Case Studies in Public Governance: Building Institutions in Singapore

The case study, whether a simple scenario about choices in decision-making or a multi-dimensional narrative of conflicts and dilemmas, is a rich source of knowledge, ideas, and insights. Using case studies as a method to document and learn the experiences of nations and their institutions reveal the perspectives, rationale, trade-offs and actions of governments and people. This book is a collection of case studies on the development of Singapore institutions.

Here, a total of five case studies encompassing the areas of urban governance, education, social security and industrial relations are presented, each carefully selected to profile a particular sector. These case studies describe the importance of culture, leadership, and systems in building institutions, and how interactions between people – leaders and employees – and the organizations they belong to can influence institutional culture. This publication seeks to deepen global understanding of the Singapore government and its form of governance, as well as to advance theories and concepts of sustainable development on a global stage.

June Gwee is Principal Researcher with the Centre for Governance and Leadership at the Singapore Civil Service College. She specializes in case writing for research, teaching, and documentation.