The Digital Dimension of Government-Business Dialogue in Singapore

Southeast Asia: Actual Problems of Development. 2025. Vol. 4. No. 4(69). P. 146–158.

Evgeny A. Kanaev, Ivanov M.

The article analyses the specifics of equipping government-business dialogue in Singapore with digital tools from the perspective of Singapore’s development model and corporate practices, as well as its digital policy and priorities. Major features of Singaporean economic modernization as the backbone of dialogue between the state agencies and the corporate sector are systemized, the specifics of how Temasek works with government-linked companies is traced, its main areas of interest and directions of practical activity are reviewed. The distinctive features of Singapore’s digital transformation, the evolution of its main digital projects and initiatives, as well as digital tools of maintaining interaction between the government agencies and the corporate sector, are outlined. The authors argue that Singapore’s digital tools and practices of government-business dialogue are highly efficient, but its foundation was laid by a successful development model of the city-state in the pre-digital period. This synergy of non-digital and digital tools leads to new Singaporean economic and commercial success stories, as well as contributes to enhancing its international competitiveness. Although there is no dearth of research on the history of economic modernization of Singapore and its present specifics, including in the field of government-business interaction, nevertheless, studies focusing on its digital aspects are still missing. Approaching the problem from this research perspective, the article fills a scholarly research gap, which accounts for its novelty, as well as academic and practical significance.

Keywords: Singapore, modernization, government-business relations, digital tools