Culture of Meritocracy, Political Hegemony, and Singapore’s Development

Abstract

Why have Singapore’s unique developmental state arrangements persisted in a region which has experienced democratic change? This paper argues that this is due to the PAP state’s successful legitimation of its unique brand of meritocracy, one which has both competitive and interventionist elements. During the colonial era, a culture of economic meritocracy evolved in a bottom-up process through social and commercial interactions between the British class and Chinese community. This was then transmuted by the PAP’s top-down imposition of the institutions and discourses of political meritocracy. This cultural hybrid allows the state to sustain its hegemony in the face of progressive social change. Accordingly, our emphasis on the wider institutional environment within which merit is conceived helps to better illuminate Singapore’s challenges of encouraging organic innovation, alleviating social stratification, and opening up its political arena. This paper suggests that the problems in these areas stem not from meritocracy per se, but from the PAP’s “monocentric meritocracy” where merit is narrowly defined and singularly imposed in the post-colonial era.

Meritocracy, the Reproduction of Inequality, and the Academic Scandal in Indonesia: Philosophical Perspective of Michael Sandel

“…The result of this study is compatible with some previous studies. In their study on meritocracy in Singapore, reframe the tyranny of meritocracy as "monocentric meritocracy" or top-down meritocracy, namely the political hegemony of those who are successful in education and economy (Cheang & Choy, 2023). Similar argument that the support for meritocracy tends to legitimize inequality rather than fight it (Mijs, 2016).…”

Special Education Personnel Preparation in Singapore

“…In Mathew's (2016) study on the views of ethnically diverse Singaporeans on meritocracy, the majority of participants indicated strong consensus and support for attributing hard work, independent of race, as contributing to economic success. There is a meritocratic ethic, prevalent in education and society, that pairs economic success that is marked by a better life of highly sought after material possessions with competitiveness and social esteem; this provides the motivation and incentive to persevere and excel, and has been explained as the driving force for Singapore's global competitiveness and economic prosperity (Cheang & Choy, 2023).…”