hello there. if you have read through the older posts, you would have noticed i've posted some topic sentences for the political structure questions. do note that not all of them have been vetted - they are mostly picked out from notes and sources and advice from my history teacher. i'll be posting practice paragraphs that are mostly written by me, so no guarantees!
AF1
- Maximum governments were effective at maintaining political control through it's ability to monopolize control of state apparatus as a means to ensure the political opposition's inability to revive itself, evident by the maintenance of power within the hands of the ruling elite.
- In the post-colonial period, Southeast Asia was politically diverse and had many political parties jostling for power. Thus, through the leaders' utility of legislative power, it helped to weed out political opponents so as to remove threats to their power.
- In Singapore, Barisan Sosialis was a strong political opponent of the ruling party PAP in the early 1960s. This is evident in how they managed to 25% of the voters during the 1962 Merger Referendum to cast blank votes, showing their immense popularity as an opposition party.
- Under the Internal Security Act, which allowed for detention without trial of suspected dissidents, several BS members were arrested for boycotting the parliament in 1966. Also, Operation Coldstore in 1963 saw the arrests of suspected communists, including BS secretary-general Lim Chin Siong and half of BS's central executive committee. By detaining opposition leaders, who were responsible for advocating an alternative political vision, it eliminated the figures who helped garner mass support for BS. Via the monopoly of power, the incumbent government managed to remove the strong opposition, thus ensuring that leftist support was curbed and directed towards PAP instead. The use of legal power also instilled fear about the harsh treatment one would face if they rose as a strong political opposition of PAP.
- The use of MG structures acted as a deterrent for the rise of any political opposition, thus ensuring that there was no viable political threat to PAP's leadership. This is seen in PAP's dominance in Singapore's political scene for over four decades.
Limitations: PAP's political dominance can be attributed to the fact that BS was weak and not because the MG structures were effective. BS boycotted the 1966 elections, effectively allowing PAP to be the de facto dominant political voice in the government. Their poor strategies eventually resulted in BS's declining popularity, showing that PAP's political dominance can be attributed to the weaknesses of their political opposition, rather than the MG structures they undertook to undermine their opponents.
Tuesday, 6 September 2016
[SEA History] MG Stab/Instab (TS)
TS: Factor + MG Quality - What it did - Causal Significance - Outcome
+ The maximum government's ability to use and monopolize control of state apparatus as a means to ensure opposition inability to revive itself made it possible for the maximum government to sustain political control, as seen in the maintenance of power within the hands of the ruling elite.
+ Through the maximum government's extensive influence over multiple areas of society, it enabled the creation of effective institutions that help develop political goodwill, thus aiding in the cultivation of a supportive electorate, as seen in the maximum government's continued popularity in the political realm.
+ The maximum government's monopoly of power enabled the practicing of political patronage which courted the loyalty of non-government actors, thus removing political threats to the maximum government, resulting in the maintenance of political control by the maximum government.
+ Through the monopoly of power, the maximum government's utility of legislation to suppress opposition drastically reduced the opposition's ability to challenge the incumbent government by isolating its support bases, thus enabling political stability, evident by the absence of a viable political opponent to the incumbent government.
- Declining support for authoritarian regimes as a result of a changing international climate led to the loss of economic aid, causing the maximum government to be unable to cultivate mass support for the regime, thus resulting in the establishment of a civilian government instead.
- The presence of strong political opponents undermined the activities and actions of the maximum government, resulting in the loss of legitimacy for the maximum government.
+ The maximum government's ability to use and monopolize control of state apparatus as a means to ensure opposition inability to revive itself made it possible for the maximum government to sustain political control, as seen in the maintenance of power within the hands of the ruling elite.
+ Through the maximum government's extensive influence over multiple areas of society, it enabled the creation of effective institutions that help develop political goodwill, thus aiding in the cultivation of a supportive electorate, as seen in the maximum government's continued popularity in the political realm.
+ The maximum government's monopoly of power enabled the practicing of political patronage which courted the loyalty of non-government actors, thus removing political threats to the maximum government, resulting in the maintenance of political control by the maximum government.
+ Through the monopoly of power, the maximum government's utility of legislation to suppress opposition drastically reduced the opposition's ability to challenge the incumbent government by isolating its support bases, thus enabling political stability, evident by the absence of a viable political opponent to the incumbent government.
- Declining support for authoritarian regimes as a result of a changing international climate led to the loss of economic aid, causing the maximum government to be unable to cultivate mass support for the regime, thus resulting in the establishment of a civilian government instead.
- The presence of strong political opponents undermined the activities and actions of the maximum government, resulting in the loss of legitimacy for the maximum government.
[SEA History] Adoption of MG (TS)
- The accommodation of minority rights under Parliamentary Democracy resulted in the outbreak of communal riots, inclining governments towards adopting authoritarian structures to maintain political stability. [Necessity]
- The inefficient policy making of the incumbent government saw the gradual loss of their their legitimacy, increasing the willingness of the military to impose maximum governance to restore government efficiency. [Necessity]
- The incompatibility of the democratic system with the local context opened up space for maximum governance to be adopted as an alternative political structure. [Necessity]
- The presence of a politically influential non-government player who was in favour of authoritarian rule opened up the opportunity for maximum governance to take root. [Chance]
- The political ambition of the incumbent leaders weakened their commitment towards democracy, thus inclining them towards a more authoritarian system to retain power. [Choice]
- The inefficient policy making of the incumbent government saw the gradual loss of their their legitimacy, increasing the willingness of the military to impose maximum governance to restore government efficiency. [Necessity]
- The incompatibility of the democratic system with the local context opened up space for maximum governance to be adopted as an alternative political structure. [Necessity]
- The presence of a politically influential non-government player who was in favour of authoritarian rule opened up the opportunity for maximum governance to take root. [Chance]
- The political ambition of the incumbent leaders weakened their commitment towards democracy, thus inclining them towards a more authoritarian system to retain power. [Choice]
Monday, 5 September 2016
[GP] Singapore - Content
ECONOMY
- According to the World Economic Forum's Global Competitveness Report 2013, SG is world's 2nd most economically competitive nation.
- SG has the highest concentration of millionaire households - at 17%.
- SG has the 2nd highest income inequality in the world.
- Our economy is growing at 2-3% per year and continues to attract tens of billions of dollars in foreign direct investment a year. Eg. Rolls Royce aircraft engine manufacturing facility and Procter & Gamble's regional R&D centre.
- SG deemed to be an economic miracle - a respected player with an outsized influence on the world stage both diplomatically and economically.
- It is a major oil refining and training hub with a growing liquefied natural gas trading and storing industry. World leaders in oil rig building through Keppel Corporation and Sembcorp Marine.
- Airport and Seaport are the busiest in the world, attracts 3x the resident population of tourists each year. Best airport in the world, voted consecutively.
- SG enjoyed double digit growth annually in it's GDP from 1965 to 1985.
- Very high standard of living, one of the most expensive places in the world to live in, a car is very expensive.
GOVERNMENT
- Clean and capable govt, which has built the security, stability, infrastructure, strong rule of law and open economy that makes SG a great place to invest and do business.
- Non-corrupt government; our leaders are elected based on their ability and not because they are related to the ruling elite. This ensured that the interests of the people were put before that of self-interest, allowing Singapore to flourish as a nation-state.
- Allows for limited freedom of speech so as to ensure that harmony remains. Secular - allows for religious freedom but will also take action if the religion does anything to challenge national interests/the authority. Jehovah's Witness was banned as the people refused to undergo NS (they do not partake in military service). The Marxist Conspiracy saw 20-odd catholics being captured.
PEOPLE (Identity, Lang, Characteristics)
- Singaporeans are fluent in both English and Asian languages, such as Chinese, Malay and Tamil, and thus act as an invaluable bridge between the East and the West. This was due to the bilingualism policy that introduced English as a lingua franca and allowing people to retain their ethnic language as their second language.
- Singapore's national ideology is the Shared Values initiative, which is meant to inculcate Asian Values into Singaporeans, after the 1961 bilingualism policy was criticized as having 'Westernized' Singaporeans with the increased usage of the English Language. However, Singapore has also been criticized as a cultural orphan with no unique identity to itself.
- Singaporeans speak colloquial English, better known as 'Singlish'. It is a jargon unique to Singapore, made up of mostly English but mixed with Chinese, Malay, Tami and Chinese dialects. Many Singaporeans hold it close to them.
HISTORY
- Double-minority status: The Singaporean majority is a regional minority, making them more vulnerable to external pressures or tensions. The government will hence take greater precautionary measures such as capping the number of Malays in the SAF and seeks to establish good bilateral relations with Malaysia and Indonesia.
- Focus on: Pragmatism, Meritocracy, Honesty.
- Many of our ancestors came from China or India, in search of better job opportunities and salary. The values of pragmatism - working hard to reap the fruits of our labour - has been passed down generation after generation. Many Singaporeans aim to attain the 5Cs - Condo, Car, Credit Card, Country Club Membership, Career.
- Singaporeans actively pursue material aim, in terms of job promotions, salary increment.
INFRASTRUCTURE
- Excellent transport system as compared to other countries in the world. Provides access to almost any part of SG via MRT and buses.
SPORTS
- Many Singaporeans lament at the lack of local talent. In the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, the ladies table tennis team comprised of Chinese-born paddlers, who were previously rejected by the Chinese National Team. If we had utilized our local talents, we may never have achieved this monumental feat. While many Singaporeans were extremely proud and happy that the ladies team in 2008 won the silver medal, some were upset that they were not truly Singaporean.
- Joseph Schooling, who won the Republic's first olympic gold medal and broke an olympic record in the 100m butterfly event, had his momentuous victory put down by critics who deemed him as not a true-blue Singaporean. He studied and trained in America since he was in his early teens, and some felt that he did not grow up in Singapore and hence, was considered a foreigner in his origin country.
- Sports in Singapore can bind people too. During football matches, especially at the old national stadium or jalan besar stadium, many Singaporeans will turn up to cheer for the local team, especially when Singapore is playing Malaysia. It is an opportunity for them to don national colours and show the pride for their country. Regardless of race or religion, Singaporeans bond over their common love for 'The Beautiful Game' and the pride they have of their nation.
- SG focuses on STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. This was to boost the value added per worker in order to compensate for our geographical disadvantages, such as having no strategic hinterland and having no natural resources.
- The focus in our education is to get perfect grades to open up our options in University, so that we can get a prestigious degree to attain our dream job - which is defined to be a career which propels us to the top of the corporate ladder and allowing us to earn several hundred grand per year. Many students focus on getting into prestigious schools and competing with other elite students for the top spots, so as to not 'lose out'.
- Many students simply cram information in examinations to regurgitate what they have memorized in the exams, in order to get top marks. Much focus is placed on the students' ability to retain knowledge and write speedily, as opposed to truly understanding the concepts involved and appreciating the thinking process. Despite this, Singapore has constantly been praised to have one of the best education systems in the world, seeing how Raffles Institution churned out more students who attended Ivy League Schools than any other high schools in the world. In fact, Wall Street Journal dubbed RI as the 'Ivy League Machine'. RI is also the top high school for Oxford in terms of student admission.
- SG topped the PISA problem-solving test in 2012 - it was taken by students from around the world.
- Singapore incorporated a shared history of the different races in the NE curriculum by portraying the forefathers of SG to be of different ethnic groups (eg. LKY, Goh Keng Swee, Toh Chin Chye, Lim Yew Hock?, Yusof Bin Ishak, Rajaratnam).
TOURISM
-
- According to the World Economic Forum's Global Competitveness Report 2013, SG is world's 2nd most economically competitive nation.
- SG has the highest concentration of millionaire households - at 17%.
- SG has the 2nd highest income inequality in the world.
- Our economy is growing at 2-3% per year and continues to attract tens of billions of dollars in foreign direct investment a year. Eg. Rolls Royce aircraft engine manufacturing facility and Procter & Gamble's regional R&D centre.
- SG deemed to be an economic miracle - a respected player with an outsized influence on the world stage both diplomatically and economically.
- It is a major oil refining and training hub with a growing liquefied natural gas trading and storing industry. World leaders in oil rig building through Keppel Corporation and Sembcorp Marine.
- Airport and Seaport are the busiest in the world, attracts 3x the resident population of tourists each year. Best airport in the world, voted consecutively.
- SG enjoyed double digit growth annually in it's GDP from 1965 to 1985.
- Very high standard of living, one of the most expensive places in the world to live in, a car is very expensive.
GOVERNMENT
- Clean and capable govt, which has built the security, stability, infrastructure, strong rule of law and open economy that makes SG a great place to invest and do business.
- Non-corrupt government; our leaders are elected based on their ability and not because they are related to the ruling elite. This ensured that the interests of the people were put before that of self-interest, allowing Singapore to flourish as a nation-state.
- Allows for limited freedom of speech so as to ensure that harmony remains. Secular - allows for religious freedom but will also take action if the religion does anything to challenge national interests/the authority. Jehovah's Witness was banned as the people refused to undergo NS (they do not partake in military service). The Marxist Conspiracy saw 20-odd catholics being captured.
PEOPLE (Identity, Lang, Characteristics)
- Singaporeans are fluent in both English and Asian languages, such as Chinese, Malay and Tamil, and thus act as an invaluable bridge between the East and the West. This was due to the bilingualism policy that introduced English as a lingua franca and allowing people to retain their ethnic language as their second language.
- Singapore's national ideology is the Shared Values initiative, which is meant to inculcate Asian Values into Singaporeans, after the 1961 bilingualism policy was criticized as having 'Westernized' Singaporeans with the increased usage of the English Language. However, Singapore has also been criticized as a cultural orphan with no unique identity to itself.
- Singaporeans speak colloquial English, better known as 'Singlish'. It is a jargon unique to Singapore, made up of mostly English but mixed with Chinese, Malay, Tami and Chinese dialects. Many Singaporeans hold it close to them.
HISTORY
- Double-minority status: The Singaporean majority is a regional minority, making them more vulnerable to external pressures or tensions. The government will hence take greater precautionary measures such as capping the number of Malays in the SAF and seeks to establish good bilateral relations with Malaysia and Indonesia.
- Focus on: Pragmatism, Meritocracy, Honesty.
- Many of our ancestors came from China or India, in search of better job opportunities and salary. The values of pragmatism - working hard to reap the fruits of our labour - has been passed down generation after generation. Many Singaporeans aim to attain the 5Cs - Condo, Car, Credit Card, Country Club Membership, Career.
- Singaporeans actively pursue material aim, in terms of job promotions, salary increment.
INFRASTRUCTURE
- Excellent transport system as compared to other countries in the world. Provides access to almost any part of SG via MRT and buses.
SPORTS
- Many Singaporeans lament at the lack of local talent. In the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, the ladies table tennis team comprised of Chinese-born paddlers, who were previously rejected by the Chinese National Team. If we had utilized our local talents, we may never have achieved this monumental feat. While many Singaporeans were extremely proud and happy that the ladies team in 2008 won the silver medal, some were upset that they were not truly Singaporean.
- Joseph Schooling, who won the Republic's first olympic gold medal and broke an olympic record in the 100m butterfly event, had his momentuous victory put down by critics who deemed him as not a true-blue Singaporean. He studied and trained in America since he was in his early teens, and some felt that he did not grow up in Singapore and hence, was considered a foreigner in his origin country.
- Sports in Singapore can bind people too. During football matches, especially at the old national stadium or jalan besar stadium, many Singaporeans will turn up to cheer for the local team, especially when Singapore is playing Malaysia. It is an opportunity for them to don national colours and show the pride for their country. Regardless of race or religion, Singaporeans bond over their common love for 'The Beautiful Game' and the pride they have of their nation.
EDUCATION
- SG focuses on STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. This was to boost the value added per worker in order to compensate for our geographical disadvantages, such as having no strategic hinterland and having no natural resources.
- The focus in our education is to get perfect grades to open up our options in University, so that we can get a prestigious degree to attain our dream job - which is defined to be a career which propels us to the top of the corporate ladder and allowing us to earn several hundred grand per year. Many students focus on getting into prestigious schools and competing with other elite students for the top spots, so as to not 'lose out'.
- Many students simply cram information in examinations to regurgitate what they have memorized in the exams, in order to get top marks. Much focus is placed on the students' ability to retain knowledge and write speedily, as opposed to truly understanding the concepts involved and appreciating the thinking process. Despite this, Singapore has constantly been praised to have one of the best education systems in the world, seeing how Raffles Institution churned out more students who attended Ivy League Schools than any other high schools in the world. In fact, Wall Street Journal dubbed RI as the 'Ivy League Machine'. RI is also the top high school for Oxford in terms of student admission.
- SG topped the PISA problem-solving test in 2012 - it was taken by students from around the world.
- Singapore incorporated a shared history of the different races in the NE curriculum by portraying the forefathers of SG to be of different ethnic groups (eg. LKY, Goh Keng Swee, Toh Chin Chye, Lim Yew Hock?, Yusof Bin Ishak, Rajaratnam).
TOURISM
-
Sunday, 4 September 2016
[SEA History] PD Stab/Instab (TS)
PD Means - What it did - Outcome (Indicator)
+ PD governments successfully prevented the eruption of large sale or violent labour unrest via the skilful cultivation of union-government relationships and dialogues, thus preserving the overall social order.
+ The accommodation for a variety of views helped in the management of diverse interests, thereby preventing racial tensions from disrupting social stability.
- The allowance of political competition opened up space for diverse political actors to exist, with divergent political interests resulting in constant changes in the composition of leadership.
- PD governments lacked the will to forcibly suppress political opposition, thereby paving the way for increased military intervention in politics, ultimately culminating into military takeovers of the government.
- The accommodation of minority interests under PD fuelled anger from the majority and culminated into ethnic riots, which resulted in structural changes of the political system to restore political stability.
+ PD governments successfully prevented the eruption of large sale or violent labour unrest via the skilful cultivation of union-government relationships and dialogues, thus preserving the overall social order.
+ The accommodation for a variety of views helped in the management of diverse interests, thereby preventing racial tensions from disrupting social stability.
- The allowance of political competition opened up space for diverse political actors to exist, with divergent political interests resulting in constant changes in the composition of leadership.
- PD governments lacked the will to forcibly suppress political opposition, thereby paving the way for increased military intervention in politics, ultimately culminating into military takeovers of the government.
- The accommodation of minority interests under PD fuelled anger from the majority and culminated into ethnic riots, which resulted in structural changes of the political system to restore political stability.
[SEA History] Adoption of PD (TS)
Colonial Legacy: Plural Society, Western Edu, Early intro of demo structures
JO: Turn towards mass politics, harsh rule
Colonial Interests: Fear of communism, Decol Plans
Decol: Nationalist strategies of local leaders, CP's decol plans
Factor - What it did - Causal Significance - Outcome
- The creation of a plural society during colonial rule saw the rise of diverse communities, fuelling desire for the adoption of democracy which accommodated a diversity of interests.
- Western Education equipped local leaders with the knowledge of the workings of democracy, enhancing their ability to adopt it as a political system upon independence.
- The turn towards mass politics during the Japanese Occupation saw the emergence of diverse political players, thus making the government more inclined towards adopting democracy as a political system to accommodate the varying interests.
- The harsh rule of the Japanese Occupation turned locals away from authoritarian rule, making them inclined towards democracy as an alternative political structure to be adopted upon independence.
- The colonial power's fear of communism saw the introduction of democratic structures in their decolonization plans, laying the foundation of democracy to be adopted as the default political system at the point of independence.
- Nationalist strategies for decolonization saw local leaders aligning themselves with democracy to convince the colonial powers of their legitimacy to rule, in order to gain colonial acknowledgement of their independence movement, and thus democracy was the de facto political system at the point of independence.
- Given the international bipolar divide after WW2, local leaders adopted democracy as a strategy to gain colonial and international acknowledgement of their independence movement.
btw, none of these have been checked by a teacher. i just needed to write them down somewhere before i lose my notes again. it may be wrong for all you know, but im gonna use them for now.
[Microeconomics] Price Floor
How it works
- Minimum legislated market price set and allowed by the government.
- It is set above the market equilibrium at Pmin.
- It is meant to protect income of suppliers.
Presence of surplus
- Rise in price leads to a decreases in QD an increase in QS, ceteris paribus. There will be a surplus of QDQS units of [good].
- Demand elasticity explanation.
- Supply elasticity explanation.
Eg. DD elastic, SS inelastic.
- As such, the increase in P is likely to cause a more than proportionate decrease in QD. There will be a severe surplus. The government should asses between the price and degree of surplus. the higher the price floor, the more severe the surplus.
DWL
- Before the implementation of a price floor, the consumer surplus is Area DE0P0 and producer surplus is Area DE0O. Consumers enjoy larger Q but higher P. Consumer surplus decreases to Area XXX and producer surplus increases to Area YYY, incurring a DWL of Area ZZZ.
Evasion of PF
- Firms will surplus may have incentive to evade PF and sell goods below legislated price. This is especially true for firms which sell products with price elastic demands. When they decrease the price of their good, there will a more than prop decrease in QD, allowing the firm to earn a higher revenue.
Buy up surplus
- To ensure that revenue of law-abiding producers do not fall, the government can buy up the surplus. However, this is financially costly, with the expenditure denoted by Area ABCD.
- If goods are perishable, they cannot be stored. If they are non-perishable, they will incur high storage costs.
- Selling the surplus in the international market will depress world price even further due to increase in world supply as most surpluses are offloaded into the world market.
Quota
- Artificially lower SS restricts producers to quota.
- By lowering Q transacted, it causes market price to increase, rendering price control unnecessary. However, the loss of consumption due to the disruption of market forces will lower economic welfare.
Cushion inefficiency
- The price floor enable profits to be protected as they are set higher than the free market equilibrium price.
- There may be less need for producers to find more efficient production methods and cut cost. This cushions inefficiency.
Alternative Goods
- High price may discourage firms from producing alternative goods which they could produce more efficiently or are in higher demand, but have a lower market price.
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