Avoiding Exam Queues with Market Pay

Many developing states create massive applicant queues by paying civil servants above market, then rationing entry with exams. Singapore flips this: it pays market rates to the broad civil service and pegs only a few top officials to private‑sector elites, so supply meets demand without exams. This reduces rent-seeking and the talent drain from the private economy. — It warns policymakers that imitating Singapore by simply 'paying more' will backfire unless pay is market-aligned broadly and de‑compressed only at the top.