From the Third World to the First

Francesca Pannozzo examines Singapore’s transformation into an independent city-state and a global economic centre. The book considers Lee Kuan Yew and People’s Action Party rule, economic strategy, housing policy, national identity and “Asian values.” It studies material progress alongside restrictions on political freedoms, leaving the causal relationship between authoritarianism and economic growth open. The Armenian edition preserves the historical setting of the study published in 2018.