I recently returned to Singapore after three years teaching at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. Many students there are serving political leaders and officials from across the world, several with many years’ experience. Singapore’s approach to paying political and public service leaders came up often.
It was striking how positively many students viewed Singapore’s approach. Most noted, with some regret, that their own countries had failed to find a balance between paying enough that capable people are willing to do the job, but not so much that public office becomes indistinguishable from any other career. For many, Singapore’s answer was carefully considered, with a transparent formula behind it and robust parliamentary debate around it.
Aaron Maniam is deputy director at the Institute of Policy Studies and professor of practice at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. He served in the Singapore civil service between 2004 and 2023.