One must acknowledge Singapore’s uniqueness and intellectual interest… does not seem to obey the basic rules of political science… is the only affluent nation in the world that is not a genuine liberal democracy. It has had a one-party rule and a semi-authoritarian regime for forty years, but has maintained long-term economic growth… the government was led for forty years by a charismatic leader… but a personality cult seems non-existent. The bureaucracy has direct power over key financial and other resources, but the level of corruption is negligible. Thus, one can ask: is there something very right or very wrong about the city-state?
~ Maria Francesch-Huidobro, Governance, Politics and the Environment: A Singapore Study (2008)