Singapore is run very much like a company. Despite being a democracy, power very much lies in the hands of the government elite. Lee Hsein Long, the curent prime minister, is the son of Lee Kuang Yew. Together, the Lees have been in power for 37 out of the 51 years of the country's existence. The People's Action Party has ruled since, well, the country started become self-governing in 1959.

The government owns much of "private" enterprise. The current prime minister is married to the CEO of Temasek Holdings, a $100 billion sovereign wealth fund that is owned by the Ministry of Finance. It owns the largest companies it Singapore, including telecon, bank, Singapore Airlines, the media, electric. For good measure, they also own the zoo and 49% of Virgin Atlantic.

The government also does a great job of recruiting talent. Males are required to complete military service - a way to build loyalty to the country and create disincentives for moving away. The government also hands out "scholarships" for US college education, but really these are loans that require one to return and work for the government for X years (5+? anyone at Stanford or Cornell + maybe others would know what I'm talking about).

All this ends up in a country thats focused, prime and nimble for economic growth. Not sure if its a good or bad thing, but certainly interesting.