Singapore

Singapore has always led in charts as an achiever on governance, in particular for its low transaction costs and high administrative simplicity. It is not covered by IPI due to absence of fiscal transparency and has no freedom of information legislation, although the government publishes periodical reports on the public sector. Reporting on corruption in the media is difficult, if not impossible. The economy has a corporatist structure where business and political elites are closely tied, thus limiting access to opportunities for outsiders, which earned the country a top position in the Economist Crony capitalism index. However, its high Internet penetration and growth of e-citizens may bring higher demand for more equal opportunities in the future.