> Maybe that's what the US is too already. Well, yes. Given that the reason that Singapore scores poorly is due to low pluralism, low political participation,

> Maybe that's what the US is too already. Well, yes. Given that the reason that Singapore scores poorly is due to low pluralism, low political participation, and a weak press. It's a democracy by the merits that most people prefer: legislators and executives are elected, there's a rule of law, etc. It's not a democracy in the same ways the US and virtually all non-Scandinavian countries aren't: too much authoritarianism, too little citizen participation, etc. The difference is in degree. http://graphics.eiu.com/PDF/Democracy_Index_2010_web.pdf http://graphics.eiu.com/PDF/Democracy_Index_2010_web.pdf (I didn't bother checking if 2011 would work; I expect Wikipedia would have updated it if it were upgraded to a flawed democracy.) http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2012/singapore http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2012/singap... http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2012/singapore http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2012/singap...