National University of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy

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Leading in a New Age of Global Governance

Scott Fritzen
Vice Dean of Academic Affairs and Associate Professor
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy
National University of Singapore

How can your school give students the competitive edge they need in a rapidly changing policy environment?

The global economic crisis sparked a re-examination of what was once considered bedrock in public policy. The notion that governments can allow free markets to determine the best course for nations has lost currency and the pendulum has swung back toward an emphasis on good governance. Governments are grasping for solutions to cross-border issues-from international terrorism and global pandemics to trade, labor migration, and financial regulation-that defy orthodox policy prescriptions.

LKY School students gain the unrivaled ability to master these new frontiers. Our location in the heart of Southeast Asia, part of the world's most dynamic region, gives us a unique Asian focus evident in our curriculum and students. Our school has almost 400 students from around 50 countries, with no single nationality comprising more than 20 percent of the student body.

The LKY School's classrooms are laboratories for comparing global policies. Faculty stress the need to determine best practice and devise pragmatic solutions, and classmates exchange and learn from a panoply of institutional and cultural traditions.

Drawing on such varied experiences is critical to modern policymakers. There is no one-size-fits-all model for governments, which are being forced to develop supranational institutions while facing a wave of decentralization aimed at empowering local institutions. More than ever, policymakers are partnering with the private sector and civil society to formulate and implement policies.

Do students have the chance to network beyond Asian policy circles?

Our five graduate degree programs facilitate these kinds of interactions by connecting students, policymakers, businesspeople, and academics. Our two-year Master in Public Policy (MPP) is for future public service leaders; our one-year Master in Public Administration is for mid-career professionals. Senior leaders come to take advantage of our Master in Public Management and Executive Education programs, while students eager for more in-depth research pursue our PhD.

Our double degree programs offer MPP students the additional opportunity of spending a second year studying at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, the London School of Economics and Political Science, Sciences Po in Paris, the Université de Genève, or the University of Tokyo.

Our mandate is to prepare and inspire leaders to transform Asia. The school recognizes that future leaders come from different economic backgrounds; thus, more than half of our students receive full scholarships based on merit and need.

How are your students helping to transform Asia?

Mainly by using the hallmark of policy education-the ability to integrate political, economic, and social considerations into their decision-making. Many of our students are entering leadership positions in both the public and private sectors. For example, a recent public management graduate, Ferdinand Cui Jr., was appointed the top civil servant in the Philippine presidential office, to advise newly elected President Benigno Aquino Jr. on policy implementation.

Like Cui, many of our alumni work on Asia's most pressing problems, like climate change and water policy. The LKY School offers aspiring leaders a rare venue to acquire the tools needed to address such issues.

Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy
National University of Singapore
www.spp.nus.edu.sg
Email this school
(+65) 6516-6134

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