- 2009
Singapore Competitiveness Report
Abstract
The 2009 Singapore Competitiveness Report, the first in this new series of regular assessments by the Asia Competitiveness Institute (ACI) at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, provides data and analysis to inform the discussions on the impact of the crisis on the medium- to long-term development of Singaporean competitiveness.
Singapore has become an internationally respected model for a country that is willing to continuously review its position, and has taken decisive action where needed. This Report is written in this context, hoping to provide Singaporean policy makers with our analysis and perspective of the key issues and some possible options to consider. This is the first Singapore Competitiveness Report produced by the Asia Competitiveness Institute, and we intend to continue to use subsequent reports to highlight our analysis and perspective of the competitiveness issues facing Singapore in the medium term.
The Report uses multiple sources of data to assess Singapore's competitiveness in this broad framework. It focuses on integrating and analysing this data in an integrated fashion, while adding additional primary data only in selected areas where gaps exist. The ambition is to present the best possible analysis given the data available, rather than conducting extensive primary research as part of this Report.
The data is organized in a number of key categories that provide different perspectives on Singapore's competitiveness position:
The first group of indicators assess Singapore's track record on the indicators of economic performance: the quality of life Singaporeans are able to enjoy as a consequence of the fundamentals present in their economy. Relevant data points include prosperity levels, equality, and measures of human developmentThe second group of indicators looks at economic outcomes that are signs of and contributors to competitiveness but may not be the ultimate goals of economic policy. This includes measures of foreign and domestic investment, international trade, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
The third group of indicators then tracks Singapore's position on the broad range of macro- and microeconomic competitiveness factors that ultimately explain the medium-term trends on the economic outcomes previously discussed. The indicators covered range from assessments of governance quality, the provision of primary public services, and the solidity of public finances to the sophistication of companies, the dynamism of clusters, the quality of physical infrastructure, the intensity of local competition, and many more.