In an industry of higher education that measures the longevity of its leading institutions in decades and centuries, the establishment and rapid growth of the eight-year-old Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY School), National University of Singapore, is a remarkable story that deserves to be told. The five co-authors, all of whom were involved in guiding the School during its formative years, provide unique perspectives of key events and the thinking behind major decisions that helped place the School on its current trajectory. They also provide insights into the challenges faced along the way as well as their own motivations in becoming part of this enterprise. Finally, each author provides his or her own thoughts as to the challenges and opportunities that could emerge for the LKY School in years to come.Read the chapters authored by dynamic, key founding and management personnel of the LKY School and discover for yourselves: the relevance of an Asian policy schoolwhat will make the LKY School's curriculum "one of the most innovative"what sets global policy studies apart from all other academic disciplineswhy executive education at the LKY School is one of the largest in the worldwhy the LKY School is the third best-endowed policy school in the worlda view of high-profile participating "student officials"
"The rapid emergence of the Lee Kuan Yew School as Asia's preeminent school of public policy is an impressive achievement that deserves to be emulated across ASEAN and elsewhere. With this book, Kishore Mahbubani and his colleagues have provided the world with an insightful narrative on what it takes to build a global policy school."-- Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of Indonesia "The struggle for effective government is never ending, and it becomes more challenging in a world that has become so closely interconnected. Singapore, by its own success, by its location and by its leadership, is singularly well placed to help educate the new generation in meeting the responsibilities thrust upon it. The very name of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy carries a strong message right through Asia and beyond: here is a place where responsible public service is respected, indeed an essential part of a healthy society."-- Paul A Volcker, former Federal Reserve Chairman, and Member of the Governing Board of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy
"The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy has in eight brisk years become a new global venue for serious and open-minded study of policy. The lessons are themselves evolving, never fixed, and now flow in many directions as emerging and developed countries gain insights from each other's experiences. The School is helping advance this flow of ideas - in economic and social policies, and in managing for a sustainable environment. Singapore will benefit, just as we share our own experiences with others in Asia and around the world."-- Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Singapore
"Emerging market countries tackling the challenges of globalisation need to benchmark their institutions and policies against high standards of good governance and best practice. This poses special challenges at a time when established practices in developed countries, which were earlier uncritically accepted as the best, are now seen to have flaws. The Lee Kuan Yew School has built a well-earned reputation for doing research and providing a forum for policy debate on these issues."-- Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Government of India
"Governance is truly at the heart of today's political debate. It is, increasingly, about the means to create change and improve outcomes - in a sense less one of ideology and more one of efficiency and effectiveness. The result is that it will be the learnings about what makes for effective government - not just from Singapore but from around the world - that will be the engine of our future prosperity. Public policy schools are clearly central to this: to collect, analyse, and share scholarship about such governance systems, processes and mind-sets.
I have been immensely impressed by the work of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in its first eight years. I heartily commend this new book, which shows its experience, provides a platform for others to learn from, and of course confirm to us the value that sound and rigorous public policy education has for our young and more experienced leaders alike."-- Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
"Public policy education is expanding rapidly around the world. Prospective public policy students, faculty, deans, government officials, think-tank experts and university presidents should all read this book. The Lee Kuan Yew School is forging its own path, building on the experience of its peer schools in the U.S. and Europe but also developing its own distinctive curriculum and philosophy as to how to prepare public servants and public policy leaders in Asia and across the globe." --Anne-Marie Slaughter, Bert G Kerstetter '66 University Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Princeton University
"University-based global policy schools are playing an increasingly important role in a globalized world. They provide intellectual arenas where solutions to the world's policy challenges are developed and debated. The Lee Kuan Yew School is an important new participant based in and focused on Asia. In this book some of its key architects share their perspectives and insights on the global policy education enterprise and its importance."-- Pascal Lamy, Director-General, World Trade Organization
"Since its creation in 2004, the Lee Kuan Yew School has become a respected and welcome addition to the community of schools of public policy around the world. The story of this success is well described in these pages."--Joseph Nye, former Dean Harvard Kennedy School of Government and author of The Future of Power
"Good governance is key to Singapore's success. In this complex world, a small country like Singapore must constantly reflect on itself, anticipate future scenarios, adapt to changing circumstances and have the capacity to respond well to unexpected events. This requires a clear framework of principles for thinking and executing policy. As a global public policy school located in Singapore, the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy plays an important role. It can present to others the lessons that Singapore has learnt through its own policy experience. It can also harness new ideas and perspectives from the rest of the world to help its students and collaborators stay alert to new challenges and possibilities. This book, in part, deals with such concerns in a thoughtful and honest way."-- Lim Siong Guan, former Head of the Singapore Civil Service
"The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy has been a leader and trailblazer in public policy-related education in Asia since its founding eight years ago. UNDP believes that effective public policy design and implementation are central to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and the post-2015 development agenda. We look forward to strengthening our partnership with the School in the years ahead, through collaboration between the School and UNDP's recently announced Global Centre for Public Service Excellence in Singapore which should be established before the end of the year." --Helen Clark, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme and former Prime Minister of New Zealand
