The Singapore Public Sector Outcomes Review provides an overview of the strategic challenges that the public sector seeks to address, and how Ministries and agencies work collectively to meet them. The Review is coordinated by the Ministry of Finance (MOF) with inputs from all Ministries.

The Government's Approach to Public Spending

Every government has the responsibility for managing and allocating public money to achieve national goals. Singapore is no different.

One defining trait of the Singapore government's approach to fiscal management is its commitment to prudence. Unlike many developed countries, we do not borrow to pay our bills. Instead, we adhere to a policy of spending within our means, maintaining a stable and diversified base of revenues, and building up a nest egg of reserves to meet contingencies such as unexpected global shocks.

Singapore's prudent approach means that we constantly face two fiscal challenges. We must:

• Raise sufficient revenue to invest in the range of capabilities and infrastructure that Singapore needs to survive and succeed into the future. Some examples are education, physical development and security.

• Allocate funds so as to achieve the best outcomes for Singapore as a whole. This requires MOF to assess outcomes holistically, not compartmentally by individual Ministries. We must also ensure that Ministries maximise value for Singapore when they use these funds.

The Need for Whole-of-Government Objectives and Strategies

As the world becomes more globalised and complex, so will the business of governance. The national issues we face will transcend Ministry boundaries, and public agencies will increasingly need to work hand in glove to address any given issue effectively.

In such a context, setting and monitoring outcomes of individual agencies, while useful, is insufficient. MOF and the Ministries have therefore worked to jointly establish whole-of-government outcomes along with suitable indicators to track our progress towards achieving them. Ministries and agencies have agreed on a set of common outcomes, with which their priorities have been aligned.

Just as a health screening report helps an individual to make wise choices that support his health, monitoring whole-of-government outcome indicators guides our understanding of current and emerging policy issues, and therefore the strategies, programmes and resources needed to address them.

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