logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2022
23m 41s

Singapore: Who Gets to Be Crazy Rich?

bloomberg
About this episode

Singapore's carefully controlled housing market has been a key factor in its economic success over the last 60 years. But when the pandemic ushered in the city's worst-ever recession, property prices continued to rise, leading a younger generation to worry if it can match the social mobility enjoyed by their parents. In this episode of The Pay Check, we examine the grand housing experiment that helped Singapore to reach one of the highest rates of homeownership in the world, and recent developments that have left ordinary Singaporeans asking whether the system is still working for them. Reporter Faris Mokhtar meets the man who helped create the city's housing boom, as well as the young professionals grappling with the market today.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Feb 2025
Evolving Money: The Regulation Revolution (Sponsored Content)
Just as it took the British government a century to catch up to Jonathan Swift’s innovative person-to-person loan program, the U.S. government has been slow to react to crypto, creating bureaucratic and legal hurdles to growth in the industry. But with a new administration and a ... Show More
20m 8s
Nov 2024
Listen Now: Beak Capitalism from Odd Lots
In this limited series, Odd Lots explains some of the thorniest issues facing the US economy through the medium of … chicken. Chicken occupies a unique position in the US diet, but issues facing the poultry industry illustrate wider points about the development of the US economy ... Show More
1 m
Jun 2022
Spain: A Time-Tested Model for Economic Security
For the last seven weeks, we’ve gone around the world to see how the pandemic led to more or less economic equality. There were some pleasant surprises and some devastating stories. In the season finale, we ask: what about the next crisis? How do we ensure more stability and secu ... Show More
30m 5s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2024
Listen Now: Beak Capitalism from Odd Lots
In this limited series, Odd Lots explains some of the thorniest issues facing the US economy through the medium of … chicken. Chicken occupies a unique position in the US diet, but issues facing the poultry industry illustrate wider points about the development of the US economy ... Show More
1 m
Feb 2025
VULTURE CAPITALISM UNVEILED: Grace Blakeley on the Oligarchs' Grip on Our Economy
In this episode, Max and Nafkote interview Grace Blakeley, an economist and author, about the rise of oligarchy and the relationship between billionaires, corporations, and the state.Grace discusses the close relationship between the American political establishment and the billi ... Show More
24m 5s
Jul 2025
Revealing the Secret Architects of Capitalism, with Chris Hughes
<p>After the 2008 financial crisis, and especially after the COVID pandemic of 2020, an increasing number of Americans are questioning the wisdom of unregulated markets and envisioning a more active role for the state. Scholars have coined a panoply of neologisms to capture this ... Show More
49m 27s
Jun 2025
The Progressive Regulator Winning Over the Populist Right
<p>Is the key to freedom a life without Amazon? This week, Ross talks to Lina Khan, former Chair of the Federal Trade Commission about how unchecked corporate power has limited choice in our day-to-day lives, and how her fight against Big Tech unites left and right.</p><ul><li>02 ... Show More
1 h
Dec 2024
How Big Food changed the way we eat (rerun)
<p><em>Hey smarties! We’re on a break for the holidays and revisiting some of our top episodes from 2024. We can’t do this show without you and we still need your support. If you can, donate today to keep independent journalism going strong into 2025 and beyond. </em><em><a href= ... Show More
24m 15s
Jun 2024
How to Fix Capitalism
Is capitalism broken? A growing number of Americans think so amid declining social mobility and rising inequality. According to investor Ruchir Sharma, author of What Went Wrong With Capitalism, the United States has gone on a decades-long debt binge, with too many regulations an ... Show More
42m 24s
Sep 2025
Confronting Capitalism: The Origins of Capitalism
It’s well understood that capitalist economies are a recent development in human history. But there is persistent disagreement on the Left over exactly how and where the transition to capitalism occurred, as well as what role colonial plunder played in enriching the West. On this ... Show More
53m 55s
Aug 2025
Should the government be in the business of business?
What happens when the federal government owns part of a company? That’s one of MANY questions about federal policy right now, as the Trump Administration aggressively pushes for stakes — and oversight — of major private companies.This week, the White House announced it was taking ... Show More
8m 52s
Sep 2025
ICE raids, cooling on capitalism, and a Murdoch settlement
It’s … Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today’s episode: the concept of capitalism is cooling in American minds; the U.S. policies behind the Hyundai ICE raid; and an influential family’s succession saga co ... Show More
9m 30s
Feb 2025
Is recession risk rising?
<p></p><br/><p>A growing number of young American consumers say they’re opting out of the economy entirely or pulling back from spending at certain stores over their political views. We’ll explain how this trend could collide with other economic shifts, creating the perfect recip ... Show More
13m 15s