M Ramesh

M Ramesh is a Professor and UNESCO Chair on Social Policy Design in Asia at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. He has held academic leadership roles as Founding Head of the Department of Asian and Policy at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, Professor of Social Policy at the University of Hong Kong, and Chair of the Department of Government and International Relations at the University of Sydney.

• Education: PhD (University of British Columbia, 1989), MA (University of Saskatchewan, 1983), BA (Patna University, 1979)
• Research Focus: Public policy processes, governance in Asia, health policy, social protection, and education policy
• Editorial Roles: Founder/Editor of Policy and Society, Policy Design and Practice, and Cambridge Elements in Public Policy

Ramesh’s research explores policy and governance design in Asian contexts, particularly healthcare, social protection, and education policy. His work analyzes decentralization, governance failures, and policy capacity through comparative studies across China, India, Thailand, and Southeast Asia. He examines healthcare reforms, social security systems, and public-private dynamics in policy implementation.

His recent publications highlight decentralization challenges in China, health policy tools in India, and innovative policy mixes in Singapore. Ramesh also investigates legitimation strategies and capacity deficits in modern governance.

Courses Taught: Asian Pacific Politics, Comparative Public Policy, Economic and Social Policies in East Asia, Globalisation and Public Policy, Government and Business, International Political Economy, Public Policy: Introduction, Social Policy: Issues and Options, World Politics.

Editorial Boards: American Review of Public Administration, Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis, Global Governance, Social Science and Medicine (2010–2015), and others.