ABSTRACT
This chapter demonstrates the historical trajectories of development for Hong Kong and Singapore. It highlights more important differences: the pattern of industrial development and the institutional configurations that sustained industrial development. In many respects, Hong Kong and Singapore can be seen as sharing a common history. Both were "created" by British colonial adventures in the Far East, and both were built by the British as trading posts for their commercial penetration into the Far East. While Hong Kong was burdened with a massive influx of refugees from China, Singapore's young population created pressures for finding new employment opportunities. In contrast to the Singaporean state, the colonial state was especially reluctant to offer selective assistance to the development of manufacturing industries. During the industrial takeoff, the Singaporean state engineered a more organized tripartite framework of industrial relations.
