Elite Informality, Spaces of Exception and the Super-Rich in Singapore

Abstract

This chapter interrogates elite forms of informality associated with the global super-rich and how such elite informality operates through spaces of exception that further entrench the privileged status of the urban elites. Drawing on the case study of Singapore’s Sentosa Cove development, the chapter demonstrates how the Singapore property state invokes what Ong (2006) calls ‘spaces of exception’ by framing (informal) elite practices as a pragmatic necessity in order to advance collective or national interests. In the case of the Sentosa Cove, the irregularities observed in the land sales were justified as being necessary because the elite development was considered by the state to be not only ‘unique’ in its own terms but also serves as an effective ‘spatial fix’ for luring super-rich capital into Singapore during times of economic uncertainties.