GP essay question guide
How should governments reduce inequality?
Separate unequal income from unequal access, security, and power. Compare prevention, redistribution, wage rules, services, and targeted support.
Topics: Economics, Society and Culture, Politics and Governance
Three argument directions
Raise market income
Wage and workplace rules can improve earnings and treatment before taxes and transfers.
Qualification: Coverage, enforcement, business adjustment, and excluded workers matter.
Build capability
Targeted services can address barriers linked to disability, family stress, education, and care.
Qualification: Complex eligibility can miss people and impose administrative burdens.
Provide broad security
Cash or universal support can reduce severe insecurity and give people more choice.
Qualification: Cost, targeting, inflation, and effects on existing services require careful design.
Six examples to compare
ComLink+ Combines Coaching and Targeted Support
ComLink+ pairs lower-income families with family coaches and links progress packages to steps in education, employment, finance, and housing. Student link: social media, mental health, identity, fairness, and everyday relationships.
Possible essay use
ComLink+ pairs lower-income families with family coaches and links progress packages to steps in education, employment, finance, and housing.
Limitation
Programme design and early participation do not prove sustained mobility, and conditions may fit some families better than others.
Case or source date: 2024-03-06
Singapore Raises Retail Progressive-Wage Requirements
Singapore's retail Progressive Wage Model sets wage requirements alongside training requirements for covered resident workers. Student link: first jobs, wages, prices, opportunity, and who gains from growth.
Possible essay use
Singapore's retail Progressive Wage Model sets wage requirements alongside training requirements for covered resident workers.
Limitation
Mandated wage ladders may support pay progression but can raise business costs and do not cover every worker.
Case or source date: 2025-09-01
Source: Ministry of Manpower
Singapore's Enabling Masterplan Targets Disability Inclusion
Singapore's 2025 Enabling Masterplan update reports national initiatives intended to improve inclusion of persons with disabilities. Student link: social media, mental health, identity, fairness, and everyday relationships.
Possible essay use
Singapore's 2025 Enabling Masterplan update reports national initiatives intended to improve inclusion of persons with disabilities.
Limitation
A national roadmap does not establish that physical, educational, and employment barriers have already been removed.
Case or source date: 2026-08-22
Singapore Enacts Workplace Fairness Protections
Singapore's Workplace Fairness Act 2025 prohibits specified discriminatory employment decisions and requires fair employment practices. Student link: social media, mental health, identity, fairness, and everyday relationships.
Possible essay use
Singapore's Workplace Fairness Act 2025 prohibits specified discriminatory employment decisions and requires fair employment practices.
Limitation
The Act's existence does not show how often workers will use its remedies or whether hidden discrimination will fall.
Case or source date: 2025-02-13
Source: Attorney-General's Chambers
The Widening Gap: Economic Inequality's Deep Roots
Economic inequality, the growing gap between rich and poor, stems from complex factors like policies and technology, raising global concerns.
UBI: Solution for Inequality & Robot Job Loss?
Universal Basic Income (UBI) offers a regular payment to all citizens, aiming to cut poverty and buffer job losses from automation.