ABSTRACT

Singapore now faces one of the fastest aging populations in the world, leading the country’s political leaders to fear the implications of population aging for the country’s economic viability. We analyzed National Day Rally speeches from 2011 to 2015 by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to examine how policymakers conceptualized the challenges related to its aging population. Findings point to the government’s manifest and latent emphasis on its economic viability when developing social policies to address the well-being of its aging population. Its approaches to welfare provision are informed by a neoliberalist agenda that requires its citizens to exercise personal responsibility and self-reliance, and to rely on their family and community for mutual assistance. Despite its highly interventionist approach, the government is clear about its residual role in the provision of safety nets. A neoliberalist reconceptualization of citizenship serves to restrict older citizen’s claims to basic social assistance.

摘要

新加坡现在面临着世界上人口老龄化速度最快的国家之一，导致该国的政治领导人担心人口老龄化对该国经济活力的影响。我们分析了李显龙总理在 2011 年至 2015 年的国庆集会演讲，以研究政策制定者如何概念化与人口老龄化相关的挑战。调查结果表明，政府在制定社会政策以解决老龄化人口的福祉时，明显和潜在地强调其经济可行性。其提供福利的方法受到新自由主义议程的影响，该议程要求其公民行使个人责任和自力更生，并依靠家人和社区的互助。尽管采取了高度干预主义的做法，政府很清楚它在提供安全网方面的剩余作用。新自由主义对公民身份的重新概念化有助于限制老年公民对基本社会援助的要求。