The changing relationship between the state and the voluntary philanthropic sector: special reference to Singapore

ABSTRACT

There has been a significant proliferation of voluntary philanthropic organizations to deliver basic services in the current context of anti-welfare neoliberal policies pursued by the state. While there are numerous studies and publications on these voluntary organizations, the nature of their relationship with the state remains relatively under-researched. This article attempts to explore this issue in the case Singapore where, in the absence of an active welfare state, the voluntary philanthropic organizations—especially the Voluntary Welfare Organizations (VWOs)—have played a crucial role in serving citizens’ welfare needs. In evaluating the nature and determinants of this state-VWO relationship, the article examines some relevant theoretical models and applies them to the Singapore case.

KEYWORDS:

• The State
• Voluntary Sector
• Changing Relationship
• Implications
• Singapore

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

M. Shamsul Haque is Professor at Department of Political Science, National University of Singapore. He is currently serving as Chair, Section on International and Comparative Administration, American Society for Public Administration (ASPA). He has numerous refereed publications on research areas such as development theory, public governance, comparative public administration, local governance, and so on.