By Invitation

Singapore: A port city in search of a hinterland

Over the centuries, Singapore has continued to define and redefine its hinterland. This fluid, restless search for a 'hinterland' - or economic space - has forged the Singapore of today.

ST ILLUSTRATION: MANNY FRANCISCO
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While Singapore's economic development has sometimes been understood by policy scholars and economists as a matter of governance and strategic direction by the state, a historical overview would show that the underlying plot of Singapore's economic story has stayed constant over hundreds of years.

Its prosperity has always been due to its ability to find and adapt to shifting hinterlands.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 02, 2019, with the headline Singapore: A port city in search of a hinterland. Subscribe