Science

Today, multinational corporations comprise a central place in the world economy. Before World War II, terms such as "multinational" were seldom used to describe international economic relations. Although transnational entities like the British East India Company and joint-stock enterprises existed in the past, the expansion and proliferation of multinational agents is a recent phenomenon. The hyperbolic spread of transnational activity has spawned a spirited debate and the concomitant development of theoretical models that seek to explain their causes and effects. Dependency theory, which is far more skeptical of multinational activity, asserts that state institutions become hostage to foreign capital. Both paradigms, however, fail to explain the rise of multinational corporations and economic development in Singapore. Recognizing that Singapore is poorly endowed in natural resources, state leaders adopted a series of measures that reduced market risks and created a host country climate attractive to foreign investment.
 Science