ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces readers to the Singaporean meritocracy. We begin with the historical context of how the “multicultural meritocracy” came about, highlighting experiences with the Communist insurgency and racial politics in the 1950s and 1960s, showing how these strengthened the resolve of government to build an equal opportunity society regardless of race, language, or religion. We introduce the elements of Singaporean meritocracy, notably the promotion of social mobility via education, the identification of talent, and academic sorting. On one hand, we argue this meritocracy fosters social integration by bringing bright children from all ethnic and class backgrounds together in the same schools. On the other hand, we suggest meritocratic competition has produced a system segregating winners and losers, generating a social network divide between class groups. The chapter ends with a research model showing our approach: the study of the patterns, sources, and consequences of social relationships set against this backdrop of a meritocratic system. Overall, we seek a better understanding of the types of social relations that thrive and decline under meritocracy, the ties that bind, the emerging faultlines, and the impact on larger social cohesion outcomes such as national identity and trust of other groups.
