Singapore is the opposite of the ivory tower rule. Most high-ranking officials hold either a master's or a professional degree. You wouldn’t find many PhDs with no prior executive experience.

Maybe low corruption is a prerequisite for successful technocratic government.

Edit: which makes sense, because technocracy leans heavily on trust (in the experts).

I mean Singapore is also a dictatorship which muddies a useful comparison, but I didn't realise it was so strong on corruption.