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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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