The politics of social security in Singapore

The paper examines income maintenance and health policies in Singapore. It finds that, contrary to widely-held perceptions, the state is heavily invol ved in these areas. There exist generous schemes for government employees a nd a miserly programme for the hard-core poor. Private sector workers are l ooked after by programmes that they themselves and their employers pay for. The paper explains the patterns with reference to the nature of political competition in the country.