluralism, a system that rewards compliance over dissent. The debate over whether the model is exportable or is a product of unique historical and cultural conditions remains open. But as a case study in public management, few countries in the world attract as much interest.