Why Singapore’s Success Is So Difficult to Replicate?

A country with no oil. No natural gas. No minerals. Not even enough fresh water to drink on its own. A nation so small you can drive from one end to the other in under an hour — smaller than many of the world's major cities. Sixty years ago, this country was poor. Crowded with slums. Plagued by unemployment. Torn by riots in the streets. And then — it was kicked out of its neighbor. Yes, kicked out. Not seceded. Not declared independence. It was expelled. Today, that same country has one of the highest incomes per person on the planet. Higher than Britain. Higher than Japan. Its airport has been voted the world's best, year after year. Its port is among the busiest on Earth. And the world's biggest companies fight for the privilege of opening offices there. That country is Singapore. Today, we're going to tell the story of how this happened. But the more interesting question — the one we'll spend most of our time on — is this: if everyone can see that Singapore succeeded, why have dozens of countries that tried to copy its formula failed to replicate it?