ABSTRACT
Growing intra-Asian flows take many forms, not just in terms of mobility of people, goods, and capital but also transnational diffusion of ideas about models of socioeconomic development. Thanks to its success in economic growth, political stability, and social management, Singapore has been regarded by China and some other developing nations as a model to learn from. Effective governance of local and international talents has played a crucial role in contributing to the nation’s transition from a third-world country to a first-world economy within a short span of half a century after its independence in 1965. This chapter is concerned with the role of (global) talent strategy in higher education and economic growth. It starts with a review of existing literature on global talent management and underscores the importance of bringing non-Western experiences into the global talent management literature. The second section examines Singapore’s trajectory of developing human capital through higher education. The twin foci of the talent strategy – centering on the domestic core and supplementing it with global talent – have served as a key engine of economic growth. The chapter concludes by suggesting on future research directions with respect to talent management and higher education governance in the context of an intensified global ‘war for talent’.
