Singapore: The Limits of a Technocratic Approach to Health Care Export

@article{citeulike:5071756, abstract = {Being a tiny, easily managed polity run by Western-educated technocrats, Singapore is an ideal laboratory for those who believe that there is a “logical” answer to the problem of health-care funding in economically advanced societies. Certainly the ruling elite in this not-very-democratic country is convinced that Singapore is the epitome of a rational, technocratic state in which rule is based on supposedly impartial, objective criteria. The government's achievements in the delivery of health care are at the forefront of its showcase of technocratic achievements. This article uses the Singapore government's innovations in health-care funding as a case study to explore and test the limitations of trying to apply purist technocratic premises and methodologies to governance. The limitations it uncovers raise the question of whether a technocratic approach to governance can ever deliver the promised results and suggests that the attraction of “technocracy” is a chimera.}, author = {Barr, Michael D.}, citeulike-article-id = {5071756}, citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00472330802078485}, doi = {10.1080/00472330802078485}, journal = {Journal of Contemporary Asia}, keywords = {policy, politics, singapore}, number = {3}, pages = {395--416}, posted-at = {2009-07-06 06:32:55}, priority = {0}, publisher = {Routledge}, title = {Singapore: The Limits of a Technocratic Approach to Health Care}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00472330802078485}, volume = {38}, year = {2008} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:5071756 L3 - citeulike-article-id:5071756 N2 - Being a tiny, easily managed polity run by Western-educated technocrats, Singapore is an ideal laboratory for those who believe that there is a “logical” answer to the problem of health-care funding in economically advanced societies. Certainly the ruling elite in this not-very-democratic country is convinced that Singapore is the epitome of a rational, technocratic state in which rule is based on supposedly impartial, objective criteria. The government's achievements in the delivery of health care are at the forefront of its showcase of technocratic achievements. This article uses the Singapore government's innovations in health-care funding as a case study to explore and test the limitations of trying to apply purist technocratic premises and methodologies to governance. The limitations it uncovers raise the question of whether a technocratic approach to governance can ever deliver the promised results and suggests that the attraction of “technocracy” is a chimera. IS - 3 JF - Journal of Contemporary Asia EP - 416 TI - Singapore: The Limits of a Technocratic Approach to Health Care PB - Routledge VL - 38 SP - 395 KW - policy KW - politics KW - singapore AU - Barr, Michael PY - 2008/// UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00472330802078485 ER -