Ethos
ETHOS is a biannual publication of the College. It aims to provide thought leadership, insight and context on a wide range of public policy issues of interest to Singapore. ETHOS is circulated to the policy-making community in Singapore as well as to a select international readership.

The online version of ETHOS also features additional web-exclusive materials not published in the print version—interviews with thought leaders, commentaries and reflections.

We welcome contributions, suggestions and letters to the Editor. The editorial team reserves the right to select, edit and publish articles according to its editorial policy. All correspondence should be directed to the Editor at ethos@cscollege.gov.sg.

Ethos Insights
ETHOS Insights shares learning distilled from lectures and seminars conducted by the Civil Service College, Singapore, provides links to thought-provoking articles on topics of current interest and features commentaries from CSC’s researchers.

The inaugural issue showcases key takeaways from Stanford’s Professor Edward Lazear and Professor Francis Flynn, reflections on the New Synthesis Project – Singapore Roundtable and provides links to articles on Trade Imbalances and Currency Wars.

Ethos Perspectives
Ethos Perspectives complements our biannual journal ETHOS and seeks to update our readers on the latest developments in public policy and public sector governance. These alerts surface interesting articles, reports or speeches, with a short synopsis and commentary. We hope that you will find them useful and welcome any comments and suggestions.

Research Papers
Researchers from CGL continue to work closely with the Institute of Policy Development to document policy lessons and develop content for the training of public sector leaders. Click here to see some of our research papers.

Publications
CGL is proud to present World Cities: Liveability and Vibrancy. This collaboration between the College and the Institute of Policy Studies will be available by the third quarter of 2009. More

Regulation and the Limits of Competition, CGL’s first proceedings from the inaugural Economics Symposium Series held on 23 March 2007, is available. For enquiries, please email cscollege_cgl@cscollege.gov.sg.

CGL’s research focus over the next two years includes the areas of Leadership and Strategy, Managing in Complexity and Social Policy.

Leadership and Strategy
Leadership research at the Centre studies the actions of public sector leaders in turning around their organisations and examines the approaches used by different leaders to generate key leadership principles, practices and lessons. Its purpose is to create a better understanding of the profile of a Singapore public sector leader within the context of the country’s principles of governance.

Managing in Complexity
Successful policy innovation is rarely the result of superior foresight or accurate prediction. More often, it is the result of learning by doing, constant experimentation and flexible adaptation. Together with our fellow researchers in the Centre for Public Economics, we explore how governments, leaders and individuals can better make sense of and react in a world of great complexity and uncertainty, manage their organisations to anticipate future challenges, and build up the tools to manage this complexity.

Social Policy
In partnership with relevant agencies, the Centre conducts research into emerging issues in social policy such as social insurance, social marketing, and social cohesion — studying Singapore’s experience and policy options in these areas, and conducting comparative analyses of how our approach differs from other countries.

Research Methodology
The Centre’s strength is in qualitative research, in particular, fieldwork that has a strong concentration on one-on-one interviews with policy makers and government leaders. Its researchers are skilled in interview techniques which forms an integral part of the research analysis and interpretation. The Centre is constantly building relationships with local public agencies. Their support of the Centre’s objectives and aspirations have informed the Centre’s research priorities and helped researchers gain access to in-depth information that are pertinent to the Centre’s research agenda.