PP5298 Public Policy & Management in Singapore
2011/2012 Semester 1
The maximum size of the class is 40 students.
Instructor:
Lam Chuan Leong
Adjunct Professor
Ambassador-at-Large
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Email:
clam2033@gmail.com
Course Description
This module provides a survey of Singapore’s specific practices in public management and policy development. We will focus on innovations in public sector governance as main contributing factors for Singapore’s strong economic growth in the last four decades, and discuss underlying principles and rationale for these innovations.
The course consists of two parts. The first part of the course introduces to students key elements of public sector governance in Singapore, including governance structure, civil servant system, policy development, policy implementation, and financial management. The second part of the course examines Singapore’s experience in policy development and implementation in selected sectors such as health care, housing, reform of the energy and telecoms sector, land transport policy, and industrial development.
Course Objectives:
Upon completion of the module, the student will be able to:
-
Understand key principles and values underlying Singapore’s practices in governing the public sector
-
Understand the rationales for innovative measures in public management and policy development in Singapore
-
Understand potentials and limitations in applying Singapore’s experience to other contexts
Textbooks
Neo, Boon Siong, & Geraldine Chen, 2007,
Dynamic Governance: Embedding Culture, Capacities and Change in Singapore, World Scientific
Tan, Say Tin, Leong Foong Lin, Basil Chan Aik Leong, Tan Chien Ming, & Tan Dai Hwee, 2009.
Economics in Public Policies: The Singapore Story. Marshall Cavendish Education.
Lee Kuan Yew, 1999,
Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew - First Third World to First, Prentice Hall
Assessment
In determining course grades, the following weights will be used:
Class Participation 10%
Class presentation 15%
Five Assignment Papers
[1] 50%
Final Exam (open book) 25%
Notes:
-
Each term paper will count for 10%
The maximum size of the class is 40 students.
There will be 10 class presentations of 4 students in one group.
The subject of the presentations will follow the session titles from Governance to Competitiveness and Productivity (excluding the topic Market Failures). Each presentation will count for 15% of the grade of each student. Each student will make only one presentation.
There will be 5 term assignment papers. The subject and due dates are as follows:
Each paper is expected to be between 2,000 and 2,500 words in length. Please do not exceed this length.
Due date |
Subject |
6 September 2011 |
Governance and implementation |
20 September 2011 |
Business policy |
27 Sept 2011 |
Liberalisation |
11 Oct 2011 |
Industrial relations |
25 Oct 2011 |
R&D in Singapore |
Topics and Reading Assignments
Where no readings are indicated, please refer to the package of materials included with each session.
9 August 2011: no class; National Day holiday
(Class 1) Introduction
(16 August 2011)
23 August 2011: no class; make-up class scheduled on Saturday 3 September 2011
30 August 2011: no class; make-up class scheduled on Saturday 10 September 2011
(Class 2) Singapore's governance – institutions and processes
(Saturday 3 September 2011)
Neo, B. S, and G. Chen. 2007.
Dynamic Governance: Embedding Culture, Capabilities and Change in Singapore. World Scientific Pub Co Inc. Chapter 4 & 7.
(Class 3) Economic and Business policy
(6 September 2011)
(Class 4) Dealing with Market failure and externalities
(Saturday 10 September 2011)
(Class 5 & 6) Liberalisation – reforms of the energy and telecoms sectors
(13 September 2011)
Recess: 19 – 23 September 2011
(Class 7) Fiscal Policy
(27 September 2011)
(
Class 8) Labour policies and industrial relations
(4 October 2011)
Tan, Say Tin, Leong Foong Lin, Basil Chan Aik Leong, Tan Chien Ming, & Tan Dai Hwee, 2009.
Economics in Public Policies: The Singapore Story. Marshall Cavendish Education. Chapter 8
(Class 9) Housing policy in Singapore
(11 October 2011)
(Class 10) Innovation and R&D Policy and Economic Development in Singapore
(18 October 2011)
(Class 11) Health Policy in Singapore
(25 October 2011)
(Class 12) Competitiveness and Productivity
(1 November 2011)
Tan, Say Tin, Leong Foong Lin, Basil Chan Aik Leong, Tan Chien Ming, & Tan Dai Hwee, 2009.
Economics in Public Policies: The Singapore Story. Marshall Cavendish Education. Chapter 4
(Class 13) Summing up
(8 November 2011
Neo, B. S, and G. Chen. 2007.
Dynamic Governance: Embedding Culture, Capabilities and Change in Singapore. World Scientific Pub Co Inc. Chapter 9.
Book List
Neo, B. S, and G. Chen. 2007.
Dynamic Governance: Embedding Culture, Capabilities and Change in Singapore. World Scientific Pub Co Inc.
*Baumol, William J. Litan, Robert E. Schramm, Carl J,
Good Capitalism, Bad Capitalism, Yale University Press, 2007
*Ghesquiere, Henri,
Singapore’s Success, Engineering Economic Growth, Thomson 2007
*Tan, Say Tin, Leong, Foong Lin, Chan, Basil, Tan, Chien Ming, Tan, Dai Hwee,
Economics in Public Policies, Marshall Cavendish 2009.
by
Chong-Yah Lim,
P. J. Lloyd
by
Chong-Yah Lim,
Poh Seng You,
Hong Leong Group
by
Rosalind Chew,
Lim Chong Yah,
National Wages Council (Singapore),
Chong-Yah Lim(Editor)
*Principles of EconomicsMankiw N. G., Quah Euston, Wilson Peter, Cengage Learning
2008.
*Economic Policy Management in SingaporeEdited by Lim Chong Yah.
*Management of Success: The Moulding of Modern Singaporeedited by Kernial Singh Sandhu, Paul Wheatley, Institute of South East Asian Studies, 1989
*Management of Success: Singapore revisitedEdited by Terence Chong, Institute of South East Asian Studies, 2010.
Other recommended reference
Png, Ivan and Lehman, Dale
Managerial Economics, Blackwell Publishing 2007 3
rd Ed
Lewis, William W
The Power of Productivity, Wealth, Poverty, and the Threat to Global Stability, University of Chicago Press 2004.
*Kao, John
The Innovation Nation, Free Press, Simon and Schuster 2007.
* denotes books that have specific reference to Singapore.
About the Instructor:
Lam Chuan Leong
Lam Chuan Leong is an Ambassador-at-Large with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is also Chairman of the Competition Commission of Singapore. His key areas of interest and expertise are in the application of general management theories and also of micro-economics, particularly in regard to regulation of monopolies, competition policy, pricing and market efficiency, privatisation of government services, transport economics, and the structuring of public as well as private financing initiatives.
Chuan Leong has held the post of Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of National Development, the Ministry for Trade and Industry, and the Ministry of Communications and Information. Earlier he has served in the Ministry of Defence and the Prime Minister’s Office
[1]Each term paper will count for 10%; the length of each paper is expected to be 2,000 to 2,500 words