Singapore's Success - Lessons for India
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Transcript of Singapore's Success - Lessons for India
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Singapore’s Success- Lessons for India
Submitted by:
Anagh Agarwal
Roll no: 142
Room no. : 11
Stream: B.Com (Honours) – Accounting and Finance
Under the supervision of:
CA. Shree Prakash
Assistant Professor
St. Xavier’s College
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Table of Contents
Topics Page no.
1. Introduction and Background
4-6
2. Objectives of the Study
7
3. Literature Review 7
4. Research Methodology 8
5. Chapters for the study
9-40
5.1. Singapore’s Education system 9-13
5.2. Business Friendly environment of Singapore
14-19
5.3. Housing & Healthcare system of Singapore 20-27
5.4. Crime control measures in Singapore 28-33
5.5. Corruption control measures in Singapore 34-37
5.6. Findings 38-40
6. Conclusion 41
7. References 42-44
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Introduction and Background
India and Singapore received their independence in 1947 and 1965 respectively. As compared
to India, Singapore has scarcity of land, water, markets and natural resources. But shockingly,
today Singapore’s per capita income is 16 times that of India.
The next basic question which arises is: “What is it that Singapore did and India didn’t for the
economy?” The difference between a successful start-up and a failed start-up is because of the
difference in their decisions. The right investment earns the right returns.
So, why is Singaporean investment paying and not India’s? To analyse these reasons, this study
has been conducted. To suggest the Indian government the right policies, this study has been
conducted. To show, how right policies are very simple to understand yet have serious financial
implications, this study has been conducted.
In short it could be said that Singapore prospers because of a mix of free-market economics and
aggressive state activism, but this project seeks to conduct the post-mortem of these reasons.
This study focuses on 5 major areas where Singaporean Government clearly outperformed their
Indian counterpart, namely:
1. Education system
2. Healthcare and Housing
3. Corruption
4. Crime rate
5. Ease of Doing Business
These are the most decisive areas, which directly or indirectly decide the economy’s growth,
GDP and per-capita income.
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AT-A-GLANCE COUNTRY RANKINGS: SINGAPORE VS. INDIA
YEAR CATEGORY SINGAPORE’S
RANK
INDIA’S
RANK SOURCE
2010
Ease of Doing
Business 1 135
World Bank, 2011 Ease
of Doing Business
Report
2009
Country with
Lowest Tax
Misery 11 43
Forbes Tax Misery and
Reform Index
2010
World’s Most
Competitive
Economy 3 51
World Economic
Forum, Global
Competitiveness Report
2010
Country Most
Open to Trade 1 84
World Economic
Forum, Global Enabling
Trade Report
2010
World’s Most
Competitive
Economy 1 31
IMD, World
Competitiveness
Yearbook
2010
Ease of Paying
Taxes 4 164
PWC, IFC, World Bank’s
2011 Paying Taxes
Survey
2010
World’s Freest
Economy 2 124
Heritage Foundation’s
Index of Economic
Freedom
2010
World’s Best
Country for Life
Experience 12 25
HSBC’s 2010 Expat
Experience Report
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2010
World’s Best
Labor Force 1 -
BERI’s Labor Force
Evaluation Measure
2010
Country with
Least Corruption
Perception 1 87
Transparency
International’s
Corruption Perceptions
Index
2010
World’s Best
Country for
Business 5 77
Forbes’ Best Countries
for Business Index
2010
Most Efficient
Bureaucracy in
Asia 1 10
Political and Economic
Risk Consultancy Survey
2010
2010
Best Place for
Asians to Live 1 27
ECA International’s
2010 Location Ratings
System
2010
World’s Lowest
Risk City for
Employers 3 59
Aon Consulting’s
People Risk Index
The above table is a comparison of the 2 countries on different parameters of development like
Ease of Business, Corruption, Living Conditions etc.
By looking at the above rankings, it appears as if Singapore is a hypothetical model of an ideal
development. But it is not so. It’s very much real and yes it can be followed to a great extent by
other countries and also India.
It makes it absolutely clear that in spite of achieving its independence 18 years after India,
Singapore has left not only India, but rather most of the countries behind in every aspect of
development. It not only deserves appreciation but also deserves a thorough analysis of what
Singaporean Government did, so as to achieve such dramatic results. This research seeks to
quench that curiosity
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Objectives of the Study
1. To analyse what India can learn from Singapore’s “world-leading” education system.
2. To analyse the business friendly environment in Singapore and its possibility in the
Indian scenario.
3. To learn from the Housing and Healthcare systems of Singapore.
4. To analyse crime control.
5. To analyse corruption control
Literature Review
Apart from small internet articles and blogs, there have not been many similar studies done on
this topic. Following paper is however quite close to this topic.
SINGAPORE’S STATE CAPITALISM vs. THE INDIAN ECONOMY: COMPARING THE ECONOMIC
SYSTEMS OF TWO POTENTIAL ALLIES
By Manjira Dasgupta , M.S. University of Baroda ([email protected])
Findings of the study:
We may note a few salient points. The first of these is the spectacular performance of the
Singapore economy on almost all dimensions of economic freedom, enabling it to earn top
rankings on the freedom scale. Singapore, thus, is pursuing its “new” breed of State Capitalism
with remarkable success.
Singapore’s growth performance, too, has been impressive, excepting the immediate Asian
Crisis year and one or two slippages from its growth trajectory. Significant correlation between
most of Singapore’s freedom indicators and its economic performance highlights the
indispensability of economic transparency in running successful State machinery.
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India, on the other hand, presents a perplexing example. By all indicators of economic freedom
it presents the scenario of a considerably “repressed” economy in complete contrast to
Singapore. Yet India’s growth performance has been on the whole reasonably good. Indeed, the
cautious policy stance that has resulted in low “freedom” rankings has also served the economy
well in withstanding extreme global repercussions in the recent economic upheavals. The lack
of a clear co-integrating relationship between India’s growth rate and its freedom indices serves
to underscore the point that there are other important drivers of economic growth
On a comparative basis, India would perhaps do well to take a leaf or two out of Singapore’s
book to ensure proper environment for encouraging business and entrepreneurial spirits. In
particular, India’s abysmal performance on the “Freedom From Corruption” aspect is a serious
cause for concern for the increasingly aware citizen-voter of today’s enlightened polity, and it is
not for long that India can entirely afford to remain oblivious to the pressures to deliver good
Governance to its people. It is in such a context that India has much to emulate and learn from
the Singaporean model.
Research Methodology
News articles, Blogs, Research Papers and Online Books from the internet were the main source
of information for preparing this study. Therefore this study has been made using secondary-
data only.
5 major areas of the economy have been chosen. And then, for every given area of study, 3
aspects have been incorporated
1. What are the main reasons due to which Singapore is excelling?
2. India’s standing in the above
3. What are the reforms needed for India?
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Chapter-1 Singaporean Education System
According to OECD’s (The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) PISA
(Programme for International Student Assessment) testing, Singapore has one of the World’s
leading education systems. Due to this reason the unemployment rate in Singapore is just 1.9%
and in India it’s 8.5% and even the earners earn 16 times less than their Singaporean counter-
parts.
According to NASSCOM, each year over 3 million graduates and post-graduates are added to
the Indian workforce. However, of these only 25 percent of technical graduates and 10-15
percent of other graduates are considered employable.
Facts and Figures related to Education
Parameter Year India Source Singapore Source
Literacy rate 2011 73% Daily mail 96.1% Wikipedia
Employable Graduates
2013 34% DNA India 74-100% Ministry of Education, Singapore
Number per 100 population 2012, Internet users
2012 12.6 UNICEF 74.2 UNICEF
Adult literacy rate: females as a % of males 2008-2012*
2012 67.6 UNICEF 95.7 UINCEF
Rank in Global Education Survey – Mathematics (73 participants)
2013 72 OECD 1 OECD
The above table is a comparison of the Indian and Singaporean Education on basis of objective
facts and figures. Some more data has been shown below.
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BERI’s, ‘Labor Force Evaluation Measure’ has ranked Singapore’s workforce as the best in the
world for 30 consecutive years.
A survey by business school INSEAD ranked Singapore #6 in the world for housing the most
skilled talent pool.
Aon Consulting’s ‘2010 People Risk Index‘ ranks Singapore as #3 in the world for low risk of
recruiting, employing, and relocating employees while India ranked #59.
IMD’s ‘2010 World Competitiveness Yearbook‘ ranked Singapore as having the seventh most
motivated workforce in the world.
Now let us analyse the reasons for the same and compare and contrast them with India.
Reason What are the main reasons due to which Singapore is excelling
India’s standing in the above
What are the reforms needed for India ?
Global citizenship
The world is Singapore’s classroom. Students are regularly given the opportunity to travel to other countries and engage in projects, partnerships and cultural learning. Singaporeans are very outward looking and realise the importance of knowing their place in the world.
Negligible (ASEAN India caters to negligible student population)
Compulsory student-exchange-programmes for all the students who can afford the same. This will help the students realize their place in the world. Even the students who cannot opt for such programmes would be benefitted as they will be interacting with the students who did opt for the programme.
Partnerships Schools value partnerships with the community, industry and the outside world. Many principals discussed their industry based partnerships when talking about opportunities they provide for their students. Examples of these included links with scientists, specialists and community groups in other
Negligible Exposure to industries and the practical world. Today, the Indian student has no clue whatsoever about how his class education has any relevance with the real business. This must be changed as soon as possible.
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countries.
Pedagogy and Technology
Technology is valued in Singaporean education however it is not the central focus. The pedagogy and curriculum come first and the technology comes second. This is not to downplay the importance of technology in a growingly technological world; it is just that Singaporeans do not want to integrate technology at the expense of rich pedagogy and curriculum.
Not present in majority of the schools. Below average in the ones which have.
Enforcement of rich pedagogy (instructional methods). Teaching is a science and knowing the subject is a necessary condition but not a sufficient condition for teaching. The teachers must be taught how to teach and the students must learn how to learn. The teaching style doesn’t follow any standards of pedagogy in most Indian schools. As a result there is an undesirable outcome out of the time spent in the classes.
Robust curriculum
Unless it is highly rich, real and relevant it is not done in a Singaporean school. There is a sense of urgency about the time involved in students education and every minute counts.
Curriculum has improved in the recent years especially the ICSE and CBSE boards. But state boards are not upto that mark.
Syllabus revamp: Many unnecessary topics are included in the Indian syllabus. They must be replaced with the relevant topics which are actually required for a student’s career.
Developing potential
Talent scouts are always looking for student potential. Once talent/potential has been identified, rich, real and relevant extension opportunities are then provided to the identified students. The essence is that any child that is willing to work hard will be provided with the resources to succeed.
Not present The solution for this would be a combined effort of the professional bodies and Government policies to guarantee resources to any talented child.
Surveying the Several school use student Meager Student-oriented approach –
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students opinion groups in improving what they are doing in their schools. Schools make a point of speaking to the students past and present to evaluate the school program and learn from the students what they can do differently. It sounded as though these opinion groups were a regular feature and was also taken very seriously.
The students have a marginal say in the way education process is being taken ahead in India. There is always a different angle which only the students can see and not the teachers and hence students should also have a right in how things are taught to them. Today, students in India find themselves at the mercy of the rigid school systems which are actually a burden for the students.
The teacher At Singapore, they believe that the capacity of the teacher is the lynch pin of a good education system was. Initial teacher training is therefore taken very seriously as is ongoing support for qualified teachers. The Academy of Teachers is an example of of the support services offered to teachers. They are responsible for offering professional development to teachers and facilitating educator networks across the country throughout the year. This Academy is also linked to the Academy of Principals; responsible for the professional development etc of prospective and current principals
Ineffective Teaching the Teachers: A new training system for teachers must be put in place and compulsory of teachers at all levels. There should be effective governing bodies for teaching as a profession (Like ICAI, Bar-council etc). Separate professional bodies for primary teachers, secondary teachers and for principals should regulate and standardize teaching.
Leadership Development
Just as the role of every teacher is to be a talent scout for their students, the Ministry acts as a talent scout for its teachers- identifying potential future leaders and
The owners of Private schools do it but there is no such initiative by
The professional bodies which have been recommended above will help in achieving this result.
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providing opportunities to develop this potential. Teachers identified by the Ministry as showing potential as a future principal are placed into a 6 month principal training course before returning to their school and potentially being placed in a school as a principal.
the Government as there is absence of proper regulation.
From the above analysis, it is clear that India needs several Education reforms, or as the
Supreme Court has said:
"It is unfortunate that today education instead of reforming the human behaviour, in our
humble opinion, appear to have failed to achieve its objective. Instead we find troubled
atmosphere in the society at large, which calls for immediate reformation with the efforts of
one and all," a bench of justices BS Chauhan and FM Ibrahim Kalifulla.
Key takeaways from the above table :
1. The curriculum/syllabus of both primary and higher education needs to be thoroughly
revised on the basis of the psychology of the students and industry needs.
2. The teaching profession need to be made a more respected profession so that the best
brains go for teaching and strengthen the foundation of India
3. A Global approach through incorporation of student-exchange programmes and
internships would help Indian students to broaden their outlook.
4. Understanding the viewpoint of students would make learning more meaningful. Just
like a customer’s feedback is needed to make the product more meaningful to the
customer, on the similar lines students’ feedback would dramatically strengthen the
learning process.
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Chapter-2 Business Friendly environment of Singapore
In today’s global economy an increasing number of MNCs, SMEs, and entrepreneurs are
choosing to set up their business operations offshore and are leaning towards Asia. However,
before choosing a particular destination for setting up a business it is important to assess the
country in terms of its business environment, tax system, level of bureaucracy, workforce
productivity, and quality of life.
By studying a country’s performance across various business rankings and international surveys
one can easily assess the suitability of the business jurisdiction.
The following table is comparison of Singapore and India on the parameters suggesting a better
destination of business.
Reason What are the main reasons
due to which Singapore is
excelling
India’s standing in
the above
What are the reforms
needed for India?
BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
The World Bank’s ‘Ease of Doing Business Report 2010‘ shows that Singapore is the easiest place to do business in the world. It is for the fifth time in a row that Singapore has held the #1 position. India ranked #135 amongst 183 economies world-wide. A quick comparison shows that Singapore ranked #4 for starting a business while India ranked #165. An analysis of setting up a company in Singapore vs India shows that it is far easier, less expensive and less time consuming to register company in Singapore as compared to incorporating a business in India. The World Bank ranked Singapore #2 for investor protection, #4 for taxes and #1 for trading across borders. By contrast, India fared poorly on all these parameters ranking #44, #164, and #100 respectively.
1. Faster and cheaper
procedures for starting business (one-window showroom)
2. Speed-up procedures for getting electricity
3. Ease construction permits
4. Simplify registration of property
5. Speed-up enforcement of contracts
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According to Forbes magazine’s ‘2010 Best Countries for Business’, Singapore is the fifth best country for business in the world while India comes way below at #77. An analysis of sub-rankings within the index shows that Singapore has a free-market economy, an open and corruption-free environment, and a low tax regime. India presents a contrasting environment that is rife with red-tape and corruption and restrictive to trade. Here is how both the countries rank across major indicators: Trade freedom (#1 vs #109), monetary freedom (#9 vs #98), technology (#6 vs #79), red tape (#4 vs #123), investor protection (#2 vs #31), corruption (#3 vs #70), and tax burden (#4 vs #119).
TAXES
In the PWC, IFC, World Bank’s “2011 Paying Taxes” survey Singapore is the fourth easiest place in the world for paying taxes while India’s rank is #164. Forbes ‘2009 Tax Misery & Reform Index‘ranks Singapore #11 in the world indicating its low tax misery while India ranks as #43. Singapore is also ranked as having the third lowest corporate taxes in Asia-Pacific by KPMG. For instance, Singapore corporate tax rate is 8.5% for profits up to S$300K and a flat 17% for profits above S$300K. Compare that to India’s corporate income tax rate of 30.9% for taxable income up to INR 10 million and 33.9% for taxable income above INR 10 million. Unlike India, there is no dividend tax and no capital gains tax in Singapore. Moreover, foreign-sourced income is taxed only when remitted into Singapore whereas Indian companies are taxed on worldwide profits irrespective of whether they are remitted into India or not.
1. Reduce no. of tax payments (33 being the current number p.a.)
2. Reduce time spent for
attending to taxes (243 hours being the current number p.a.)
3. Reducing the tax rate
would be a debatable issue as on one hand the businesses would be performing better but on the other hand Government’s Budget Deficit would widen.
Intellectual Property PROTECTION
Singapore is reputed for its Intellectual Property regime, which is ranked as the third-best in the world by the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) ‘2010 Global Competitiveness Report‘. On the other hand, India’s IP Protection rank was only #66. The Forbes ‘2010 Best Countries for Business‘ list
Effective enforcement, for which high priority should be given to adjudication of IP matters. The key challenge is to sensitize the enforcement officials and the Judiciary to take up IP
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ranks Singapore #8 for property rights while India
was ranked as #51
matters, at par with other economic offences, by bringing them under their policy radar. Further, it is imperative that there be established a ‘Think Tank’ or a group, which can bring the varied sets of stakeholders on to a common platform, leading to extensive/exhaustive and an all inclusive debate/discussion, facilitating well-informed policy decisions in accordance with India’s socio-economic-political needs. The challenges also lie in having an IP fund, which can be utilized for further developing the IP culture in the country. There is also the need to have a National IP Policy for India, which will help in working towards realizing the vision of India in the realm of IP. This will facilitate the creation of a strong socio-economic foundation and deep international trust.
GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS
Singapore is the third-most competitive economy in the world according to the World Economic Forum’s ‘2010 Global Competitiveness Report‘. It aced the parameters on institutions, lack of corruption, high degree of government efficiency, high efficiency of goods and labor markets. Singapore also has world-class infrastructure (ranked #5), with excellent roads, ports, and air transport facilities. India on the other hand, ranked #51. According to the WEF Report “, India has failed to improve significantly on
1. Infrastructure is in need of upgrade.
2. Improve the quality of primary education
3. Higher education also remains a weak point.
4. Tax and Business Freedom related
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any of the basic drivers of its competitiveness. Singapore ranked #2 in Heritage Foundation’s ‘2010 Index of Economic Freedom‘ while India ranked #124 among 179 economies. Disparities between both the countries were found at every level. Singapore’s score on freedom to conduct business was 98.2 whereas India’s score was only 36.3 owing to restrictions placed on the freedom to open, operate, and close a business. Singapore’s trade freedom score of 90 indicates that it imposes the least barriers on trade. India’s import and export restrictions, services market access restrictions, import taxes and fees, complex and non-transparent regulation, onerous standards and certifications, restrictive import licensing, domestic bias in government procurement, problematic enforcement of intellectual property rights, export subsidies, inadequate infrastructure, and complex and non-transparent customs led to its trade score of 67.9. With a score of 92, Singapore’s corruption is almost non-existent whereas India’s score of 34 shows that corruption is a significant problem. The IMD, ‘2010 World Competitiveness Yearbook‘ ranks Singapore as the most competitive economy in the world whereas India was ranked as #31.
issues as presented by this table.
OPENNESS TO TRADE
The World Economic Forum ranked Singapore as #1 in its ‘2010 Global Enabling Trade Report‘ whereas India was ranked as #84. Singapore was accorded the first place in five out of nine pillars including domestic and foreign market access; efficiency of customs administration; efficiency of import-export procedures; availability and quality of transport services; and regulatory environment. India ranked #81, #12, #9, #29, and #13 on the same parameters. According to the report, “Only 17% of all imports enter the country (India) free of duty. Trade is also impeded by customs procedures, which remain largely inefficient. In addition, exporting and importing require much time and paperwork to clear goods at the border, and the process is plagued by corruption and bribery.”
1. Comprehensive move towards paperless environment for the import-export process
2. Efficient custom procedures
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BUREAUCRACY
Singapore ranked #1 as having the most efficient bureaucracy in Asia in a survey carried out by the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) in June 2010 while India was found to have the most inefficient bureaucracy in the region. According to PERC “Politicians frequently promise to reform and revitalize the Indian bureaucracy, but they have been ineffective in doing so – mainly because the civil service is a power center in its own right. Dealing with India’s bureaucracy can be one of the most frustrating experiences for any Indian, let alone a foreign investor.” Singapore is perceived to have the least corruption in the world according to Transparency International’s ‘2010 Corruptions Perception Index‘ whereas India ranked #87 in the Index. The World Economic Forum ranked Singapore as the ‘Country with Highest Public Trust of Politicians’ and the ‘Country with the Least Burden of Government Regulation’ in its ‘2010 Global Competitiveness Report‘ while India ranked #88 and #95 on the same pillars.
1. Abolition of tenure at senior levels
2. Open market recruitment for each position
3. Contestability of policy advice to political leaders
4. Market competitiveness of remuneration and extensive delegation of responsibility.
5. Use the findings of agency and public choice theory to design systems that reward expertise, leadership and ruthlessly punish bad performance
LABOUR FORCE
BERI’s, ‘Labor Force Evaluation Measure’ has ranked Singapore’s workforce as the best in the world for 30 consecutive years. A survey by business school INSEAD ranked Singapore #6 in the world for housing the most skilled talent pool.
Aon Consulting’s ‘2010 People Risk Index‘ ranks Singapore as #3 in the world for low risk of recruiting, employing, and relocating employees while India ranked #59. IMD’s ‘2010 World Competitiveness Yearbook‘ ranked Singapore as having the seventh most motivated workforce in the world.
The same reforms as
suggested for the education
system would help in
improving the labour force.
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The credit goes to the education system of
Singapore
From the above analysis it is clear that restrictions on business, inability to handle corruption, poor education system and inability to enforce business laws properly have been the core reasons of India faring so bad on parameters of a good Business Environment. Key takeaways from the above table: 1. Bureaucracy is a threatening bottleneck to development in India. Check on bureaucracy through regulating Bureaucrats is needed. 2. Corruption is like a cancer to development. Chapter no. 5 of this study has been exclusively dedicated to tackling corruption through measures like new Laws and enforcement of those laws. 3. Taxes need to be simplified. The laws are very complicated and compliance is complicated as well. Businesses need to concentrate on doing Business and not paying Taxes. Bihar officially introduced a flat tax system and electronic filing with WBG support in 2010, reforming the system and saving the private sector considerably in compliance costs, hence we are already seeing the change in India. 4. Labour Force can be made more equipped only through a brilliant Eductaion system. Chapter -1 of this study has discussed regarding the reforms required in education like practical approach, quality teachers, students feedback etc.
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Chapter-3 Housing and Healthcare systems of Singapore
Healthcare
The Singapore philosophy is:
• Each generation should pay its own way.
• Each family should pay its own way.
• Each individual should pay his own way.
• Only after passing through these three filters, should anyone turn to the government for
help.
Singapore has achieved extraordinary results both in the high quality of its healthcare
system and in controlling the cost of care. In per capita terms and as a percentage of Gross
Domestic Product (GDP), its healthcare expenditures are the lowest of all the high-income
countries in the world.
Facts and Figures related to Education
Parameter Year India Source Singapore Source
Use of
improved
sanitation
facilities (%)
2011, total
2011 35.1% unicef 100% unicef
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Immunization
coverage
2012 70-88% unicef 95-99% unicef
Use of
improved
drinking water
sources (%)
2011, total
2011 91.6% unicef 100% unicef
Health-
insurance
coverage
2013 12-13% Antony
Jacob,
CEO,
Apollo
Munich
Health
Insurance
Nationalized
Healthcare
system,
premium
deducted from
payrolls
wikipedia
Under-5
mortality rate
2012 56 unicef 3 unicef
Infant mortality rate
2012 44 unicef 2 Unicef
It shows that excepting drinking water facilities, India is lagging behind in all other aspects
of healthcare.
Singapore now has a First-World healthcare system, rated sixth in the world by the World
Health Organization and ahead of most high-income economies. By most common
measures, the nation has achieved noteworthy outcomes in all areas of healthcare. It has
increased the life expectancy of its citizens; increased infant survival rates, and achieved
one of the lowest under-five mortality rates in the world.
The following table gives the reasons as to how Singapore could develop their healthcare
so efficiently and what India can do in this arena.
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Reason What are the main reasons
due to which Singapore is
excelling
India’s standing in the
above
What are the reforms needed for India?
Percentage of
GDP spent on
healthcare
Singapore spends around 4 percent of its GDP on health care.
Public expenditure on
health in India is
barely 1.2 percent of
the gross domestic
product (GDP)
We don’t even spend
anything close to what
our BRICS (Brazil,
Russian, India, China
and South Africa)
counterparts spend. In
fact, our spends are
even lower than a
country like Nigeria’s
Spending on healthcare needs to be increased
Compulsory
medical savings.
In 1984, Singapore
instituted a revolutionary
idea: a system of
compulsory saving for
medical
expenses. Medisafe is a
mandatory medical saving
scheme that is central to
keeping medical cost down
by making Singaporeans pay
for their own healthcare
costs and that of their family
while providing guidelines
on what the medisafe funds
can be used for.
Currently, only 4% of the population is covered under health insurance. There are two mandatory and contributory health insurance schemes in India – the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) for civil servants of India and the Employee‟s State Insurance Scheme (ESIS) for the low-paid industrial workers. Here the eligible people contribute through a payroll tax towards a specific health fund.
India is very large and diverse population and one single solution will not meet the needs of all its population. That why the planners and policy makers need to categories the population in stratifies way and designs each scheme that is specific for each category. Thus for those in the formal sector, mandatory social health insurance, voluntary private health insurance or voluntary medical savings accounts are available options in India that need to be explored.
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This fund then finances specific benefits for them.
Quality of Care Not only does Singapore perform well in terms of achieving world-class outcomes, the quality of care as experienced by consumers is also one of the system’s highest accomplishments. e Ministry of Health regularly conducts “Patient Satisfaction Surveys” to gauge the sentiments of the consumers of its health services. The seventh Patient Satisfaction Survey was done in 2010. It assessed the level of patient satisfaction, compared performance of the different healthcare institutions, and gathered feedback for service improvement. e survey found that over 75 percent of patients were satisfied with the services at the public hospitals, polyclinics, and national specialty centers. Further, almost 80 percent would recommend the services of public healthcare institutions to others.
The quality of Indian
healthcare is varied. In
major urban areas,
healthcare is of
adequate quality,
approaching and
occasionally meeting
Western standards.
However, access to
quality medical care is
limited or unavailable
in most rural areas.
Political commitment is needed to make the safety of patients a priority in the public health system. The use of information technology must be promoted in the health care sector besides the sharing of best practices
In Singapore, people are required to save for health care, retirement income and other
needs. They can use their forced saving to purchase a home, pay education expenses, and
purchase life insurance and disability insurance. For individuals up to age 50, the requir ed
saving rate is 36% of income (nominally divided: 20% from the employee and 16% from the
employer). Of this amount, 7 percentage points is for health care and is deposited into a
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Medisave account. Individuals are also automatically enrolled in catastrophic health
insurance, although they can opt out.
Data from the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO), Ministry of Statistics and
Government of India indicate that escalating healthcare costs is one of the reasons for
indebtedness not only among the poor but also in the middle-income group. With 40% of
the hospitalized having had to borrow money or sell assets during the decade 1986–96,
there was an increase in the absolute number of persons unable to seek healthcare due to
financial reasons. Around 24% of all people hospitalized in India in a single year fall below
the poverty line due to hospitalization. An analysis of financing on hospitalization shows
that a large proportion of people either borrows money or sells assets to pay for
hospitalization especially among below poverty line population.
India has a lot to do in the healthcare arena. Political commitment, increased use of IT,
classification of different segments and plan provision of healthcare accordingly etc would
be the key takeaways from this analysis.
Housing
Singapore's public housing model is known worldwide as a success story. Singapore's
homeownership rate is now among the highest in the world and homelessness is almost
unheard of in the City-state.
Singapore's public housing programme has its roots in the 1960s, when the acute housing
shortage called for a low-cost housing model that could meet the people's accommodation
needs in the shortest possible time.
Public housing in Singapore is managed by the Housing and Development Board (HDB). The
majority of the residential housing developments in Singapore are publicly governed and
developed. About 85% of Singaporeans, or 17 in 20 of the resident population live in such
houses.
Beyond providing physical shelter for Singaporeans, the public housing programme has
also served as an important policy instrument in promoting national objectives such as
social mobility, rootedness and social integration.
Page | 25
“A very important investment that the government did from the very beginning when the
country was a young and independent country was to invest in housing. We made sure that
our people had good and affordable housing. Today the home ownership in Singapore is
more than 90%, and the share of rental housing is very low. These state policies have very
important for social stability and building the sense of nationhood. I think that Singapore’s
long-term approach to planning and public housing has been two very important pillars for
us to develop to where we are today."
-Dr. Cheong, CEO of the Housing and Development Board in Singapore
The Singapore housing model is one world governments can learn from. Singapore has
achieved widespread low-income home ownership without having to resort to dangerous
lending practices.
Facts and figures
Parameter Year India Source Singapore Source
Homelessness 2011 At least 6% Wikipedia Negligible Ministry of
social
welfare and
development
Government
of Singapore
Home-ownership
2011 86.6 wikipedia 90.5 wikipedia
Some NGOs predict that in reality there are 3 times as many homeless people in India as is
estimated by the Government. The home-ownership has improved In India though not as
early as Singapore but still the current rate of homeownership is appreciable.
Reason What are the main reasons due to
which Singapore is excelling
India’s standing
in the above
What are the reforms needed
for India?
Attitude Massive investment in housing Investment was That period has passed when
Page | 26
towards housing investment
was never considered a liability rather it was considered a pre-requisite to the overall development plan. After independence 650,000 houses were built between 1965 to 1990 and 85% of the population was housed
nowhere as high as Singapore in the post-independence period.
initially many houses were required. Now investment is definitely required for housing but massive investment is not recommended.
Ownership as opposed to Rental
A hallmark of the public housing programme has been its policy of home ownership. Started in 1964, the Home Ownership for the People Scheme gives home-owning citizens a tangible asset and stake in the country, and promotes rootedness and a sense of belonging among Singaporeans, thus contributing to the overall economic, social and political stability of Singapore. Home ownership also provides Singaporeans with a hedge against inflation and a store of value, which can be monetised during times of need.
Schemes like Indira Awas yojana and Rajiv Gruhakalpa is helping low-income groups to own houses but it is not being done at an exhaustive scale for everyone like in Singapore. Still 1.8 crore houses are needed in India.
Homeless in India are many in number, and housing for them would be a great boon. Today a huge a population in India already lives in their self-owned houses. Hence the housing projects for a major percentage of population in no more required.
A sole agency in charge of public housing
A sole agency in charge of public housing, enabling more effective resource planning and housing allocation. HDB was able to secure land, raw materials and manpower for large-scale construction in a way that optimised resources and achieved economies of scale.
Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Ministry of Rural Development take care of Housing National Housing Bank
A sole agency doesn’t exist like HDB which can take independent financial decisions. This needs to be incorporated.
Financing using Central Provident Fund (CPF)
The CPF was allowed to be used for mortgaging, down-payment, purchasing of House-properties. The rates of CPF were increased due to which the rate of CPF accumulation outpaced the rate of capital-spending required for HDB’s Housing Projects.
Not done. The mission of EPF is to help old-age population with income security.
Diverting PF funds towards Housing Projects would have been a great investment.
Page | 27
From the above table its quite obvious that the additional advantage which India could have
obtained using good Public Housing were forgone. Singapore promoted home-ownership from
the very beginning and India couldn’t do the same. Many projects are being undertaken and
have been undertaken in the past by the Government of India which is appreciable, but given
the large rural population of India and relatively inefficient Governance, India have not been
able to get that leverage as Singapore received. According to CREDAI, India has shortage of 1.81
crore houses. Currently an independent Economic entity under Government of India is the hour
of the need which can make plans and divert funds towards housing as still 10% of Indians live
either in kachha houses or semi-pucca houses. There is a shortage of 1.8 crore houses. Many
live in illegal-housing as well. The existing residential houses in India don’t match the quality of
Singapore but the home-ownership rate is appreciable. But if seen in the bigger picture and
seen with a more appreciating attitude, it can said that India has fared well in Housing sector as
compared to Education and Health sectors which can be inferred from the fact that it has high
percentage of home-ownership and a less percentage of homeless people.
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Chapter-4 Crime Control measures in Singapore
It is safe to assume that among expats and other internationally minded people, the fact
that Singapore has one of the lowest crime rates of any country around the globe is
common knowledge. The reasons behind this fact may be less widely known – penalties for
crime in Singapore are often severe.
The Singaporean government and its strong arm of the law, the Singapore Police Force, run
a tight ship in terms of keeping the city and its residents safe and sound. The results are
clearly visible: Crime in Singapore is very low, and the country has a reputation as being
one of the safest places around the globe.
India's rank has fallen seven points on the Global Peace Index (GPI) 2011, which ranks
countries according to how peaceful they are. India now ranks 135 out of 153 countries.
We are now amongst the 20 least peaceful nations in the world, along with countries such
as Pakistan and Afghanistan.
"The lesson for India is that, while it may have a vibrant economy, it could do so much
better if it did away with violence," says Steve Killelea, founder of the Global Peace Index.
Thus, it is evident that there is a strong correlation between economic growth and crime of
a nation.
Facts and Figures
Parameter Year India Source Singapore Source
List of countries by
intentional
homicide rate per
year per 100,000
inhabitants
2011 2 UNODC (United
Nations Office on
Drugs and Crime)
0.3 UNODC (United
Nations Office
on Drugs and
Crime)
Page | 29
Kidnapping (Rate
per 1,00,000
population)
2010 3.1 UNODC (United
Nations Office on
Drugs and Crime)
0.0 UNODC (United
Nations Office
on Drugs and
Crime)
Prevalence of
cannabis use
(percentage of the
youth and adult
population who
have consumed the
drug at least once in
the past year)
2004 3.2 UNODC (United
Nations Office on
Drugs and Crime)
0.004 UNODC (United
Nations Office
on Drugs and
Crime)
Prevalence of
opiates use
(percentage of the
youth and adult
population who
have consumed the
drug at least once in
the past year)
2004 0.4 UNODC (United
Nations Office on
Drugs and Crime)
0.004 UNODC (United
Nations Office
on Drugs and
Crime)
DRUG USE Death Rate Per 100,000 Age Standardize
2011 1.3 2011 0.0 WHO
The above table shows certain statistics related to crime. It is very evident that Singapore has
outperformed India in crime-control by leaps and bounds. Such a remarkable check on crime
deserves an analysis as to how Singapore has been able to check the same. Though even
without an analysis one can broadly say that the Government is stricter when it comes to crime
in Singapore as compared to India, but we need to know the exact reasons so as to suggest the
exact measures for India to control crime. These measures have been tried and tested in
Singapore and can be applied in India without many changes as crime control is more
psychological than economical.
Following table gives a comparison of these reasons between India and Singapore.
Page | 30
Reason What are the main reasons
due to which Singapore is
excelling
India’s standing in the
above
What are the reforms
needed for India?
Transition from a due process model to a crime control model occurred in 1976.
The features of the crime-control model (as identified by Prof Packer) are:
The repression of crime should be the most important function of criminal justice because order is a necessary condition for a free society.
Criminal justice should concentrate on vindicating victims' rights rather than on protecting defendants' rights.
Police powers should be expanded to make it easier to investigate, arrest, search, seize and convict.
Legal technicalities that handcuff the police should be eliminated.
Due-process model is being followed. Under the due process model, criminal justice looks like an obstacle course, consisting of a series of obstacles to the conviction of what Prof Packer called the factually guilty on the premise that it was better to let 10 guilty men go free than to convict an innocent one. The fundamental principle was the presumption of innocence.
Changing our law such that we'll rather catch 10 innocents than let 1 guilty go.
Penalties
Broadly speaking, there is a tendency in Singapore to meet any kind of offense, from traffic violations to more serious acts, with severe punishments. Many things expats from other areas of the globe would not think twice about, such as littering, jaywalking, eating in public transportation, or smoking at an outdoors bus stop, may incur astonishingly high fines – in the latter case, a violation of the smoking ban, you might have to pay between SGD 200 and SGD 1000.
India, in general, tends to have low levels of enforcement in most areas. This is evident everywhere from low tax realization, to petty corruption, to black money, to petty crime (such as eve teasing), to traffic, to civic rules to the state's inability to punish even the most sought after terrorists and criminals in custody. Recently, South-Central Railways have enforced fines for
Enforcement of heavy penalties will not only curb the menace but will also increase the revenue for Government. This would be an anti-populist measure though.
Page | 31
littering, urinating, defecating etc. which is an appreciable step.
Corporal Punishment
Famously, cases of vandalism (i.e. graffiti) have been met with caning, the usual form of corporal punishment in Singapore, reserved for male delinquents under the age of 50. A flexible cane of 1.2 min length and 1.2 cm in diameter is used to administer a maximum of 24 strokes on the bare buttocks of the offender. There are a total of 30 different forms of crime in Singapore which can incur caning, including drug abuse, possession of weapons, kidnapping, robbery, sexual abuse, rioting, overstaying a visa by more than 90 days, and the aforementioned vandalism.
Corporal punishment was removed from the statute in 1950s. Except in school, one rarely sees corporal punishment.
Corporal Punishment should be preferred over imprisonment because when executed in public, corporal punishment provides a much better example than prison time. It deters crime effectively. Intense pain fills the offender with a desire to avoid pain in the future. The boredom of prison does not impart the same message. Physical punishment provides offenders with an immediate opportunity to change their behavior and join law-abiding society. Before incarcerated convicts can reform, they must first endure a clean version of hell that discourages their improvement and fails to impart the skills they will need when released. Also it is cheaper.
Capital Punishment
The number of capital punishments carried out in Singapore was also very high, particularly in the 1990s, a time in which the country was among the nations with the highest per capita death sentences. These days, capital punishment is handed out
The Supreme Court of India ruled in 1983 that the death penalty should be imposed only in "the rarest of rare cases."
India should adopt a stricter approach to Capital Punishment. Following is the best argument for this. In 2012, U.S. elected officials and office-seekers have stated
Page | 32
much less frequently. Murder, drug-trafficking, discharge of firearms, mutiny, and treason are some of the forms of crime in Singapore punishable by death. There are also several foreign nationals on death row, most of which were convicted on drug-related offenses.
that Singapore's success in combating drug abuse should be examined as a model for the United States. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that America could learn a thing or two from nations like Singapore when it came to drug trafficking, noting that “Executing a handful of people saves thousands and thousands of lives."
Police
Singapore has been ranked consistently in the top five positions in the Global Competitiveness Report in terms of its reliability of police services.
In many parts of the country, distrust of the police is so high that people either prefer to live with crime/harassment or enter the perceived safety of parallel protection rackets; the police system being often described as inept, malevolent and a political tool.
1. Insulate the police from political interference
2. Like the National Defence Academy in India or West Point in the US, where promising officers from the armed forces are hand-picked for their leadership potential and then trained, India needs to create a similar institution that can focus on leadership building within the police force.
Page | 33
The above analysis calls for:
1. A reversal in the lenient attitude of the Government of India towards petty crimes like
littering, urinating and defecating.
2. Police-reforms starting from recruitment procedures, political interference to regulating
and strict actions against officials.
3. A reversal in the model of justice from due process model to crime control model. The
reasoning being that even if a few innocents are punished in the Short-run, but in long-
run many innocents would be saved from crime because getting away would be
extremely tough for criminals.
4. Moving from imprisonment towards corporal punishment as it has numerous benefits
like cost, example-setting and effectiveness.
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Chapter-5 Corruption Control Measures in Singapore
Public money is for government services and projects. Taxes collected, bonds issued, income
from government investments and other means of financing government expenditure are
meant for social grants, education, hospitals, roads, the supply of power and water and to
ensure the personal security of our citizens.
Corruption and bad management practices eat into the nation’s wealth, channeling money
away from such projects and the very people most dependent on government for support.
Countless studies around the world show how corruption can interrupt investment, restrict
trade, reduce economic growth and distort the facts and figures associated with government
expenditure. But the most alarming studies are the ones directly linking corruption in certain
countries to increasing levels of poverty and income inequality.
Although dominant in its activities, the government has a clean, corruption-free image.
Singapore has consistently been rated as the least-corrupt country in Asia.
Transparency International (TI) has published the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) annually
ranking countries "by their perceived levels of corruption, as determined by expert assessments
and opinion surveys." Singapore ranked 5th and India 94th.
The researchers found a correlation between a higher CPI and higher long-term economic
growth, as well as an increase in GDP growth of 1.7% for every unit increase in a country's CPI
score.
A recent survey estimated that corruption in India had cost billions of dollars and threatened to
derail growth. India lost a staggering $462 billion in illicit financial flows due to tax evasion,
crime and corruption post-Independence, according to a report released by Washington-
based Global Financial Integrity.
Page | 35
Reason What are the main reasons
due to which Singapore is
excelling
India’s standing in the
above
What are the reforms
needed for India?
Legislative Measures against Corruption:
After independence the Singaporean political leaders amended the laws to give more powers to the CPIB (Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau) officers. To win the public trust and the confidence of the people of Singapore, the leaders took it upon themselves to set good examples for public officers to follow. They created a climate of honesty and integrity. Some of the examples set were: a. they divested themselves from any involvement in financial or commercial ties; b. they reported for work earlier than their subordinates. Besides setting good examples, legislative measures were also taken by the new political leaders to ensure that the anti-corruption law was adequate and provided sufficient punishments for corrupt offenders.
The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, is an anti-corruption Act of Indian Parliament in India which "seeks to provide for the establishment of the institution of Lokpal to inquire into allegations of corruption against certain public functionaries and for matters connecting them" It was passed by the parliament in December 2013.
Pass the following pending bills. 1. Right of Citizens for Time Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of their Grievances Bill, 2011. 2. Whistleblowers Protection Bill, 2011 3. Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill 2010 4. Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill 2013 5. Public Procurement Bill 6. The Prevention of Bribery of Foreign Public Officials Bill
Administrative Measures:
a. replacing seconded police officers with permanent civilian investigators; b. giving the CPIB a free hand to act without fear or favor against anyone irrespective of
Law enforcement is weak in India.
Strict enforcement of the above laws will help India fight against corruption. Research indicates that India can control
Page | 36
his social status, political affiliation, color or creed; c. removing opportunities for corruption in government work procedures; d. streamlining cumbersome administrative procedures; e. slashing down excessive red tape which provides opportunities for corruption; f. reviewing public officers’ salaries regularly to ensure that they are paid adequately and comparable to that of the private sector; g. reminding government contractors at the time when contracts are signed that bribing public officers administering the contracts may render their contracts to be terminated. A clause to this effect forms part of the contract; h. a contractor who gives bribe will be debarred for a period of five years from any public contract unless he co-operates fully with the authority.
corruption by training its civil servants to a more professional level with skills in auditing, accountancy, and legal matters. If this step would have been taken at the time of liberalization, the scenario could have been much different as oversight and scrutiny from within the administration would have increased. Moreover, there would have been a greater understanding and respect of administrative procedures, thereby reducing corruption and increasing development in India. There are bodies like CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) and CVC (Central Vigilance Commission) to look into cases of high officials getting involved into corruption. There should be no control of the government on these bodies and they should act independently to bring in effective results.
Bureaucracy
According to a source of Reuters-2012, the civil
According to the same source, Indian
1. Link Compensation to Competence
Page | 37
servants in Singapore are the most efficient compared to those in any other countries in Asia. The lawmakers in Singapore and its citizens have acquired a provisional authority to fire the government if it makes the country incur a substantial amount of loss due to its bureaucratic problem, corruption and wrong decisions. The Singapore bureaucrats are provided with relatively high incentive financially. More importantly, they work in a culture of Singapore where they are the national leaders and they are dedicated to social and national values.
bureaucracy is a "suffocating" one and is the worst in Asia. Indian civil servants are slow and painful. They are the centre of power at the Centre and State levels. Indian bureaucrats extremely resist any kind of reform by which they may be affected.
2. Reduce Subjectivity in the Appraisal Process
3. Pay government and PSU officers, judges and policemen market-indexed salaries commensurate with their responsibility
No country in the world today can claim to be free from corruption. However, Singapore has
managed to control this problem quite successfully. The success of fighting corruption in
Singapore can be attributed to (which are same as the reforms needed for India)
a. the political leaders who are fully committed to fight against corruption;
b. the anti-corruption laws which provide sufficient deterrence;
c. the support of the members of the public as well as senior public officers; and the last, but
not the least;
d. the relentless efforts of the CPIB to investigate all cases of corruption without any fear or
favor.
Let’s hope India can follow what Singapore has done.
Page | 38
Chapter -6 Findings
The study had shed light on many areas where India could have done better than what it
did. Today we must accept that Singapore’s Government had been extremely effective in
handling the country and making it a beautiful country. The study sought to study the reasons
behind this success. Why wouldn’t India like to be similarly successful? Off course, Indian
Government can learn a lot from Singapore. It had been made quite evident in the above study.
Let us focus once again on the cream of this study i.e. its major findings or in other words the
reforms needed in India:
A. EDUCATION:
1. India must take international student exchange programmes like that of ASEAN
seriously and for a wider section of students. Simply put, to be a global leader,
Indians need to be practically aware of the Globe.
2. Schools and Colleges must tie-up with industries. This would ensure an overall
development of student combined with the ability to relate his classroom matter
practically and tackle the skill-gap problem.
3. Strict pedagogy based on psychology and market needs must be standardized
and made compulsory. Then a control system is needed.
4. Student feedback has now being started in India but a regular, robust and
effective student feedback for all areas of education need to be incorporated.
B. BUSINESS:
1. Procedures for starting business must be made faster and cheaper (one-window
showroom) like getting electricity, construction permits and registration of
property.
2. Administrative measures like speeding-up enforcement of contracts.
Page | 39
3. States like Bihar are definitely doing a commendable job in simplifying tax-
payments, but all other states and the centre needs to reduce no. of tax
payments reduce time spent for attending to taxes.
4. Sensitize the enforcement officials and the Judiciary to take up IP matters, at par
with other economic offences, by bringing them under their policy radar.
5. India is in discussions of automating the customs procedure which is appreciable.
Comprehensive move towards paperless environment for the import-export
process should be the aim.
6. Abolition of tenure at senior levels of Government machinery.
7. Open market recruitment for each position of Public offices.
8. Market competitiveness of remuneration for Bureaucrats.
9. Use the findings of public choice to design systems that reward expertise,
leadership and ruthlessly punish bad performance.
C. HEALTHCARE and HOUSING:
1. Spending on Healthcare needs to be increased by the Government. Employers
are medically insuring the service sector which reduces the burden on
Government but a large percentage needs to be covered. For this less of
investment but more of administration is needed.
2. Political commitment is needed to make the safety of patients a priority in the
public health system. Because on one hand Private hospitals have excellent
quality of services and on the other hand Government hospitals are below par.
3. The use of information technology must be promoted in the health care sector
especially in Government hospitals.
4. Urban-development plan should be the focus of the Government as these
housing projects would provide employment and the much needed
infrastructure.
5. An independent Economic entity under Government of India is the hour of the
need which can make plans and divert funds towards housing.
Page | 40
D. CRIME CONTROL
1. A reversal in the lenient attitude of the Government of India towards petty
crimes like littering, urinating and defecating.
2. Police-reforms starting from recruitment procedures, political interference to
regulating and strict actions against officials.
3. A reversal in the model of justice from due process model to crime control
model. The reasoning being that even if a few innocents are punished in the
Short-run, but in long-run many innocents would be saved from crime because
getting away would be extremely tough for criminals.
4. Moving from imprisonment towards corporal punishment as it has numerous
benefits like cost, example-setting and effectiveness.
E. CORRUPTION CONTROL
I. Passing Lokpal Bill was an amazing milestone. Similarly following pending bills
need to be passed.
1. Right of Citizens for Time Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal
of their Grievances Bill, 2011.
2. Whistleblowers Protection Bill, 2011
3. Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill 2010
4. Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill 2013
5. Public Procurement Bill
6. The Prevention of Bribery of Foreign Public Officials Bill
II. Research indicates that India can control corruption by training its civil servants
to a more professional level with skills in auditing, accountancy, and legal
matters.
III. There should be no control of the government on the bodies like CBI and CVC
and they should act independently to bring in effective results.
IV. Link Compensation to Competence for Government officials.
V. Reduce Subjectivity in the Appraisal Process of Government Officials.
VI. Pay government and PSU officers, judges and policemen market-indexed salaries
which commensurate with their responsibility.
Page | 41
Conclusion
It can be summarized that India has surely progressed since its independence, but the quantum
of growth so far has been quite below par which can be seen from its Global Rankings. On the
other hand Singapore has advanced by leaps and bounds in a period less than what was
available India. Hence, India still has a lot to do as compared to other countries and especially
Singapore.
In the area of Education, there is a huge disparity between Government and Private schools.
And also for the Private sector education Singapore’s world leading Education system has some
good lessons for India whose applications must not be delayed.
Business need to be freed from bureaucracy and complication of taxes. Enforcement of various
business contracts need to be speeded-up. Many business procedures are required to be
speeded-up.
Currently under 70% of medical expenses are paid out-of-pocket in India and Medical Insurance
of different forms for different classes of people is the need of the hour. Also Government
hospitals have to come at par with Private Hospitals when it comes to facilities.
Housing has not fared that bad when it compared to other sectors of India. Ownership rate is
good for India, but it’s only after so many years of independence. Now the need is to fill the
further shortage of houses through an Independent Government body for Real Estate and
Housing and expand the Urban Development programme.
Singapore had a strict approach towards corruption, but India couldn’t enforce its laws and
even several laws are pending to be passed. Both legislative and administrative measures are
required. Most importantly a political will is the need.
Hence, based on the study one may say that, India has many things to learn from Singapore
when it comes to Economic success and the right investment in Public decision making.
Page | 42
References
Research Papers and Studies
1. SINGAPORE’S STATE CAPITALISM vs. THE INDIAN ECONOMY: COMPARING THE
ECONOMIC SYSTEMS OF TWO POTENTIAL ALLIES
By Manjira Dasgupta , M.S. University of Baroda ([email protected])
2. SAVINGS, INVESTMENT AND HOUSING IN SINGAPORE’S GROWTH
By Roger J. Sandilands, University of Singapore and University of Strathclyde
3. HEALTH INSURANCE: NEED OF THE HOUR IN INDIA
*Ramesh Verma1 , Avneet Singh2 ,Ajay Tyagi1, Suraj Chawla1, Kapil Bhalla3 and Shankar
Prinja4 1Department of Community Medicine; Pt. B.D. Sharma PGIMS, Rohtak (Haryana) 2Department of Community Medicine; CMC, Ludhiana (Punjab) 3Department of Medicine; Pt. B.D. Sharma PGIMS, Rohtak (Haryana) 4School of Public Health; PGIMER, Chandigarh
*Author for Correspondence
4. Affordable Excellence: The Singapore Healthcare Story - How to Create and Manage
Sustainable Healthcare Systems
By William A. Haseltine
Online News Articles
1. BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/capitalpunishment/for_1.shtml
2. First Post
http://www.firstpost.com/blogs/how-to-improve-indias-police-a-roadmap-
677462.html?utm_source=ref_article
3. Times of India
a. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Fighting-corruption-Laws-needed-to-
give-lokpal-teeth/articleshow/27699276.cms
b. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Times-view-10-measures-to-reduce-
corruption/articleshow/9656186.cms
c. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/Reform-the-
bureaucracy/articleshow/2242779.cms
4. The Hindu
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/quality-a-concern-for-indian-
healthcare-sector/article5698712.ece
Page | 43
5. Zee News
http://zeenews.india.com/business/news/india-ranks-94th-on-global-corruption-
perception-index_89940.html
6. New Indian Express
http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/SCR-Collects-Rs-1-Crore-as-Fine-
for-Littering/2014/01/12/article1996342.ece#.UyVo8z-SyZc
7. The Financial Express
http://www.thefinancialexpress-
bd.com/old/index.php?ref=MjBfMDlfMTRfMTNfMV85OV8xODMzMzc=
8. Quartz
http://qz.com/30159/what-the-world-can-learn-from-singapores-safe-and-squeaky-
clean-high-rise-housing-projects/
9. Economic Times
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-05-25/news/29581919_1_global-
peace-index-economics-and-peace-countries
10. India Opines
http://indiaopines.com/stop-corruption-india/
11. TownHall
http://townhall.com/columnists/johncgoodman/2013/09/21/what-we-can-learn-from-
singapore-n1705789/page/full
12. The Health Site
http://health.india.com/news/pranab-mukherjee-wants-government-to-spend-more-
on-healthcare/
13. http://www.corrections.com/
http://www.corrections.com/news/article/28290-why-judicial-corporal-punishment-is-
better-than-incarceration
14.
Blogs
15. What Australia Can Learn From Singapore’s Education System Posted on September 30,
2012 by Riss Leung - The L.I.T Ladies (All things Literacy and I.T)
http://thelitladies.edublogs.org/2012/09/30/what-australia-can-learn-from-singapores-
education-system/
16. I Blog For A Cause- A Social Responsibility Website
http://www.iblog4acause.com/2011/08/how-singapore-is-corruption-free.html
17. Simply Inconceivable
http://simply-inconceivable.blogspot.in/2008/03/due-process-or-crime-control.html
Page | 44
Websites and Articles
18. Corruption Watch - a non-profit organization
http://www.corruptionwatch.org.za/content/economic-implications
19. InterNations – Connecting Global Minds
http://www.internations.org/singapore-expats/guide/16087-safety-security/safety-law-
and-crime-in-singapore-16092
20. AP Online (Govt. website)
http://www.aponline.gov.in/apportal/homepagelinks/rajivgruhakalpa.htm
21. Civil Service college - Singapore
https://www.cscollege.gov.sg/Knowledge/ethos/Issue%202%20Apr%202007/Pages/Ho
mes-for-a-Nation-Public-Housing-in-Singapore.aspx
22. http://www.guidemesingapore.com/
http://www.guidemesingapore.com/country-reports/india/doing-business-singapore-
vs-india
23. Wikipedia
a. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_unemployment_rate
b. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_in_India#Quality
c. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_housing_in_Singapore
d. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_Singapore#Impact_on_offi
cial_debate_and_discussion_in_the_United_States
e. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_Perceptions_Index
f. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Singapore
g. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lokpal_and_Lokayuktas_Act,_2013
h. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_Police_Force
24. Geography Jobs
http://www.geographyjobs.com/articles/public-housing-and-urban-development-in-
singapore.html
25. Quora
www.quora.com/Why-dont-city-councils-in-India-fine-people-for-littering-or-urinating-
on-the-streets
26. TMF GROUP
http://www.tmf-group.com/en/media-centre/resources/top-challenges/apac/india
27. Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry
http://www.ficci.com/sector/24/Project_docs/IPR-profile.pdf
28. Rediff.com
http://www.rediff.com/business/column/column-how-india-should-reform-its-trade-
for-the-21st-century/20130520.htm
