Rethinking the Status Quo: Public Policy Case Studies on Singapore

Edited by Jean Chia and Chan Jia Hao 

The ability to rethink the status quo is central to good governance. To ensure that policies remain fit for purpose as circumstances and needs change, robust policymaking demands questioning of the assumptions behind public policies, re-looking at policy design and implementation, and re-examining the impact of existing policies. This collection of six case studies for teaching by the LKYSPP’s Case Insights Unit covers diverse policy domains such as education and meritocracy, housing and built heritage, public transport, casinos, the gig economy, and the drive towards e-payments. Together, they present Singapore’s public policy development in action—the impetus, challenges and outcomes of rethinking the status quo.

The complete book is available for purchase at $25 (before GST) at Books Kinokuniya stores in Singapore.

 

I am happy to commend this interesting book to anyone interested in Singapore and in how the city state has responded to its challenges. The six case studies in the book cover an interesting range of topics from whether to allow casinos to be built in Singapore, to an assessment of the policy of meritocracy. The book should be of interest to the teachers and students of public policy all over the world.

Professor Tommy Koh
Ambassador-at-Large at Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Chairman of the Centre for International Law of NUS; Special Advisor of the Institute of Policy Studies; and Rector of Tembusu College, National University of Singapore