especially since it was called upon to deal with the recent financial and economic crisis in Asia. In opposition to this view, this anticle argues that there have been considerable changes in the public sector in Singapore in response to diverse internal and external pressures. It should be emphasized, however, that while the economic sphere of the developmental state has undergone some market-driven reforms, the political realm of the state has hardly changed in terms of shifting toward greater participation of opposition parties and civil society groups in policy decisions