"Live Players" with Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg

Singapore's Rise to Prosperity: The City-State Strategy

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Jan 10, 2024

This episode of Live Players explores Singapore's rise to power, their transferable strategies, and their diplomatic role in US-China relations. They also discuss Singapore's succession problems and their unique approach to law enforcement.

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INSIGHT

Singapore's Domestic Challenge

Singapore faced domestic challenges due to its diverse demographics, leading to race riots in the 1960s.
This diversity and the resulting tensions contributed to the plausibility of a communist revolution during that period.

ANECDOTE

Lee Kuan Yew's Rise

Lee Kuan Yew briefly collaborated with the Singaporean Communist Party during the independence movement.
Unusually, the communist faction ended up on the losing side, with Lee Kuan Yew consolidating power.

INSIGHT

Singapore's Economic Prioritization

Singapore prioritized economic growth over immediate social improvements, demonstrating a strategy of delayed gratification.
While social policies like state-owned housing existed, the primary focus remained on fostering economic expansion.

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In this episode of Live Players, Sam Burja and Erik Torenberg delve into an analysis of Singapore's post-colonial rise to power as a city state, how city states are more oriented towards prosperity than other kinds of states, and the transferable strategies of Singapore to other regions. They also discuss ways that Singapore can be diplomatically active in US-China relations, Singapore's succession problems, and their draconian approach to law enforcement. If you need an ecommerce platform, check out our sponsor Shopify: https://shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period.

Live Players is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: www.turpentine.co

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LINKS:

Samo’s Bismarck Brief: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro

(00:25) Singapore and how it achieved full prosperity after being a post-colonial state in the 20th century

(04:50) Understanding the era of Singapore's ascent

(11:31) The forks in the road to Singapore's prosperity

(19:40) Singapore's awareness of their demographic problems and their aging society

(21:33) Sponsor: Shopify

(23:21) On Singapore's draconian approach to law enforcement and the economics of wasting space

(28:48) What can the world copy from Singapore's strategies?

(35:10) On Singapore food self-sufficiency (and the promotion of insect food)

(37:56) How should Singapore respond to de-globalization

(45:44) Samo's thoughts on Singapore in 2024 as a culturally East Asian country

(49:59) Succession problems and keeping the family legacy

(52:39) Wrap

This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co.