Remarks by Head, Civil Service, Leo Yip at the launch of Blavatnik Index of Public Administration

Remarks by Head, Civil Service, Leo Yip at the launch of Blavatnik Index of Public Administration on 4 December 2024

Let me first congratulate the Blavatnik School of Government for developing and rolling out this Index of Public Administration.

This is an important contribution to civil services who, unlike businesses, do not have the benefit of regular market signals that tell them whether their policies and services are adequately meeting demands and expectations, and where they fall short. This Index therefore focuses attention and sets out a useful framework on the qualities, capabilities and functions that civil services should seek to build.

I am humbled that Singapore’s public administration has been well rated in this inaugural Index. Singapore is a small city state with no natural resources, so it is absolutely critical that we seek to have an effective governance system that optimises the development of our people, and create the best conditions possible for nation building and for growing a competitive economy.

But ultimately the effectiveness of public administration is judged by not how we compare with one another, but how well we serve our own citizens, deal with challenges and opportunities facing our countries not just of today, but also tomorrow.

This focus on delivering excellence today, whilst at the same time innovating to build tomorrow, is an important responsibility of civil services.

But it is difficult to do.

The challenges of dealing with today’s problems and demands can be overwhelming.

But nonetheless, we in public administration have to keep improving and transforming, and sustain change, simply because the world in which we are operating is changing at a rapid pace – think technology, climate change, demographic change and geo-politics.

The work of public administration is also complex. We have to be politically sensitive, yet innovative in designing policy and be operationally savvy in implementing these policies and delivering services to the public. We are all operating in challenging times; but this is also an era that presents unprecedented and exciting new opportunities to build a new and better future for all our countries.

It is therefore all the more important that we learn from one another. The Blavatnik Index provides us a frame and many reference points to identify areas where we can learn from fellow civil services around the world. We in the Singapore Public Service have learnt much over the years from the best practice of counterparts and public services around the world.

Even though we operate in different countries with different governance systems, we are all in the same profession with the common aim of solving largely similar challenges and improving the lives of our people. This Index is an important effort to help us learn from one another and improve our own effectiveness, in order to serve our peoples better.