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"The book carries a collection of articles written by Professor S. Vasoo over the past three decades or so on community development work and its issues in the Singapore context. Organised around seven themes that can be or are being addressed by community development, the articles illustrate how community development intervention has been applied on social issues like juvenile deliquency, ageing population, family values, and urban dwelling. Topics on volunteer management and grassroots participation are also discussed. This volume concludes by sketching the future of community development in Singapore. Community and social workers can find some resonance to the work and challenges they are facing in community problem-solving and meeting the needs of people in various neighbourhoods. The readings will give them a framework to find innovative ways for encouraging community problem-solving"--

This paper examines changes in the community development scenario in Singapore and discusses some of the significant reasons for the transformations which have taken place in the last four decades after self-government in 1959. Various socio-political factors have contributed to these changes. These include relocation of people into public housing in new towns, demographic shifts, changes in the service delivery of community organisations, and the decentralisation of government bureaucracies at local levels. Other contributing factors include the development of new forms of local organisations namely, Town Councils and Community Development Councils to encourage ownership and control of local developments. The results are a remarkable increase in the participation of various groups which shape the democratisation of Singapore's various neighbourhoods. The social landscape of community participation has seen many key players who are contributing toward community building. (Asian J Polit Sci/DÜI)