“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts: (i) the concept of ‘needs’, in particular the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and (ii) the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs.” – “Our Common Future” 第二章第一項 – 聯合國第A/42/427號文件。
2003年新加坡一位學者張漢音(Johannes Han-Yin Chang)發表了一篇論文:《新加坡的文化、國家與經濟發展》(Culture, State and Economic Development in Singapore)。文章中他回顧了立國35年的新加坡是如何發展成為一個城市國家,而他的結論是新加坡的成就與她的文化背景正好與馬克斯韋伯所闡釋的資本主義經濟發展的文化影響背道而馳。張與一部分學者都認為新加坡政府的基本價值來自七種哲思:新社會達爾文主義、聯結主義、中庸理性主義、現實主義、社區化主義、保守自由主義及精英主義