ABSTRACT
Social innovation, social policy and social work are fundamental pathways for social development. In a world of nation states in the mid-twentieth century, Singapore as a sovereign nation was born. Singapore had a largely migrant population, with minimal commitment to the new nation. In the modern context, Singapore has recorded perhaps the most rapid economic growth of any nation. Singapore is an intense laboratory, testing social innovations, abandoning failures and expanding successes. As Singaporeans know very well, Central Provident Fund (CPF) today has become the centrepiece of social policy in Singapore. The Housing Development Board (HDB) in Singapore might be on a short list of the most effective public bureaucracies in the world. The mission of HDB from the outset has been social. As with most countries in the twenty-first century, income inequality in Singapore is high and rising. Related to HDB policies is the important role of community design and organisation.
