Social Reserves refer to the intangible ties that bind a country together.
[1] The term bears some similarity to the Bhutanese concept of Gross national happiness in that it attempts to value quality of life in a way that goes beyond traditional economic indicators.
[2] The term was coined in November 2013 by Singapore President Dr Tony Tan at an event organised by St. Joseph's Institution, Singapore.
Speaking in a lecture series on leadership, President Tan said: Singapore maintains large financial reserves, primarily through two sovereign wealth funds.
[4] An example of an effort to build up social reserves, he said, was the way that he had expanded Singapore's President's Challenge charity event to go beyond fund-raising to promote volunteerism and social entrepreneurship.