Housing and superannuation: social security in Singapore

Abstract

Purpose

Singapore does not have a welfare State. Instead it has full employment, rapid growth, affordable education and equality of opportunity. It also has the Housing Development Board and the Central Provident Fund. Public housing and compulsory savings are the subject of this paper. The purpose of the study is to investigate the nature of the symbiosis and the strategy.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper collects evidence on housing and superannuation to establish the precise link between them.

Findings

It is established that a great deal of Singaporeans' savings and wealth is locked up in their flats and houses. It shows that the relationship is risky in view of a rapidly ageing population and an increasing life‐expectancy in the post‐earning years.

Practical implications

Singapore is used as a case study to derive lessons for other countries wishing to combine good housing with adequate retirement provisions.

Originality/value

The paper seeks to show that housing and superannuation are both valuable elements in responsible public policy, but that, when combined, it is possible to have too much of a good thing.

Citation

Reisman, D. (2007), "Housing and superannuation: social security in Singapore", International Journal of Social Economics, Vol. 34 No. 3, pp. 159-187. https://doi.org/10.1108/03068290710726720