‘FUN HAS BEEN FUN!’: SPATIALITIES OF CO-GOVERNANCE WITH FRIENDS OF UBIN NETWORK (FUN)

Abstract

Literature on state-civil society relations, including within political geography, has focused largely on ‘power over’, wherein state and civil society are engaged in a zero-sum game. Political geographers thus face the theoretical lacuna of ‘power with’ relations, both during associational life and between state and civil society. Therein exists a real-life imperative to meet this theoretical gap: states around the world are increasingly adopting co-governance for improved accountability. In a co-governance, the state establishes relations of ‘power with’ civil society, to benefit from the latter’s ethos of democratic living. Yet, ‘power with’ relations in associational life is not taken for granted; ‘power over’ may exist between and within different associations. Therefore, co-governance provides a common platform for both state and civil society to deepen democracy. To meet the theoretical gap, this thesis conducts case study research on co-governance with the Friends of Ubin Network (FUN). The research objective thus aims to investigate the spatialities of co-governance with FUN. Based on the sole study conducted, two research questions have been devised. Firstly, how do FUN sessions facilitate the consensus-making process of members? Secondly, how is Ubin reconstituted through state-civil society cooperation to implement approved ideas? Yet, primary data research surfaces an empirical reality more complex than expected, due to oversights by the one research conducted three years ago. This thesis discovers how FUN members engage in democratic debates during FUN sessions. Civil servants do participate during roundtable discussions. However, Ubin residents are cordoned off the democratic debates due to their past. This thesis also discovers how state actors cooperate with select FUN members on proposed Ubin initiatives, even before approval by consensus is gained from FUN sessions. Still, Ubin residents do not participate in democratic management as the Ubin initiatives are actualised in Ubin either.