State-Society Relations in Singapore is a
collection of essays first presented by leaders from the state, market, and
civic sectors at a national dialogue on civil society in Singapore,
organized by the Institute of Policy Studies, in May 1998. It is set in the
context of current thinking on development and governance, where there has
been a paradigm shift from viewing state and civil society as a zero-sum,
adversarial relationship to viewing it as having the potential for
synergies. It records an initial response to this new notion across the
sectors represented. In effect, it also reflects the current condition of
state-society relations some years since the People’s Action Party
government indicated it welcomed a greater role for civil society.
The essays discuss the following:
the role of civic traditions in the
development of civil society
the boundaries within which civil society must
locate itself today
the processes and principles of community
development that shape civil society
the policies, problems and prospects of
specific arenas of civic action
the new issues impacting further development
of civil society
the macro- and micro-level responses to social
diversity in developing civil society
the implications of the Information Age on
state-society relations
Following an incisive essay by a Cabinet
minister on the irrepressible impact of the new Information Age on
state-society relations, authors from the civic sector argue powerfully for
greater recognition of the sector’s contribution to socio-economic
development, and for the transformation of the relationship from one of
ambivalence to trust. The role of the business sector in terms of its
corporate citizenship will, accordingly, need to navigate through the tides
and turns of this relationship. While another author from the state sector
argues there has been an expansion of opportunities for citizen
participation in civic and political affairs, others argue that more has to
be done before non-state actors are viewed as equal and responsible partners
in the process of governance.
The book offers views on both the abstract,
generalized issues of state-society relations, as well as the grounded,
practical issues that this relationship faces in specific arenas of civic
activity. State-Society Relations will appeal to readers with a general
interest in the subject, to practitioners looking at future trends and
directions, as well as scholars tracking issues of socio-political
development and governance in Singapore.
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