Welfare Development in Singapore

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Welfare Development in Singapore
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History of Singapore
Colonial Period
Self-governing, Merge ? Split with Malaya
Independence (1965)
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The Context

• From colonial free-market
• administrative system
• Ideological Confucianism (Orientalism)
• PAPs leftism
• Societal Multi-racial
• potential tension
• Political conflict
• with Malaysia
• Indonesia

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A multi-cultural society
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Nation Building Project
A Long-term strategy to build the nation and to
react to its fundamental nature.
Our community lacks in-built reflexes our
society and its education system was never
designed to produce a people capable of cohesive
action, identifying their collective interests
and then acting in furtherance of them . The
reflexes of group thinking must be built to
ensure the survival of the community, not the
individual . Lee
Kuan-yew, 1966
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In a similar manner.
We are a complex, multi-racial community with
little sense of common history, with a group
purpose which is yet to be properly
articulated. We are in the process of rapid
transition towards a destiny which we do not yet
know.
Goh Keng Swee Finance Minister Minister of
Interior and Defence 1967,
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Emphasis of the Project

• Economic free market-based capitalism
• Political central planning, authoritarianism
• Ideology national unity and collectivism
• Welfare policy serving all three emphasis

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Characteristics of Welfare Structure

• High level of service provision regulated by
  state
• Central planning
• Private Insurance Model
• (you get what you contribute..)
• Pro-family ideologies
• Promote national unity, social stability, sense
  of belonging
• Liberal Welfare State

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Central Provident Fund

• Contributory Scheme by Employer Employees
• From 1955
• Funded for retirement initially, but gradually
  extended to housing, medical, investment etc.
• Accounts Ordinary, Special, Medisave
  (MediShield)
• Guarantee Interest Rate

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Housing Development Board

• Private ownership of public provided housing
• Dominant control of housing supply
• Established in 1960
• Home ownership from 1964
• Down payment mortgage paid by CPF saving

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Social Welfare Services

• Personal pathology approach
• Pro-family approach
• Minimal Public Assistance
• Scheme
• Small Family Improvement
• Improvement Scheme
• Community Development

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Achievements

• High home ownership rates
• High standard of services without too much state
  investment
• Personal contributory retirement payment
• Social stability
• Created national solidarity

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Current problems

• the loopholes in CPF
• potential risks of home ownership
• weakening family ties
• political discontent
• potential social conflicts (ethnic, class)