國立臺灣大學政治科學論叢

Abstract / Chinese PDF Download

This paper analyzes how Singapore, as a global city-state, can formulate itsglobal control capability through the city governance process. Since Singapore has aspatially constrained territory, its government recognized early the importance ofglobal control capability and aimed to become a key regional and global location forfinancial services and advanced producer services, similar to leading global cities inthe West. This paper finds that Singapore’s global city formation relies on a statecontrolledmodel. The People’s Action Party (PAP) government dominates politicsin the city-state, allowing party elites to implement national economic and industrialpolicy with little opposition. On the basis of an illiberal democracy and thedevelopmental state, the PAP government has established Temasek Holdings andmany large government-linked companies (GLCs). PAP elites and bureaucraticsystems occupy the core of market governance network, excluding the privatesector. The Singapore government uses Temasek and other GLCs to implement itseconomic policies and strengthen its global control capability. In short, this paperargues that formation of global cities such as Singapore is not simply the result ofglobal economic flows; the geographical and political context also can influence thecharacteristics and capabilities of global cities.