Pollution and The Truth about Singapore (Final)

Urban Farming and Sustainability (Final)

Final Video

Singapore's Uneven Economy

Vincent Yip

Professor Cambridge

English 101

10/12/13

We Are Divided

Why is there a growing gap between the rich and the poor? Why is the economy of much of the world programed this way? For the past seven years after the recession that hit the world in late 2008 there has been a change in focus, a focus on the growing gap between the rich and the poor. This issue is raised frequently around the world even in well developed nations like Singapore. This topic of economic inequality is reported on the news, debated about in governments, and discussed by the people. With a country like Singapore, an economic powerhouse of the world, is their economy  sustainable? With such a improper distribution of wealth it can be possible that Singapore’s economy may not be stable after all.

At the start of college, I had a conversation with a gentlemen that I met on the subway at Grand street. He accidentally bumped into me and we started to talk, mainly about the economy. He told me that there was a divide in the economic world, that the wealthy are pocketing more money while the poor are making less money. He told me his reasoning for this that the government is allowing this economic divide to happen and that this divide is what makes the people unhappy and leads to economic instability.

The GINI coefficient is used to show the discrepancy between the rich and the poor. The lower the coefficient is to zero the smaller the gap between the two extremes. The closer the coefficient is to one the greater the gap. The Global Post provides a map that shows the GINI levels of all countries around the world. According to the Global Post map the Singapore have a Gini level of .414 which is comparable to the the United States with a Gini index of .45. The Gini index does not cover the whole story. Although Singapore have a similar Gini Index to the United States the income per capita for Singapore is over $61000 dollars while in the US is just over $50000 according to The World CIA Factbook. What this means is that there can be a very economically powerful country and yet there can be uneven distribution of money. Just analyzing the Gini index or the income per capita individually can not give an exact idea of how sustainable the country’s economy is. We must look at is both data. Although Singapore have a large Gini index the average Singaporean is making more money. A sustainable economy relies on a strong economy and the people making enough to have a living.

In Singapore there is no poverty line even though there is an improper distribution of wealth. In a comparable basis with the United States a Singaporean in poverty is better off than a citizen in the US. For Singaporeans in the bottom 11 to 20 percentile the average monthly income of S$3100 or nearly $2500 in US currency which adds up to $30000 annually compared with a US citizen, the annual income in the bottom 11 to 20 percentile is just $21000. According to the article Are Singapore's poor better off? By Rebecca Lim she states that “being poor in Singapore, people were still ''less badly off'' than the poor in other countries, including the US.” From an interview with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. What ends up happening is that the Singaporean government subsidizes those that are poor. The Public Assistance Scheme and community assistance aid the unemployed for three months so that they can have enough to buy all the necessities that they need. Singapore’s government also implemented the rent and utility scheme and the health care subsidies which also give citizens a place to live in and health care even after being unemployed. In Singapore it seems in order to have a stable economy the government will intervene and help its people that are lagging behind the rest economically.

The economy has an affect on everyone both on the rich and on the poor. Evidence show that there is a wide gap between the well off and those that are not. So what is causing this? Some say it is because it not enough government regulation and intervention that is allowing corporations to make all the money. However in Singapore they have the second most capitalistic economy in the world and yet the country does not have a poverty line. Although Singapore is not perfect it, with its high Gini index and still having poverty, Singapore may have some answers to a sustainable economy.

Corporations Mashup

Sustainability Mashup (Final)

Urban Redevelopment

Pollution

Singapore's Economic Sustainability

How does the corporate world in Singapore compare with the corporate world in the U.S. regarding sustainability?

Viviana Vazquez
English 11000
Professor Cambridge
9/22/13

Lets compare the corporate tax rates in Singapore to the one's in the United States. Singapore's rates include percentages from 0%-17% while the U.S.'s rates are well above from 15%-39%(federal).
At 39% the United States has the highest corporate tax rate in any of the world's developed countries. So if the United States currently has the greatest corporate tax rate and the many of the worlds biggest corporations, why is our economy not at the top? In fact it is currently the opposite, with Singapore being ranked as the most open in the world, least corrupt, most pro-business, and having one of the highest per-capita GDP in the world.

So which corporations do more for their countries regarding Sustainability? Lets look at one of the most ideal companies in the United States. Apple, for instance, has a very friendly approach towards being eco-friendly compared to other companies in the United States. Apple's manufacturing, including extraction of raw materials and assembly of products, accounts for 61% of Apple's total greenhouse gas emissions. Their reduction in Carbon emissions include a 90% reduction from 2007 to 2010 in their Apple TV manufacturing. Apple has also freed their entire product line from many toxic materials that are commonly used toxic substances, including Arsenic, Lead, and Mercury. In addition to removing toxins and designing eco-friendly products, Apple does a lot of recycling, from using recycled plastics and papers to collecting and controlling e-waste. In fact, Apple's global recycling goal exceeded 70% in 2012.

I am interested in what relationship corporations in Singapore have with sustainability in the country. As stated above, companies in the United States such as Google, Apple, among others, can make a big impact regarding sustainability in the country. Corporations have many legal advantages and can influence sustainability with their power and money. Since the economy in Singapore is very successful, I want to search more about their country's corporations' influence on Sustainability, and compare big companies and corporations from both countries. 

Pollution: How does Singapore keep their Enviornment Clean?

Amin Al-Sayed
English 101
Professor Cambridge
9/21/13

                                  How does Singapore keep the environment clean?

Southeast Asia is one of the most polluted areas in the
world. Singapore is a victim to that, for example the fires in Indonesia
created hazards in Singapore that required keeping all people indoors. But its environment
is clean, how do they do that? It’s because of a government agency called the NEA (National Environment Agencies). The NEA is responsible for changing
the country's whole environment in a positive way. They emphasize on educating
every individual to take responsibility and to take care of it as a way of
life.

Singapore had one of the most problems with their environment. It was highly due to urbanization which increased pollution dramatically. The government over the past decade has made
it a priority to clean Singapore through many policies as were you are able to
smoke, to simple things as spitting gum in the streets. They have a strict
policy and want to make Singapore a green country. With the Singapore
Green Plan they established a 10 year plan to sustaining development. They have
flourished in many different ways and they are a role model to other countries
to having a greener and most successful country.

Should the country that has the best healthcare system in the world, be considered a role model for the United states?

Muhammad Luqman
English 110

                         Should the country that has the best healthcare system in the world, be considered a role model for the United states?

         
                  It is not possible to live in the US and not listen to the on-going debates about Health Care reform and how public is struggling to get health care at an affordable price. Singapore, however, has a completely different health care system. Singapore has the lowest fertility rate in the world, have the fourth largest life expectancy in the world ,have medical facilities that are among the best in the world, residents are offered 1Gbit/s that has created 80,000 jobs in 2006-yet they are ranked the least happy people in the world by the Gallup report and also the least emotional.

               This study was very interesting to me, before researching Singapore, i thought that since Singapore has world class health care and very low crime rate (and great food), they would be very happy people. But as the saying goes- money can't buy happiness. Economists in the United States have said that money only affects happiness when making up to $75,000 a year and the average Singaporean makes less money than an average citizen in Norway or Switzerland- both of these countries are no where as rich as Singapore. And as you might expect, wearing the hat for being "one of the richest countries in the world" does not actually make a poor Singaporean any happy or any richer.
                 Now the interesting point comes, does Singapore try to change up the way the country works to make their average citizens happy or just let everything be the way it is like status Quo. What is more important for Singapore, sustain in the world with world class economy and be considered "one of the best" by outsiders. Or let the other two pillars of sustainability social equity (Singapore has one of the worst social equalities in the world beaten by Hong Kong) and environment take its toll like before. Judging right now, economy is considered the most important for Singapore-by its government-not by its people.

Singapore's Urban Redevelopment

Qi Feng Huang

English 110

Prof. Cambridge

                                                       Singapore's Urban Redevelopment 

            Singapore is country in Southeast Asia that has been truly making headlines these past decades. It is relatively small put has one of the highest Gross domestic Product per capita in the world. With those kinds of numbers, Singapore is surely producing their share of waste. What exactly are they doing to keep their ecological damage to a minimum? The country is dubbed by many as “the Green City” but what exactly are they doing to receive such a prestigious title? Can the other countries learn from this?

                   

            For every country with still growing marketplaces, population doesn’t stop growing and cities have

 to continue to expand to cope. This is a major reason I want to look into the urban redevelopment of Singapore. I want to research how they will continue to meet the demands of the population while keeping pollution to a minimum. I will look into their complex and well designed water recycling system as well as their plans to build and distribute the parks throughout the city to provide the population with soothing mini vacations and how they will plant trees to keep the city air free and clean. I would also like to look into the government’s ideas of roof top gardens as well as other large scale gardening projects they plan on undergoing.

            Urban redevelopment doesn’t just play huge roles in developing countries but also in the sustainability of mankind. The building of cities has to be well planned out or it can lead to disasters. Singapore is taking the world by storm and rapidly expanding their influence. Even so, they are titled by many as “the Green City.” For that reason, it is safe to assume they are doing something right with their cities. 

Singapore The King Tiger

Vincent Yip

English 101

professor Cambridge

9/15/13 Singapore The King Tiger

Singapore, a testament of the potential success of the free market economy. One of the members of “The Four Asian Tiger Club” with Singapore considered the best. South Korea, Taiwan and HongKong are the other members. These four countries have one of the world’s most freest market system and yet there economies are booming. In the united States there have been arguments of regulations and more restriction in free trade to prevent and better the economy; However through Singapore's free economic system it has become one of the worlds leading financial centers. What is this country doing that is keeping its economy not only intact but grow and thrive? What is Singapore doing right that the rest of the world and the United States is not? This is why I find interest in this topic. What is the secret of Singapore to develop such a powerful economy? This is what I am determine to find out.

Singapore is one of “The four Asian Tigers” and because of the success story of Singapore's economy it inspired other countries in the southern eastern part of Asian to follow suit. Eventually this lead to the development of “The Tiger Cub Economies”. Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia are the four countries that form the club. These countries follow the same economic principle of the “Four Asian Tigers” and have seen major economic growth. The Malays, Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia have become the worlds leading “developing” and emerging power countries. Could we learn something here, about these countries so that we can pick up some ideas to solve and maintain the rest of the worlds economic instability?

In the fourth quarter of 2008 the World was struck by one of the worst economic tsunamis ever. Stock market points downed thousands of points, business and banks going bankrupt and the housing market ruined. By 2009 unemployment in the United States rocketed to 10%. With so much economic turmoil nobody knew what the future may hold for the U.S or the rest of the world economy. Singapore was also hit by the economic collapse but not to the same extent. Believe it or not Singapore’s unemployment rose by 1.5% totaling at only 3%. Far from the disaster many countries in the west experienced. And not only that Singapore's economy has rebounded and developing faster than projections made by economists from the Bloomberg's, further reducing the unemployment rate to just 2%. Incredible, what are they doing right? In the past 2 years the countries GDP rose an incredible 15.2% breaking all predictions from the  Bloomberg News survey “Where the medium was 8.1%”. Wow nearly double the expectation, bravo King Tiger. Daniel Wilson an economist from Australia and New Zealand Banking Group said that he was glad to see a sustained pickup in service sectors. It seems that Singapore's economy have reach stability and growing as well.

This is why I am interested in the economy part of Singapore. There is so much talk about how to better the economy. How to fix it? How to grow it? What about solving this issue for ever. The solution is right in front of us. All we have do is is observe and listen. Lets ask ourselves what we did wrong and how can we use economic styles and techniques from countries that are economic power houses to solve our economic issues. Singapore is maybe the key in sustain the world’s economy.