Singapore’s civil service has been ranked the best in the world, according to the inaugural Blavatnik Index of Public Administration by Oxford University. The index evaluated the effectiveness of public administrations across 120 countries.
Singapore excelled in areas such as border services, tax administration, and innovation, securing its position ahead of Norway, which ranked second. Canada and Denmark tied for third place, followed by Finland in fifth.
The study assessed four key areas of public administration: strategy and leadership, public policy, national delivery, and people and processes. Using data from 17 sources, including the World Bank and Transparency International, the index offers a comprehensive view of civil service performance.
Leo Yip, Singapore’s Head of Civil Service, expressed gratitude for the recognition and emphasized the importance of learning from global best practices.
The rankings aim to foster collaboration and inspire improvements worldwide, said Professor Ngaire Woods, dean of the Blavatnik School of Government.
South Korea was Asia’s next highest performer, ranking 15th.
Source: CNA
Worth mentioning that Sweden had a much lower ranking than it’s Scandinavian neighbors, 22nd place just ahead of Uruguay and behind Italy and Portugal.