Leaders | New management in Singapore

The world’s most improbable success story still needs to evolve 

Under Lawrence Wong, the city-state has a new chance to change

Lawrence Wong
Photograph: Reuters

SINGAPORE is WIDELY admired. Western politicians envy its sky-high living standards and its efficient civil service. In the emerging world it is a lesson in how to escape poverty. Yet the island state of 6m now finds itself confronting three of the world’s greatest challenges: tension between the West and China, ageing and climate change. True, Singapore is so small that its policies cannot always be easily copied elsewhere. But how it handles its problems will still be worth watching. Part of the answer needs to be more open politics.

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This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “New management in Singapore ”

From the May 11th 2024 edition

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