Welfare restructuring in Asian newly industrialised countries: a comparison of Hong Kong and Singapore

This article studies the patterns of welfare restructuring in Asian newly inclustrialised countries (NICs) in reaction to economic globalisation and socioeconomic change through a comparative study of Hong Kong and Singapore. It argues that Hong Kong has gone through a budget-driven restructuring resulting in the retrenchment of its residual welfare state, while Singapore has undergone a policy-driven restructuring that aims to consolidate the state regulation of the welfare society. The difference in the patterns of restructuring is found to be related to state strength, electoral politics, interest group politics, the production system and the pre-existing institutional arrangement of social programmes. The findings illustrate the characteristics of welfare restructuring in Asian authoritarian NICs.