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Singapore's economic development: Four lessons and some doubts

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  • W. G. Huff

Abstract

This paper uses a variety of data to take a close look at what lessons can be adduced from Singapore, often regarded as the world's most successful economy or even a miracle. There are indeed lessons from Singapore's remarkable growth, but the most interesting are those rarely, if ever, identified as such, which stem from government's central role in the economy. Although Singapore's economic record makes it a model to which many countries aspire, total factor productivity growth has been low. That finding, together with the particular nature of Singapore's state-directed economic growth, create some doubts as to whether an economy able to sustain high living standards in the long term has yet been fashioned.

Suggested Citation

  • W. G. Huff, 1999. "Singapore's economic development: Four lessons and some doubts," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(1), pages 33-55.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:oxdevs:v:27:y:1999:i:1:p:33-55
    DOI: 10.1080/13600819908424165
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Peter Wilson & Gavin Peebles, 2005. "Don’t Frighten the Horses – the Political Economy of Singapore’s Foreign Exchange Rate Regime since 1981," SCAPE Policy Research Working Paper Series 0506, National University of Singapore, Department of Economics, SCAPE.
    2. Yasser Al-Saleh, 2018. "Crystallising the Dubai model of cluster-based development," Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 14(4), pages 305-317, November.
    3. Prema-chandra Athukorala & Raveen Ekanayake, 2024. "International Production and Industrial Transformation: The Singapore Story," Departmental Working Papers 2024-4, The Australian National University, Arndt-Corden Department of Economics.
    4. Mani, Sunil, 2000. "Exports of High Technology Products from Developing Countries: Is it Real or a Statistical Artifact?," UNU-INTECH Discussion Paper Series 2000-01, United Nations University - INTECH.

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