Defanging public discontent in an authoritarian regime: grassroots volunteering and immigration in Singapore

While the reliance of hybrid regimes on tools of democratic consultation has been well-documented, public participation in policy implementation is less studied. This article examines the role of citizen-volunteers in its implementation of Singapore's migrant integration policy. The state's paradoxical empowerment of its citizens to participate in policy delivery neutralises public dissent over immigration policy in two ways. Firstly, volunteers are portrayed as desirable citizens who contribute constructively to society, contrasted to anti-government critics who simply complain about government policy. Secondly, volunteers' recruitment of new citizens into their ranks undercuts anti-foreigner claims that immigrants are not contributing to Singaporean society.