"Many Helping Hands": a review and analysis of long-term care policies, programs, and practices in Singapore

Using the political economy perspective to examine key long-term care policies and provisions, we uncover some ideological underpinnings of policy-making in Singapore. Family involvement, an inherent part of the long-term care system, is overtly reinforced by legislations and policy imperatives. Further, the government encourages and expects the participation of nonstate actors in the provision of services as part of its Many Helping Hands approach to welfare provision. In our analysis, we argue that the government's emphasis of certain ideology, such as self-reliance and cultural exceptionalism, allows it to adopt a residual and philanthropic approach in support of its macro-economic and legitimacy concerns.