Analysing the factors affecting the feasibility of alternative policies to address income inequality in Singapore.

• Main Author: Muhammad Ismail Ya’acob
• Other Authors: Kim Soojin
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2022
• Subjects: Social sciences::Political science::Public administration::Asia::Singapore
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/158973
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

In 1974, Singapore’s first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew said, “Growth must come first before sharing” . Decades after growth and being one of the richest countries in the world, Singapore seems to have forgotten about the second part of the rhetoric - sharing. Despite increasing government expenditure on social policies, income inequality in Singapore seems destined to worsen in the years to come. Recognising the destabilising force of inequality, this study endeavours to understand the factors that affect the feasibility of alternative economic policies to address income inequality. The study found that for alternative policies to be feasible, (1) the government’s philosophy has to be in congruence; (2) there must be public acceptance of the policy, especially with Singapore’s new style of collaborative governance; and (3) the policy has to be effective.