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An Empirical Study on the Development of Singapore Law

Goh Yihan & Paul Tan

(2011) 23 SAcLJ 176

Abstract:
This article presents the preliminary findings and views of a comprehensive empirical study of Singapore law from 1965 to 2008. A significant component of this study involves a detailed empirical study into the development of Singapore law by reference to a number of objective indicia. From the empirical data collected, the study then briefly analyses the data gathered in a qualitative fashion. Here, the study draws conclusions as to how far we have come in the development of Singapore law in a wide range of important spheres, including civil, commercial, criminal, tort and constitutional law; how and why Singapore law has been shaped by foreign decisions; the trends and extrapolations that could be made in terms of the practice of judicial decision-making; and what some of the factors might be that account for these developments.