Oxford Study: Malaysia’s Civil Service is 4th Best in Asia, Behind Singapore, S. Korea & Indonesia

The latest study on public administration by the Blavatnik School of Government, the school of public policy at the University of Oxford’s Social Sciences Division, has ranked Malaysia’s civil service as the fourth-best in Asia and joint 40th globally.

In the Blavatnik Index of Public Administration 2024, Malaysia’s civil service recorded a 0.61 index score and notably excelled in the “People and Process” domain, ranking seventh globally.

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Malaysia’s civil service is ranked fourth best in Asia by a University of Oxford study

The Index is calculated from 82 metrics drawn from 17 data sources, with each metric aligning with one of the four domains (Strategy and Leadership, Public Policy, National Delivery, and People and Process) and 20 themes set out in the Index’s conceptual framework.

Moreover, the Blavatnik School of Government elaborated that the Index covers 120 countries, which have been selected via a data coverage assessment that considers not just the overall availability of data for a country but the spread of that data across the Index’s conceptual framework.

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According to the Index, Singapore has the best civil service in the world, recording an impressive score of 0.85. Singapore also ranked first globally in the Public Policy and National Delivery domains, while placing fourth in People and Process and fifth in Strategy and Leadership.

Unsurprisingly, Singapore also took the top spot in Asia, followed by South Korea in second place (0.76) and Indonesia in third (0.61). Kazakhstan and Malaysia are tied for fourth with a score of 0.60.

In the four specific domains, Malaysia’s rankings are as follows:

• Strategy and Leadership: 68th
• Public Policy: 61st
• National Delivery: 40th
• People and Process: 7th

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So, what do you think of Malaysia’s rankings in the Blavatnik Index of Public Administration 2024? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

Also read: Study: 67% of Malaysians Believe the Country’s Economy is Rigged to Benefit the Rich & Powerful