Introduction
Singapore is widely regarded by the global community as a developed nation. As a city-state with no natural resources and humble beginnings as a small fishing village, it may seem nothing short of a miracle that Singapore is where it is today, as these circumstances have not stopped Singapore from achieving high economic growth, boasting one of the world’s highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita. These accomplishments can be accounted to several key milestones in Singapore’s past that have influenced the country’s policy-making decisions, such as the introduction of free trade in Singapore, as well as principles of governance left from its colonial days under the British.
Free Trade in Singapore
One of the most important
…show more content…
According to the 2014 Index of Economic Freedom, Singapore is the second freest economy in the world. Since then, Singapore has gone on to sign Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with 32 trading partners (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2012), which has had a beneficial impact on Singapore’s economy. Having a small domestic market, Singapore has had to maintain an open economy that is highly dependent on external demand. As FTAs encourage trade between countries by eliminating trade barriers, they are crucial to Singapore’s economy. According to the Ministry of Trade and Industry Singapore (2011), in 2010, external demand accounted for nearly three-quarter of Singapore’s total demand, and Singapore’s FTAs have indeed increased its domestic exports. Hence, this shows that the principles of free trade left behind by the British were important in shaping the nation’s future policies regarding trade, and has been of paramount importance in ensuring Singapore’s survival as a small economy with no natural …show more content…
Under this system, all Singaporeans are given equal opportunities for success, regardless of their background. As a result, this has ensured that only the most competent Singaporeans govern the country, which has largely benefitted the nation and is partly the reason why Singapore has been able to move from the Third World to the First. Other measures taken by the government to promote equal social mobility include increased benefits for the socioeconomically disadvantaged and the middle class, such as investing in education and making healthcare more affordable (Bell & Li,
That’s why the whole country is in chaos: drugs, violence, unemployment, and homelessness. The American society is the richest and most prosperous in the world but it is hardly safe and peaceful,” (Reyes 181). America shouldn’t have input on how Singapore acts
It was obvious that the government’s policies were favoring that of British mercantilism, jumpstarting the trade monopoly and making
Hon. George Brown explained how the union of Canada “will throw down the barriers of trade and give [them] the control of a market of four millions of people”. The example of United States success in trading was an influence in instilling this idea. If trade became a simple endeavor material would be transported across the nation at greater rates allowing for substantial
Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson believed that U.S. fortunes were linked to the ability of merchants to engage in international trade. However, they differed in their opinions of how much of a role international trade should play in American commerce. Jefferson’s policy encouraged a quasi-free-market trade system through which the United States could import and export goods freely with international partners. Even when Great Britain was imposing restrictions on U.S. ships and goods, Jefferson sought to remain trading partners through “friendly arrangements with the several nations with whom the restrictions exist…” or “by the separate act of our own legislature for countervailing their effects”12.
The adoption of egalitarianism will likely solve issues of inequality, as egalitarian policies in the past have solved the issue. Furthermore,
1. Introduction Income inequality has grown significantly during this past decades and this phenomenon continues to increase over the years. This problem is constantly discussed in the daily news all around the world. Several consequences of this increase of inequality between people leads to economic problems such as high unemployment rates, lack of work for young people, fall of demand for certain product. The gap between rich and poor is increasing, the rich are richer and the poor are poorer as a result politicians and economists try to adopt certain policies in order to reduce this gap.
America prides itself on being one of the most effective democratically governed counties. The idea of the American dream is that all people have equivalent political freedoms and a responsive government. However the effectiveness of social equality is being threatened by increasing inequality in the United States. Economic inequality in the US has expanded drastically. The wealth gap has had drastic changes over the past 35 years.
The term “Washington Consensus” was created in 1989. It was first used in a background paper for a conference to examine the extent to which the old ideas of development economics (Williamson 2010). In order to ensure that it addresses the common set of issues, John Williamson made a list of ten policies that he thought the majority in Washington would agree were needed and labelled it the “Washington Consensus.” Williamson thinks that it would be a good policy to help the debtor countries overcome their debt burden with the changes in economic policy. 1.2
And also, as a result of international trade, the market contains greater competition with more competitive price and cheaper products. This essay will focus on the definition, advantages and consequences of international trade with considerable theories and evidence. First point I want to emphasize is that international trade is the exchange of goods and services between countries. This is the type of world economy and trade, prices, supply and demand, impact which influences world events. Political change in Asia is inclined to lead to increase labor costs, thus increase the production costs of sneaker companies.
Throughout the twentieth century, countries were creating treaties, trade blocs and global governance institutes to promote open market and free trade. Europe’s golden age of trade with very low tariff and high economic development began mid-19th century and collapsed
Social classes are a form of social stratification that refers to the existence of structured inequalities between individuals and groups in society. A social class is a group of people of comparable status, power and wealth which are usually classified as upper class, middle class, and lower class. For each class, there are some specific opportunities available that influence their social life. We can understand about the particularity of the chances through unequal distribution of these opportunities between individuals in social classes. In here belonging to a social class seems to be an obstacle for some individuals to obtain equal opportunity, unlike upper class people.
Singapore’s current political system is a democratic society. On paper, it ticks all the boxes of what makes a democratic system. It gives citizens the right to vote for the person they feel will best represent the voice of the people and address their needs. It also ensures that people have the freedom of speech and expression as stated in Article 14 of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore. However, things do not appear to be so straightforward, there definitely is more than meets the eye.
1.0 Introduction “Governments should play active roles in managing short-run instability in the economy caused by unemployment and inflation problems. ” I strongly agree with this statement as far as my own country is concerned. Singapore, although a very small island of about 700 square kilometres in the South East Asia, is an international business hub. The population is about 5.7 million as of July 2015 which consists of Chinese, Malays, Indians and other emigrants like Filipinos and Caucasians.
Nations engage in international trade because they benefit from doing so. The gains from trade arise because trade allows countries to specialise their production in a way that allocates all resources to their most productive use. Trade plays an important role in achieving this allocation because it frees each and every country’s residents from having to consume goods in the same time combination in which the domestic economy can produce them. During the past decade, China’s growing presence in Africa has increasingly become a topic for debate in the international system and among economists as well as policy analysts.
Furthermore, based on the budget expenditure in 2015, Singapore second highest expenditure is on education - MOE has continually place tremendous effort on upgrading its facilities and attracting and retaining the best teachers - so that students in Singapore have access to resources and the best teachers. Moreover, for students who need additional support, MOE has implemented comprehensive levelling-up programmes to ensure that they develop a good foundation in English and Mathematics. They are the stepping stone to