Publications from ODSW Social Insights: Letters by DSW (Vol 2) | Page 137

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In the longer term, we should be concerned with whether inter-generational
mobility can be improved and how to ensure that low-income families do not
resign to their station in life through a lack of aspiration. These families must
be encouraged to emphasise education for children and skills upgrading to
achieve a better quality of life.
It is clear, and we know, that we cannot exclusively rely on market mechanisms.
We need both (appropriate) social policy and the market to complement each
other, which is a challenge that calls for constant calibration by policymakers.
As economist Amartya Sen puts it: ‘the invisible hand of the market has
often relied on the visible hand of government.’ (Sen, 1987). The nation
building efforts have shown that market principles are necessary to help
government work better, and good government is necessary to help markets
work better. Singapore may not always get the balance right. Pragmatism,
experimentation and adjustments must continue as the government plays
its role managing the relationships between public policies and the market.
To do this effectively, the responsibility of government may have to expand
in the areas of enabling, regulating, stabilising and legitimising markets in
order to achieve better societal outcomes that ultimately benefit the quality
of life and well-being of the people.

Social service and the many helping hands
As social need s grow, so must social service. With more agencies delivering
a variety of social services, the “many helping hands’ approach adopted in
Singapore has functioned relatively well in balancing state intervention and
the space for ground initiatives. The concept of “Many Helping Hands” first
appeared in a chapter of the book “The Next Lap” published in 1991 and
also released as the Principal Addendum to the Presidential Address. The
book was a result of the deliberations of a Cabinet sub-committee chaired by
the then Acting Minister for Information and the Arts George Yeo. The subcommittee, known as the Long Term National Development Committee,
drew on the ideas by several previous national-level committees formed in
the late 1980s including those in the 1989 reports of six Advisory Councils
on the (1) disabled, (2) the elderly, (3) youths, (4) sports and recreation, (5)
culture and the arts, and (6) family and community life. The concept of many
helping hands builds on the philosophy that community bonds are built
when the able and more well-off help the less able and less well-off, creating
social networks and social capital. The concept is based on the values of
mutual help, reciprocity and giving to society. In addition, as evident in the
quote below from The Next Lap, the care and compassion demonstrated
through acts of helping should build trust and mitigate the social divides
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