2018 POLITICS II INFOPACK

RI GP Y6 2018 / Politics and Governance II Copyrighted: Knowledge Skills Department, for internal circulation only 1 RAFFLES INSTITUTION YEAR 6 GENERAL PAPER STUDENTS’ INFORMATION PACKAGE Unit: Politics and Governance II - Focusing on Singapore 1. Introduction and Learning Objectives 2 2. Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions 3 3. For Further Reading/Viewing 3 4. Related Past Year Examination Questions: Cambridge and RI 4 ARTICLES Singapore and Democracy 1a. Demophobic society: Singapore's allergy to the D-word weakens us (Excerpt) 6 1b. A Defence of Singapore-style Democracy 9 The Tussle Between Freedom and Stability 2. Singapore must drop 'Out-of-Bounds' Censorship 13 3. 'Traditional values' Wear White campaign returning to Pink Dot weekend 15 4. The Social Laboratory 17 5. The Myth of 'Trade Offs' 25 Tensions within Our Educational and Social Policies 6. Of Race and National Identity 28 7. When Kids Say 'I Lazy What' 32 8a. Social Policy in Singapore: A Crucible of Individual Responsibility (Excerpt) 36 8b. Re-examining Singapore's Social Security System (Excerpt) 41 9. Singapore's Lesson: Managing Immigration to Create a Win-win Situation 45 Additional Materials for Analysis 1. Asia Barometer Survey 2014-2016 (Excerpt) 56 2. Global Competitiveness Index 2017-2018: Singapore's Profile 58

RI GP Y6 2018 / Politics and Governance II Copyrighted: Knowledge Skills Department, for internal circulation only 2 1. Introduction Politics and Governance II builds on fundamental concepts introduced in Politics and Governance I and throws the spotlight on contemporary political issues, specifically...This package aims to provide ‘just -in-time’ information on the abovementioned topics, and facilitate analysis and evaluation of complex political issues, to which there are not clear solutions. What this package is: This package is meant to supplement your learning in class by spurring independent thinking and facilitating active discussion on questions and key issues. It is also intended for self-study to gain content knowledge, as well as reflection upon key issues raised. The articles in this package are selected and customised to be of the standard of comprehension expected of an A-level candidate. More difficult articles necessitating a closer read and/or higher order conceptual understanding are flagged out (see Content Page). Related examination questions are highlighted beneath each article—these are meant to guide your thinking and focus your learning. For students interested in going further, links and suggested readings are provided where appropriate. For students requiring background information, particularly with regards to specific countries, additional links are also provided beneath the appropriate articles. What this package is not: This package is NOT an exercise in memory and regurgitation, nor is it a “model answe