According to its website, www.sif.org.sg, it's looking for Singaporeans who can offer their services for six months to a year for teaching assignments, in countries such as Indonesia, Laos and Vietnam.

Question: Why would a Singapore agency, paid for out of Singapore money, be prepared to devote time, effort and resources to scout for volunteers to work overseas?

Or to phrase the question in another way: Why do people, and agencies, and countries, bother to be generous to others?

The question is not a trivial one. To futurist Peter Schwartz, who was in Singapore recently, generosity is one of the missing ingredients in the Singapore recipe for success.

During a roundtable discussion hosted by the SIF last week, which I attended, Mr Schwartz said he reckoned Singapore could afford a dose of generosity.

He said: 'Networks matter in a global world. And the value of a network depends on what you put in it, not what you take from it. Generosity is one of the most powerful tools you can use. It's something small that has very big impact.'

Noting that the geopolitical dynamics in the South-east Asian region will not change, he suggested that Singapore use generosity as a way to build better relations with its neighbours.

He challenges Singapore to be more generous: 'Singaporean people are very generous, as you could see in the reaction to the tsunami. But the Government and institutions are not seen as generous. They are known for their attitude of 'How much can we get for as little as possible?''

There is scope to argue that actually, the Singapore state and institutions are pretty generous already.

Singapore runs an active regional training programme, having trained nearly 50,000 officials from the developing world in the last 15 years under the Singapore Cooperation Programme.

After the December 2004 tsunami, Singapore gave $5million in aid. It also engaged in its largest ever humanitarian and military effort, sending helicopters and providing logistics and reconstruction aid estimated to cost $20million.

Organisations like the SIF routinely work with regional counterparts in expeditions and missions. An array of non-governmental organisations such as Mercy Relief and Tsao Foundation play an active role in development efforts, from humanitarian aid to providing training in the region.

More recently, a $500 million Temasek Trust fund was set up, with interest from the fund channelled to seed projects across Asia via the Temasek Foundation.

Despite its best efforts, some people active in development work in the region say the Republic continues to be viewed as tight-fisted and calculating in its approach towards its neighbours.

Is there room for Singapore to be more generous?

Two hurdles have to be overcome. First is the Singaporean mentality that every dollar of national resources should always go to Singaporeans first.

That family-first approach may be a good maxim for a family with $1,000 a month, when every cent counts. But a family earning $100,000 a month has a duty of care to others less fortunate, and would be expected to set aside some money for others, after family members are provided for.

In Singapore's case, the Republic is no longer in starvation mode, and can afford to give to those outside the country.

Nor should aid be seen as a zero-sum game: There is no certainty that $5million more for tsunami victims means $5million less for citizens in the next Progress Package.

The emphasis should be on the merit of helping others, not on the narrow calculus of each dollar forgone.

The second hurdle to be overcome is Singapore's penchant for quick, quantifiable outcomes.

As Mr Schwartz notes, the use of taxpayers' money means the state has to be accountable. As one participant at the discussion added, the state cannot just give away money with no strings attached.

The fear of the 'bottomless pit' of need in troubled, disaster-prone South-east Asia also serves as a powerful check on soft-hearted generosity from Singapore.

But actually, there is a more hard-headed argument in favour of generosity - even with no strings attached.

We all know that some people are generous to others because they expect to be rewarded, or they expect the recipient to reciprocate.

In academic parlance, this is called being generous for reputation management purposes, or being generous in expectation of strict reciprocity.

Human relations do indeed rely a great deal on such expectations, which form the bedrock of network ties and social bonds.

What is less well known is that generosity without expectations of reward or reciprocity also yields benefits to the giver, although in an indirect, hard- to-measure way.

During the discussion with Mr Schwartz last week, one participant who runs his own computer firm, said he studied in the United States on a California state scholarship - with no bond, and no strings attached.

The California state can never quantify the benefits those scholarships brought - for goodwill is priceless.

My own experience of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government is similar. The school was incredibly generous to me when I needed visa extensions to stay on in the US for medical treatment after completing my graduate course.

Harvard administrators immediately offered me a place as a special student, got me the visa extension - and waived fees for the extra term - within 24 hours.

That generous act won me over big-time to the school, and binds me in a tie of reciprocity. I have donated back to the school, remembered it in my will, and broadcast to many the story of Harvard's generosity.

As sages will say, what goes around will come back.

Generosity may not be a very smart basis on which to structure all foreign relations.

But at the margin, when others are in need and if we have enough, it can be the basis for a strong bond - and one that yields dividends. Just that you never know how much, and when those dividends will return to you.

muihoong@sph.com.sg

Chua Mui Hoong alternates with guest writers in this weekly column.