Does Class Matter

This book provides a comprehensive portrait of class structure, dynamics, and orientations in Singapore — understood as a new nation, a capitalist and emerging knowledge economy, a largely middle-class society, and a polity with a strong state — at the turn of the new millennium. It introduces a wide array of recent data on a broad range of topics relating to social stratification in Singapore: class structure, political participation, political alienation, national pride, welfarism, success values, unionism, social mobility, the digital divide, and the sandwich generation. To capture the lived experiences of people from different social classes, thereby complementing the numerous tables presented, the book also profiles six case studies of individuals or families, highlighting the challenges they face and the options they possess.

Contents: Singapore: Market Economy and Meritocratic, Middle-Class Society?Methodology: Questionnaire, Sampling, and FieldworkSingapore Class StructureSocial Orientations by Class, Age, and EthnicityWork Career and Social MobilityProblem Areas: Digital Divide and Sandwich Generation1-to-2 Roomers, 3-Roomers, and Citizen Population ComparedConclusion: Does Class Matter in Singapore?
Readership: Undergraduates, graduate students, researchers and professionals in sociology, social issues and political science.
Keywords:Singapore;Social Class;Social Stratification;Social Mobility;Class Structure;Class Orientations;Digital Divide;Sandwich Generation;Political Orientations;Success Values;WelfarismReview:“… Tan's report should … interest those fishing for an inside and contemporary sociological scoop on the country. (His) findings also constitute important society-level input to globalization watchers … The most interesting aspect of the book … is the six case studies provided in Appendix I.”Asia Times Online
“This volume is highly readable and is certainly filled with interesting viewpoints about the ‘class society’ that Singaporeans may be surprised to learn that they should consider seriously. In the book, a quick introduction is provided on the conceptualization of class and its relevance to societies like Singapore's … the author poses the intriguing question of the challenges faced by the nation-building project that is superimposed upon a capitalist economy.”Asian Journal of Social Science
0