ABSTRACT
Singapore's political independence in 1965, its subsequent survival within a difficult regional environment in the immediate post-independence period and ensuing prosperity is both unique and informative. It is unique to the extent that internal self-government was carefully negotiated by the People's Action Party (PAP) government with the United Kingdom prior to merger with Malaysia in 1963. The PAP government which had been in power in 1959 deserves much of the credit for astutely ensuring Singapore's continued existence and prosperous development. Social scientists would therefore regard Singapore's development as useful for purposes of a configurative case study but obtaining little external validity for higher level comparative theorizing. The Singapore policy process is totally impervious to domestic pressures and entirely elite-dominated. During the early period of Singapore's development after separation from Malaysia, trade was so important that the country clearly articulated a policy of decoupling trade from foreign policy.
