Discontent in the world city of Singapore

Publication Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

5-2024

Abstract

A burgeoning literature on ‘left behind’ places has emerged that captures the backlash against globalisation and highlights the locales that lag world cities. This paper integrates the ‘left behind’ and world cities literatures through the lens of discontent in the context of Singapore, using sentiment analysis and topic modelling as well as interviews with local professionals to unpack the multidimensional aspects of discontent. Focusing on the Singapore–India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement that spurred discontent directed at foreign Indian professionals, we show that the worlding generated by transnational flows has accentuated intra-urban inequality through racialisation and spatialisation of financial business and suburban residential hubs. Discontent from intra-urban inequality unsettles years of efforts by the state to cultivate cosmopolitan spaces aimed at reducing social exclusion and difference in the world city of Singapore.

Keywords

CECA, discontent, globalisation, ‘left behind’, world cities

Discipline

Asian Studies | Urban Studies

Research Areas

Integrative Research Areas

Publication

Urban Studies

First Page

1

Last Page

18

ISSN

0042-0980

Identifier

10.1177/00420980241246

Publisher

SAGE Publications (UK and US)

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980241246

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