This book presents the latest research on three issues of crucial importance to Asian cities: governance, livability, and sustainability. Together, these issues canvass the salient trends defining Asian urbanization and are explored through an eclectic compendium of studies that represent the many voices of this diverse region. Examining the processes and implications of Asian urbanization, the book interweaves practical cases with theories and empirical rigor while lending insight and complexity into the towering challenges of urban governance. The book targets a broad audience including thinkers, practitioners, and students.

This book presents the latest research on three issues of crucial importance to Asian cities: governance, livability, and sustainability. Together, these issues canvass the salient trends defining Asian urbanization and are explored through an eclectic compendium of studies that represent the many voices of this diverse region. Examining the processes and implications of Asian urbanization, the book interweaves practical cases with theories and empirical rigor while lending insight and complexity into the towering challenges of urban governance. The book targets a broad audience including thinkers, practitioners, and students.

This book focuses on the policy capacities, built up since the 2003 SARS crisis, that have contributed to Singapore's Covid-19 response efforts. In doing so, the book discusses the fiscal, operational, analytical and political capacities that have driven Singapore's policy response to the pandemic, and proposes a broad policy capacity framework that will be applicable to the analysis of other contexts as well. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought about massive disruptions in societies and economies across the world. Singapore's early success in managing the Covid-19 pandemic has received much attention from researchers and observers from across the world. A study by the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University had described Singapore's early efforts to detect and contain Covid-19 as the "gold standard of near-perfect detection". Despite its success in containing Covid-19 infections, Singapore has also faced challenges arising from systemic policy blind spots, resulting in high levels of infection in its migrant worker dormitories. With that, the book also discusses the systemic blind spots and policy shortcomings that have emerged in Singapore's response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and provides policy recommendations on policy capacity-building for future pandemics and crises. The book will be of strong interest to scholars and students of public policy and crisis management, especially those who specialise in healthcare policy and pandemic response. Given the ongoing challenges posed by Covid-19 as well as the continued risks of other future infectious disease outbreaks, the book will also be useful for policymakers and practitioners seeking to draw policy lessons from Singapore's experience with the SARS and Covid-19 outbreaks.

From the financial contagion of the 2007 Global Financial Crisis (GFC) to viral contagion in the recent COVID-19 pandemic, Singapore has been severely impacted by ripples and shockwaves that have emanated from global financial and healthcare crises. At the same time, it has proven to be highly resilient amidst such instability. This book provides an in-depth account of Singapore's policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and GFC. It focuses on the policy capacity-building efforts that have taken place in the aftermath of earlier crises such as the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak and the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis.Linked across time and space, these four crises - SARS, COVID-19, the AFC and GFC - reflect a consistent pattern in Singapore's approach to crisis management. This is a pattern that involves policy learning and capacity-building after each crisis, and the application of these lessons and capacities to subsequent crises. In focusing on the role of policy capacity in Singapore's crisis response measures, this book will provide policymakers and practitioners with a useful framework that can be used to plan for future crises and pandemics.

3-in-1: Governing a Global Financial Centre provides a comprehensive understanding of Singapore's past development and future success as a global financial centre. It focuses on three transformational processes that have determined the city-state's financial sector development and governance - globalisation, financialisation, and centralisation - and their impacts across three areas: the economy, governance, and technology. More importantly, this book takes a multidimensional approach by considering the inter-related and interdependent nature of these three transformational processes. Just like the 3-in-1 coffee mix that is such an ubiquitous feature of everyday life in Singapore, the individual ingredients of Singapore's success as a global financial centre do not act alone, but as an integrated whole that manifests itself in one final product: the global financial centre.

Service learning presents an experiential learning opportunity, particularly for students at higher education institutions. At the same time, it allows the university to engage communities and apply its considerable resources addressing community needs. This book, Educating for Empathy: Service Learning in Public Policy Education, will introduce readers to the concept of service learning and how it can be applied to higher education. While service learning has been recognized as a useful pedagogical tool that can enhance students' learning experience, the application and practice of service learning in Singapore has been limited.The book will also provide a broad overview of service learning in the context of a service learning initiative that was conducted by the author under Nanyang Technological University (NTU)'s Public Policy & Global Affairs Programme, as well as the author's experience as NTU's inaugural Community Research Fellow. It will cover the policy, pedagogical, and socio-political aspects of service learning and include insights from students and stakeholders. In doing so, it aims to provide valuable insights into the role of service learning as a driver of civic education and grassroots volunteerism. The book will also provide both education and policy professionals a greater understanding of how their work can intersect, and provide students with a highly rewarding learning experience.

The cases of Singapore and Switzerland present a fascinating puzzle: how have two small states achieved similar levels of success through divergent pathways? Are both approaches equally sustainable, and what lessons do they hold for each other? While Singapore is the archetypal developmental state, whose success can be attributed to strong political leadership and long-term planning, Switzerland's success is a more organic process, due to the propitious convergence of strong industries and a resilient citizenry. Yet throughout the course of their development, both countries have had to deal with the dual challenges of culturally heterogeneous populations and challenging regional contexts. Edited by Yvonne Guo and Jun Jie Woo, with forewords from Ambassadors Thomas Kupfer and Tommy Koh, Singapore and Switzerland: Secrets to Small State Success features contributions from distinguished scholars and policymakers who explore the dynamics of two small states which have topped international rankings in a dazzling array of policy areas, from economic competitiveness to education to governance, but whose pathways to success could not be more different.

The cases of Singapore and Switzerland present a fascinating puzzle: how have two small states achieved similar levels of success through divergent pathways? Are both approaches equally sustainable, and what lessons do they hold for each other? While Singapore is the archetypal developmental state, whose success can be attributed to strong political leadership and long-term planning, Switzerland's success is a more organic process, due to the propitious convergence of strong industries and a resilient citizenry. Yet throughout the course of their development, both countries have had to deal with the dual challenges of culturally heterogeneous populations and challenging regional contexts. Edited by Yvonne Guo and Jun Jie Woo, with forewords from Ambassadors Thomas Kupfer and Tommy Koh, Singapore and Switzerland: Secrets to Small State Success features contributions from distinguished scholars and policymakers who explore the dynamics of two small states which have topped international rankings in a dazzling array of policy areas, from economic competitiveness to education to governance, but whose pathways to success could not be more different.