What drives the need for public sector agencies to innovate? Challenges in development, such as the changing size of local governments, the development and adoption of biotechnology, and government-owned corporations being at the crossroads, were some of the concerns discussed during Parallel Session 5A. Chaired by Professor Jin Park of the KDI School of Public Policy and Management, Korea, this session focuses on the aforementioned issues in the Philippine context. 

​In his presentation, "Are Local Governments in Asia Becoming 'Too Big' or 'Too Small' to Deliver Services?", Dr. Michael Tumanut of the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance argued that the evolving size of governments, the evolving size of local governments, particularly in East Asia, is having effects in the delivery of services. Despite the differences in the three countries studied, the agenda-setters are either regional or local. Meanwhile, the reform agents are instrumental in discussing territorial changes among local governments.

​Meanwhile, Mr. Abraham Manalo, doctorate student at the University of the Philippines Diliman, pointed out that, with agricultural resources becoming scarce, it is becoming increasingly difficult to feed more. He asserted that modern biotechnology has the potential to contribute to food security and sustainability. However, despite regulations to enable biotechnology adoption, there remains management and political challenges that governments need to grapple with.

​Lastly, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the Philippines are the subject of Mr. Al-Habbyel Yusoph's presentation, "Multiple Corporate Objectives and Performance Contracts." He lamented on the poor performance of SOEs, owing to the vagueness of their character and functions, as well as goals. He thus recommended that the government review the objectives of these SOEs.

The parallel session looks into Philippine cases of formal and informal arrangements for networking and partnerships among different stakeholders. One case examines informal coalition building among political actors to promote a specific agenda (i.e., autonomy), while the other looks into partnerships built under formalized legal and institutional frameworks (i.e., public-private partnerships or PPPs). The session is chaired by Professor Jae Sung Kwak, Associate Dean and Professor of Kyung Hee University, Korea.

Dr. Milagos Rimando of the National Economic and Development Authority – Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR) presented the prospects of the Cordilleras in a federal Philippines. To contextualize the region’s demand for autonomy, Dr. Rimando narrated the long history and development of the Cordillera people’s struggle for self-governance and autonomy. She shared the issues and challenges they experienced while engaging in alliance-building in their campaign for autonomy. 

The study by Dr. Severo Madrona, Jr. proposes a framework for evaluating public-private partnerships (PPP) in the context of good
governance. Dr. Madrona also traced the history of PPP programs in the Philippines from 1992 to 2016, and analyzed the institutional and legal frameworks adopted by the Philippine government in its implementation of the PPP programs in the given period. Using the yardsticks of governance and development, Dr. Madrona enumerated a number of issues in implementing PPP programs in the country.

The parallel session tackles human resources development from two fronts: the public sector profession and the academe. It particularly looks into public service motivation and organizational citizenship of today’s public administration practitioners, on one hand, and learning and development of future practitioners, on the other. The session is chaired by Dr. Marlon Sihombing from the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sumatera Utara, Indonesia, and features the following presenters: Ms. Hyo Joo Lee, Sungkyunkwan University, Korea; and Dr. Jocelyn C. Cuaresma, National College of Public Administration and Governance, University of the Philippines, Philippines.
 
Ms. Hyo Joo Lee’s study, “Korean Public Employees’ Perceptions of Public Organizations,” assessed quantitatively how Korean public organizations maintain an organizational climate that allows for creative behavior and organizational citizenship. Drawing from the tenets of public service motivation (PSM) and stewardship theories, Lee and her colleagues explored the relationship between organizational justice (OJ) and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Theoretical framework used in the study was first validated using reliability tests and component factor analysis (CFA); from hereon, a survey was designed and administered to Korea public sector employees. Results of the survey revealed that, indeed, organizational justice influences creative behavior and OCB. Public sector motivation mediates this relationship. The study is able to prove the assumptions provided by stewardship and social exchange theories, particularly  the positive effects of PSM and OJ. Based on these findings, Lee recommended that public sector agencies should have mechanisms that enable transparency and information sharing. She also recommended that PSM principles should be applied in these agencies to motivate employees. Meanwhile, she suggested that future research should look into other components of OJ.
 
Meanwhile, Dr. Jocelyn Cuaresma walked the audience through the academic programs offered by selected Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs) that could potentially augment public service workforce in the field of climate change mitigation and adaptation. In her presentation, “Climate Change Programs of Six Higher Education Institutions: An Assessment of Accomplishments and Sustainability,” Cuaresma highlighted that HEIs have now begun to mainstream climate change in their respective school curricula. She argued that, despite limited resources, HEIs have been able to implement substantial projects and activities. So far, around 21 state colleges and universities (SUCs) and three private HEIs have established climate change centers, which are the main hub for innovations and collaboration with other stakeholders, including the government. Graduates of these SUCs can also potentially add to the human resources and social capital for climate change programs. However, despite this potential, SUCs are largely untapped at the local level. Based on the assessment, Cuaresma pushed for stronger legislation and financial support on HEIs, as well as linkages with communities. She also suggested that HEIs should be better able to assert their expertise as climate change centers. Finally, she explained that integrating disaster risk management (DRM) components—e.g., research and training—into these programs may also help boost the capacity of these HEIs.  

Parallel Session 4A was chaired by Professor Soonhee Kim of the KDI School of Public Policy and Management, Korea. The session brought together three data-oriented papers, which illustrate the response of different institutions, i.e., the government and private sector, to changing policy contexts and regulatory frameworks.
 
In the context of increasing number of regulatory policies that address environmental problems, particularly carbon emissions, Dr. Irene Lau focused her study on how internal decision-making processes and external forces affect the response of private companies when the policy environment changes. Using a qualitative approach, Dr. Lau cited the case of two electric companies, including the regulatory measures in place, as well as the available resources, human capital, finances, and stakeholder relationship and priorities. She concluded that while one is more pro-sustainability compared to the other, the availability of resources and future predictions of a company determines their reaction upon imposition of new policies. She also concluded that there are trade-offs – the more a company invests in sustainable energy, the lower emissions, but at higher costs and vice-versa.
 
With the emerging concept of "livability," the second presentation of the session by Dr. Paulito Nisperos of the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University in the Philippines examined its application to four (4) cities in the Ilocos Region. The study included both subjective and objective realities in looking at livability, using both indicator-based metrics and perception. Results of the study based on eight indicators of livability were matched with recommendations for inclusion in the city policy agenda for the four local government units (LGUs). In general, the author concluded that while the selected cities were able to provide basic services and facilities, the constituents or citizens still feel that the LGUs are lacking in varying degrees in some of the indicators. Indeed, he remarked that changes cannot be done overnight and some issues continue to challenge the goal of these cities to become truly livable LGUs.
 
Finally, Mr. Koichi Kawai of the Kanazawa University in Japan looked into agency design, an operation determining the degree of independence of an agency from political control. He also made reference to the concept of the New Economics of Organization (NEO), wherein when political parties face a high degree of uncertainty, they have a tendency to create highly independent agencies. The results of his binary logistic regression validated on of his hypothesis that ruling parties’ strength influences an agency independence in Japan, thus he suggested that there is a need to make corrections on the NEO model. 

The parallel session, chaired by Professor Byeong-soo Yoon of the National Human Resources Development Institute (NHI), Korea, highlights the mechanisms by which government can engage other stakeholders, such as the private sector and non-profits, in attaining the SDG targets. The speakers for this session are: Ms. Eunju Kim, Korea Institute of Public Administration, Korea; Dr. Asima Siahaan, University of Sumatera Utara, Indonesia; and Dr. Paulito Nisperos and Mr. Divino Amor P. Rivera, Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University.

In her presentation, “Ensuring multi-stakeholder partnership for the SDGs: Institutional arrangements from the perspective of multi-level governance,” Ms. Eunju Kim noted the vagueness of international commitment targets such as the SDGs. According to her, ambiguities of SDGs can be both constructive and destructive: constructive because they allow more consensus-based and consultative decision making in defining targets and indicators; and destructive because the resulting overlaps and conflicting views on the importance of SDGs may delay policy formulation and implementation. Kim referred to the study being conducted by the Korean Institute of Public Administration (KIPA) on the national implementation of the SDGs. Data used to assess national implementation of SDGs in Korea was obtained through in-depth interviews with Korean officials in government agencies and was analyzed qualitatively. Results attributed the difficulty of implementing SDGs to goal ambiguity, which is largely because of the vastness of the goals. Consequently, planning for certain policies was difficult; it was not clear whether SDGs was a comprehensive international agreement or merely a follow-up of the Millennium Development Goals. Finally, some institutional arrangements between national government agencies were fragmented. Kim stressed the need to define or realign SDG priorities with the Korean context. A strategic sub-set of SDGs for Korea, as well as multi-stakeholder partnerships among ministries and other government and non-government agencies, is highly recommended.

A particular case of collaborative governance for SDGs is featured in Dr. Asima Siahaan’s study titled, “The Role of Faith-based Organizations Disaster Risk Governance: A Case Study of Mount Sinabung Eruption in Kabupaten Karo.” Here, Siahaan showcases the role of religious and faith-based organizations in post-disaster rehabilitation, which has rarely been discussed in disaster management studies. She specifically cited the case of Protestant Karo Batak Church (GBKP), one of the faith-based organizations involved in disaster response and rehabilitation post-Mount Sinabung eruption. It initially provided disaster training activities, but the goals of the organization were initially unclear. Eventually, however, the organization evolved into one of the prominent disaster-relief agencies in Kabupaten Karo, a village in Indonesia. GBKP focuses on collaboration and networking with both government and non-government institutions, and adopts an inclusive framework of disaster management and service delivery. Its programs and projects address areas such as women’s needs, provides technical support to communities, disaster awareness. Factors that made GBKP approaches effective are transparency, accountability, trust, and recognition and legitimacy. In concluding her presentation, Siahaan suggested that the government needs to provide an enabling framework for non-profits to articulate community needs in the area of disaster management and rehabilitation. This includes consideration and respect for the sociocultural and spiritual sensitivities.
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Moving from the perspective of non-profits, Dr. Paulito Nisperos and Mr. Divino Amor Rivera’s paper on “Household Energy Consumption in Region I: Basis for Policy Agenda on Energy Conservation” provides baseline data and policy recommendations for possible partnerships from the government perspective. It focused on energy consumption in the Ilocos Region, Philippines, as basis for policy recommendations and articulation of energy needs in the region. This is through a Household Energy Consumption Survey (HECS), participated in by 1,133 respondents. Results showed that sociodemographic profile of the respondents was not significantly correlated with the efficiency in energy consumption among households. A bulk of the energy consumption in households was largely for basic lighting (90 percent) and entertainment (80 percent). Policy recommendations include greater focus on renewable energy, efficient energy consumption, and engineering innovations.