现代政治学中有“社会资本”一词，指在一个社会当中，每个人都遵守一系列非正式的行为准则，从而使彼此能够为各自或共同的利益进行合作。
对于“社会资本”的内涵，学者们的解释大同小异。根据弗朗西斯·福山的阐述，诚实、信任、协调与互让的原则和精神是最基本的内容。
通俗地说，所谓“社会资本”，实际上就是一个社会健康生存和持续发展的非物质“本钱”。用中国当下最热门的词汇来说，就是“社会和谐”。社会资本越雄厚，这个社会的运转就越顺畅，越有效率。
用这个理论来观察我们所生活的亚洲，可以发现各国或地区所拥有的社会资本，存在着明显的差距。根据笔者个人的认识，社会资本比较占优势的亚洲国家有两个，日本可算其中之一，另一个就是新加坡。
以福山提出的标准来衡量，构成社会资本的所有要素在新加坡都具备。最近上海一家杂志的记者问我：中国正致力于构建和谐社会，新加坡在这方面有什么经验可谈？我给的答案是“共识”。
“共识”是衡量社会资本的很高标准，它意味着人们为了共同的目标而愿意有秩序地相处。新加坡人普遍诚实，守规矩，重然诺，也有较好的互让精神，所以其和谐程度明显高于东南亚邻国，也好于大多数亚洲国家。
在社会资本的所有要素中，笔者认为最值得强调的是诚实。在新加坡，无论是政府，还是普通民众，其诚实度都是可靠的。虽然这里也有贪污和欺诈现象，但政府和民众的普遍诚信是没有什么争议的。
当然，法律健全和执法有效是一个重要的原因，但最经得起考验的原因还在于法律之外，包括执政者的以身作则。易言之，只有诚实的政府，才能造就良民社会。
一个最新的事例是，上星期，在民意处理组庆祝成立21周年的场合，李显龙总理说了一句可能并不讨好、但却十分诚实的话。他说，政府非常重视民众的意见和建议，并且希望开拓更多了解民意的渠道，“但政府不会只凭民意制定政策”。
从世界大多数政治人物的角度看，这句话前半部分恰到好处，但后半部分听起来就不很顺耳。在民主意识日益强烈的现代社会，很多正确的大实话，往往会显得“政治不正确”，容易被曲解和恶意利用。因此，很多政治人物为了迎合部分民意，往往有意或被迫开一些空头支票，口惠而实不至。
新加坡领导人对民众开诚布公，即使是不中听的话也要实说，这不只需要勇气和自信，更需要诚实的政治品格。尽管有些话暂时不被理解或者被误解，但从长远来看，它使得这个社会从上到下逐渐培养出相互信任的集体性格。对资源极其匮乏的小国来说，这是一种珍贵的社会资本。
凡是社会资本比较缺乏的国家，各阶层之间的利益关系、社会秩序、乃至政治秩序都不会很好。至于暴力、吸毒、自杀、家庭破裂和偷税等现象就更严重。我知道很多人都在研究新加坡社会为何能够长期保持和谐，但似乎还没有人从社会资本的角度着手。本文谨此抛砖引玉。
·作者是《联合早报》
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（英文版由我的同事叶琦保翻译）
Social capital and a harmonious society
By Du Ping
In modern political science, the term social capital refers to a series of informal standards of behaviour observed by society in order to work together in achieving individual or common interests.
As to what social capital comprises, the opinions of academics are quite similar. In the view of Johns Hopkins University's Francis Fukuyama, honesty, trust, coordination and reciprocity are the basic ingredients.
Put simply, social capital is the non-material "capital" for the healthy growth and sustained developments of a society.
Or, to use a term that is on everyone's lips in China today, it means "social harmony". The more social capital a society has, the more it is likely to function smoothly and efficiently.
Apply this theory to Asia where we live in and we will find great disparities in the social capital possessed by different countries and places. The two countries which have the edge over others are Japan and Singapore.
Going by Mr Fukuyama's criteria, Singapore has all the ingredients that constitute social capital.
Recently, I was asked by a journalist from a Shanghai magazine what the Singapore experience could offer for China which is focusing its efforts on building a harmonious society. My answer was: Consensus.
Consensus is a very high standard for measuring social capital. It means people are willing to live together in an orderly manner in order to achieve common goals.
Singaporeans are, by and large, honest and law-abiding people who will keep their promises. There is also a greater spirit of reciprocity among them.
Hence, it enjoys greater harmony than its South-east Asian neighbours and most Asian countries.
Of all the elements that make up social capital, I think the one that deserves most emphasis is honesty.
In Singapore, both the government and the people can be depended upon for being honest. Despite occasional cases of graft and fraud, it is beyond dispute that the government and people are generally reliable and trustworthy.
This is due in no small part to a sound system of law and order. But there are more important reasons, including the leaders setting a good example for others.
In other words, only an honest government can bring about a society of good citizens.
The latest example of this is a comment by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his speech at the Feedback Unit's 21st anniversary dinner last week.
He said that the government values views and suggestions from the people and hopes to reach out to more Singaporeans through more feedback channels, but "good government cannot be based on feedback alone". The remark may not endear him to some people but is an absolutely honest one.
Most politicians in the world will agree that the first part of the comment is perfectly all right while the second part may grate on the ears of some.
In a society where people are increasingly aware of their democratic rights, telling the truth can often turn out to be "politically incorrect" in that it can be misinterpreted and used for malicious purposes. Which is why many politicians, in order to pander to public opinion, often feel compelled to or intentionally make promises that they cannot deliver.
Singapore leaders speak candidly and honestly even though what they say may sometimes not go down well with the people. This requires courage and confidence and, more importantly, political integrity.
While some of the words may not be immediately understood or may in fact be misunderstood, over time, and in the long run, mutual trust between the government and the people will develop. For a small country with scarce resources, this is precious social capital.
Countries lacking in social capital tend to have problems in the relationships between different classes, social order and even political order. Even more serious are social ills such as violence, drug abuse, suicide and broken families.
Many are keen to study how Singapore society has been able to maintain harmony over the years, but no one seems to have looked at it from the point of view of social capital.
This article is an attempt to throw up a modest idea in order that others may be encouraged to chip in with their more valuable contributions.
