Inequality: It's not just about money

LAST Saturday's articles ('The Nordic give & take' and 'When money gets in the way') explored the rich-poor divide in Singapore and the social model of the Scandinavian countries.

The rise of popularism

TRAVELLING in Europe recently, it seemed as if every other conversation ended with some form of this question: Why does it feel like so few leaders are capable of inspiring their people to meet the challenges of our day? There are many explanations for this global leadership deficit, but I'd focus on two: one generational, one technological.

Placing false hope in economists

ECONOMICS is a faith- based pursuit forever in search of a new deity. Those who believe in a compassionate God struggle to explain how such a being can allow such terrible misery to be inflicted on life's innocents. Belief in the canons of economics demands a comparable leap of imagination.

Should the rich pay higher fines?

IN THE wake of the Woffles Wu case, National University of Singapore law lecturer and criminal law expert Michael Hor talks about some of the challenges of introducing a system of fines that are pegged to a person's income.

The Nordic give & take

MR HENRIK Ziegler left Denmark for Singapore with a dream. He wanted to build his own business.
He founded Dantech Food Systems, a maker of advanced freezers for the food industry, in 1997.
In 2005, the firm had expanded to become a market leader in the region, and it was bought by a larger Danish firm for a hefty sum.

When money gets in the way

IT IS perhaps a sign of the times that a government minister has to address the traffic offence of a single individual.

Why parents chase gifted scheme

Why parents chase gifted scheme
THE editorial ('Giving children the best gift'; last Thursday) missed a few reasons parents want their children enrolled in the Gifted Education Programme.

'Vampires' add bite to Bulgarian lore

SOFIA - The ancient skeleton of a man, pinned down in his grave to stop him turning into a vampire, was put on show last week in Bulgaria, where vampire tales have kept their bite to this day.

The Last Emperor's Last Palace

When China wanted to convert its last emperor's last palace into a museum in 1982, the complex of buildings had already been taken over by a primary school, a factory producing Chairman Mao Zedong pins and even a vegetable wholesale market.

The leftist hole in history books

Two subjects made the news recently, one to do with Singapore's turbulent political history and the other, the restless, questioning symbols of its future.

Berlin ignoring history's lessons

IS IT one minute to midnight?
We fear that the German government's policy of 'doing too little too late' risks a repeat of precisely the crisis of the mid-20th century that European integration was designed to avoid.
By Niall Ferguson and Nouriel Roubini

Raise social expenditures in a targeted way

Viewing social expenditures as an investment rather than only as a cost is critical if we are to break out of the trap of low productivity and rising inequality.

Nordic model holds lessons for S'pore

PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong has given us a timely reminder that Singapore should pursue a strategy of growth ('PM: Nordic model won't work for growth in S'pore'; last Saturday). We should learn from the Nordic countries, but selectively.

Money buys everything?

ARE there some things that money cannot buy?

Away in the Balkans 5-19 Jun 2012

View Balkans \o/ in a larger map

The perils of heavy multitasking

MANY young people have music playing in their earbuds even as they surf the Internet, update Facebook and Twitter, fire off an SMS, and keep an eye on the television - all the while doing some real work.