Can the Singapore Chinthanaya work for Sri Lanka?

Abstract

Singapore is a classic example of an Asian country that avoided the middle-income trap, and it has often been sighted as a model for Sri Lanka. This article substantiates the claim that there is neither a theoretical nor empirical cause-effect relationship between the coercive and competent aspects of governance in Singapore, and also evaluates Sri Lanka’s trajectory in relation to Singapore. The article concludes that the Singapore story of growing the economy without expanding democracy is a uniquely rare phenomenon—that means, those who try to replicate it are highly unlikely to succeed. Ensuring the rule of law, building societal consensus and improving international cooperation are three key areas in which Sri Lanka has been falling behind even Singapore, and would do well to improve.