229ence in developing higher education to other developing countries, especially those
in South and Southeast Asia and also the Middle East.
Developmental State, Globalization and Higher Education
From a historical perspective, the state has played an irreplaceable role in directing
the development of higher education in Singapore after 1965. Therefore, the state
factor should be taken into account. The People’s Action Party-led Singapore gov-
ernment since the late 1950s has concerned how to make this island state without
any natural resources but a strategic location in the international trade network in
Southeast Asia to survive. Economic growth, social stability, political hegemony,
racial harmony and educational excellence are policy goals prioritized by the ruling
party in Singapore through a self-government in 1959, a merger with Malaysia in
1963 and eventually an independent nation in 1965. In fact, “striving for survival”
is not conceived as a mere political slogan for the Singapore government, but it is a
crucial theme for mobilizing popular support for implementing domestic and for-
eign policies and also for winning and strengthening the ruling party’s political
legitimacy to rule and govern the nascent nation-state of Singapore (Chan 1971 ).
The government’s ability to maintain a stable socio-political environment in
Singapore very much depended on whether it could bring about a strong economy
for ensuring full employment and provide quality social infrastructures like educa-
tion, housing and health care for the populace.
Developmental State and Higher Education in Singapore
Between the 1950s and the mid-1970s, Singapore experienced the transformation
from being a fragile state to a strong state for the state was not only aimed for striv-
ing for survival but also determined not to let the nascent independent nation-state
to fail. The Singapore state built its political legitimacy, which is largely based on
its past performance, on the basis of fostering racial harmony and vibrant economic
development as well as delivering on its promises (Chan 1971 ; Chua 1995 ). As a
consequence, social control and state intervention in every aspect of lives are justi-
fied with the developmental state’s strong ability to generate and implement plans
for continued economic growth to boost productivity without facing strong political
opposition. Until nowadays, the state in Singapore and its control over the economy
and society remains strong. This reflects the Singapore model of state-led develop-
ment which is characterized by high public tolerance for interventionist policies by
the state in the economic and social spheres (Gopinathan 1997 ). Education also
serves to facilitate economic growth and development as it is a key driver for
improving the educational qualifications and skill levels of the workforce to enable
Singapore to compete in the highly competitive global market. Likewise, higher
education is used instrumentally as a tool of economic development as the Singapore
13 Researching Higher Education in “Asia’s Global Education Hub”: Major Themes...