Social reproduction and the limits of a neoliberal approach : the case of Singapore

Should citizenship status confer social rights independent of an individual's economic contribution? This study approaches this question through looking at social settings in which answers are contested. Specifically, it documents and analyzes qualitative semi-structured interviews and focus gr...

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Main Author: Sun, Shirley Hsiao-Li
Other Authors: School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: 2013
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/96775
http://hdl.handle.net/10220/13051
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author Sun, Shirley Hsiao-Li
author2 School of Humanities and Social Sciences
author_facet School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Sun, Shirley Hsiao-Li
author_sort Sun, Shirley Hsiao-Li
collection NTU
description Should citizenship status confer social rights independent of an individual's economic contribution? This study approaches this question through looking at social settings in which answers are contested. Specifically, it documents and analyzes qualitative semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews with 221 Singaporean citizens. As such, it complements existing critical policy studies on shifting conceptualizations of social citizenship and the rise of neoliberal governance. Data analysis illustrates interviewees' perceptions and lived experience of neoliberal, or 'market citizenship', bias in state population policy. Interviewees, moreover, find existing pronatalist incentives helpful but insufficient, largely because they see a decision to have more children as a long-term commitment requiring continual investment. They call for more generous, sustained, and universal state provisions for education and health, as well as homemaker allowances, which would be closer to feminist and classical formulations of citizenship-as-social rights.
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spelling ntu-10356/967752020-11-10T01:49:18Z Social reproduction and the limits of a neoliberal approach : the case of Singapore Sun, Shirley Hsiao-Li School of Humanities and Social Sciences Should citizenship status confer social rights independent of an individual's economic contribution? This study approaches this question through looking at social settings in which answers are contested. Specifically, it documents and analyzes qualitative semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews with 221 Singaporean citizens. As such, it complements existing critical policy studies on shifting conceptualizations of social citizenship and the rise of neoliberal governance. Data analysis illustrates interviewees' perceptions and lived experience of neoliberal, or 'market citizenship', bias in state population policy. Interviewees, moreover, find existing pronatalist incentives helpful but insufficient, largely because they see a decision to have more children as a long-term commitment requiring continual investment. They call for more generous, sustained, and universal state provisions for education and health, as well as homemaker allowances, which would be closer to feminist and classical formulations of citizenship-as-social rights. 2013-08-06T04:40:45Z 2019-12-06T19:34:59Z 2013-08-06T04:40:45Z 2019-12-06T19:34:59Z 2012 2012 Journal Article Sun, S. H. L. (2012). Social reproduction and the limits of a neoliberal approach: the case of Singapore. Citizenship Studies, 16(2), 223-240. https://hdl.handle.net/10356/96775 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/13051 10.1080/13621025.2012.667614 en Citizenship studies
spellingShingle Sun, Shirley Hsiao-Li
Social reproduction and the limits of a neoliberal approach : the case of Singapore
title Social reproduction and the limits of a neoliberal approach : the case of Singapore
title_full Social reproduction and the limits of a neoliberal approach : the case of Singapore
title_fullStr Social reproduction and the limits of a neoliberal approach : the case of Singapore
title_full_unstemmed Social reproduction and the limits of a neoliberal approach : the case of Singapore
title_short Social reproduction and the limits of a neoliberal approach : the case of Singapore
title_sort social reproduction and the limits of a neoliberal approach the case of singapore
url https://hdl.handle.net/10356/96775
http://hdl.handle.net/10220/13051
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