SINGAPORE'S economic and social progress have made it the highest-ranked Asian state in a new global index of social capital.
The index ranks 200 countries in terms of wealth and social resilience.
Singapore came in at No. 14, higher than the United States and Britain, but below several Nordic countries, Australia and New Zealand.
Its position is an improvement on its ranking in 2005 when the index made its first appearance. The current list is the second.
The index is produced by Caux Round Table. It is a global network of business and political leaders who champion ethics and values in business and governance and believe both have a responsibility to do good for the community.
Headquartered in the US, it has representatives in 13 other countries. Also, it is affiliated with many international organisations and think-tanks, like the United Nations Global Compact, which promotes responsible corporate citizenship.
Its global executive director Stephen Young told The Straits Times 'Singapore's relatively high ranking is evidence of the soundness of the policies followed by its Government since independence'.
Forty years ago, its social capital would have been around the same level as that of Malaysia, Thailand or the Philippines, Mr Young said in an e-mail interview.
Today, it has pulled ahead of these three countries, which ranked No. 55, No. 93 and No. 96 respectively in this year's study, added the legal and business ethics scholar who has taught at Harvard and the University of Minnesota law schools.
To calculate a country's social capital, the Caux Round Table averages its scores across 14 different measurements of economic activity, quality of life plus legal and political institutions.
Read the full report in Monday's edition of The Straits Times.
The index ranks 200 countries in terms of wealth and social resilience.
Singapore came in at No. 14, higher than the United States and Britain, but below several Nordic countries, Australia and New Zealand.
Its position is an improvement on its ranking in 2005 when the index made its first appearance. The current list is the second.
The index is produced by Caux Round Table. It is a global network of business and political leaders who champion ethics and values in business and governance and believe both have a responsibility to do good for the community.
Headquartered in the US, it has representatives in 13 other countries. Also, it is affiliated with many international organisations and think-tanks, like the United Nations Global Compact, which promotes responsible corporate citizenship.
Its global executive director Stephen Young told The Straits Times 'Singapore's relatively high ranking is evidence of the soundness of the policies followed by its Government since independence'.
Forty years ago, its social capital would have been around the same level as that of Malaysia, Thailand or the Philippines, Mr Young said in an e-mail interview.
Today, it has pulled ahead of these three countries, which ranked No. 55, No. 93 and No. 96 respectively in this year's study, added the legal and business ethics scholar who has taught at Harvard and the University of Minnesota law schools.
To calculate a country's social capital, the Caux Round Table averages its scores across 14 different measurements of economic activity, quality of life plus legal and political institutions.
Read the full report in Monday's edition of The Straits Times.
