ABSTRACT
In this concluding chapter, we review the efficacy of various social infrastructure in Singapore for generating bridging social capital and thereby a sense of nationhood by examining past and existing policies and programmes in each of them. We begin by looking at education, workplaces, participation in sports, cultural activities, and voluntary associations as these are the platforms that, as our data suggest, play a significant role in fostering network diversity. We also extend our analysis to neighbourhoods and National Service, which are ubiquitous features of an average Singaporean's life (in the latter case, of Singaporean males). Our analysis considers access to and participation in these social infrastructures, the nature of interaction among participants, and whether these platforms help build norms that encourage positive interaction and ultimately generate social capital. In the realm of education, we find a multitude of policies and programmes that promote the formation of bridging ties, although some that run counter to that goal have persisted. At the workplace, we find perceived discrimination against ethnic minorities in hiring and promotion, and room for improvement in promoting diversity and inclusion among organisations. For sport as well as arts and culture, the state has long recognised mass participation as a conduit for social mixing, and has instituted policies and programmes to that effect. But, our analysis is stymied by the lack of research on their effectiveness for that purpose. We are similarly held back when examining voluntary associations: nascent research has only looked at grassroots and neighbourhood-based associations and has identified a number of challenges to be overcome for greater social mixing, but there is an absence of research on other types of voluntary associations. In the neighbourhood, a number of policies and practices ensure diversity among public housing residents and spaces for them to interact, although interactions are largely casual. But, the recent shift towards participatory approaches in neighbourhood planning holds out the promise of strengthening of social ties. Lastly, we find National Service to be a powerful platform for forging bridging ties, but ethnicity and educational attainment seemingly affect one's placement within the various defence agencies, limiting its effectiveness for achieving the full promise of network diversity.
