Quality of collaboration between different sectors was highlighted in Parallel Session 1C, chaired by Ms. Maria Anthonette Velasco-Allones of the Career Executive Service Board (CESB), Philippines. The session specifically looked into the role of small- and medium-based enterprises in the web of multi-stakeholder partnerships for governance, and citizens' perception of inter-municipal collaboration. The following experts discussed these in detail: Dr. Marlon Sihombing, Mr. Iskandar Muda, and Mr. Faisal Eriza, Faculty of Social and Political Science, University of Sumatera Utara, Indonesia; Professor Naomi Aoki, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore; Dr. Jose M. Obedencio, Jr., Central Mindanao University, Philippines; and Mr. Medardo B. Bombita, University of Rizal System, Philippines. The faculty of the Social and Political Sciences, University of Sumatera Utara, Indonesia, led by Dr. Marlon Sihombing, discussed their research on the development Regional Innovation System (SIDA) in supporting strategic partnership among government, private sector and the public in North Sumatra’s Palm Oil industry. The faculty shared the prospects of enhancement of the innovation and capacity of the small and medium enterprise’s downstream palm-based sector through community-based empowerment strategy. The research team concluded that the approach of civil society organizations in terms of community empowerment is a good model for the government of Indonesia. The study of Naomi Aoki of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore investigated the Japanese public’s attitudes towards inter-municipal collaboration in handling disaster debris. The results of her study suggests that the national and municipal governments should work together to seek more public support in hosting disaster debris in inter-municipal arrangements. Lastly, based on her research she suggested that the national and municipal governments of Japan should communicate more with the public about the risks, benefit, and costs associated with hosting disaster debris, and make efforts to improve the public trust in the national government. One of the targets for the sustainable development goals is to end the epidemics of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) In Maramag, Bukidnon, there are around 2,000 cases of animal bites every year. The study of Mr. Obedencio highlighted that majority of the residents have low to poor level of knowledge and practices on rabies prevention and control. The study was vital in drafting local government policies and planning out necessary measures to improve the programs and strategies aimed at controlling and preventing rabies in Maramag, Bukidnon. The study of Mr. Bombita focuses on the potential income generation arm of the University of Rizal System through a professional consultancy services and capacity building programs. The study found out that the firm will aid in the resource generation of the University and support the micro, small and medium enterprises that will significantly contribute to the economic activities in the province of Rizal.
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Parallel Session 1B discussed approaches in human resource management that address emerging challenges in leadership, workforce competitiveness, and transportation regulation in Asia. The session, chaired by Professor Kyung-ho Cho, Dean, College of Sciences, Kukmin University, Korea, featured presentations by Mohd Afzanizam Mohd Badrin of the Razak School of Government, Malaysia; Dr. Vincent Wong of the Hong Kong Public Administration Association (HKPAA); and Prof. Yi Wang of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, PR China. The study of Mohd Afzanizam Mohd Badrin of Razak School of Government mapped the prospects of the public leadership in Malaysian Civil Service in the context of the Malaysian government’s National Transformation Programme. The study took note of three contextual landscapes: digital, diversity and engagement. Prof. Afzanizam hopes to use the framework he developed in the study in providing directions for the future of public leadership in anticipation of future challenges. By analyzing the the implementation of the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework (HKQF), a major policy initiative in 2008, Dr. Vincent Wong identified sustainable strategies on human resources management and human resources development. Dr. Wong detailed how HKQF is operationalized as a platform for lifelong learning to develop and maintain the competitiveness Hong Kong’s workforce. Based on his analysis of the HKQF, Dr. Wong has drawn eight strategies to promote HRM and HRD in HK. Prof. Yi Wang tackled the problem of transportation in Shanghai as a megacity and the e-bicycle sharing system as alternative solution. However, the e-bicycle sharing system as a solution gave birth to new problems such as lack of bike parking, bike accidents and lack of regulation. Prof. Wang shared how the Shanghai government responded to these issues by putting up regulation and engaging the participation of stakeholders. Chaired by Dr. Min Park, Dean of Administration at George Mason University, Korea, this Parallel Session tackled public sector innovations that help improve capacities of education and disaster management institutions. The presenters for this session are: Secretary Alice Yuen Chun Te, Hong Kong Public Administration Association, Hong Kong SAR; and Assistant Professor Ranjit Singh Rye, University of the Philippines Diliman, Philippines. In her paper, "A Study of the Impacts and Implications of an Innovative Admission Scheme for Hong Kong Students in Universities in Mainland China," Ms. Alice Yuen Chun Te walked the audience through the outcomes of the new admission scheme introduced by the government of Hong Kong SAR for university students aiming to study in Mainland China. The scheme offers an alternative for all students – both top scorers and low graders, as well as both lower and upper social classes. However, the scheme has attracted only few students (4%), which calls for more in-depth qualitative studies on the students’ psyche. Meanwhile, in his presentation titled, "E-resilience for DRM: Insights from the Philippines," Prof. Ranjit Rye pointed out where the Philippines is in terms of building the so-called "e-resilience," which is associated with the use of information and communications technology (ICT) as a tool in disaster risk management. The United Nations has adopted an expanded definition of disaster which goes beyond wars and natural calamities. This gave rise to the concept of disaster risk reduction and resilience. However, while there are laws being made and technologies being developed, such as e-resilience, actual Philippine disaster risk management is inclined to deal with the traditional view of disasters. The Special Session, moderated by the Minister of Personnel Management of Korea, Dr. Pan Suk Kim, puts together ideas on how governance plays an important role in achieving SDG no. 16, which is to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
Prof. Demetrios Argyriades of the City University of New York first put together the concepts of fragility and sustainability. He discussed the existence of models and stereotypes, how these affect the views of the people, and how these, particularly the market model, are eroded by current changes such as wars and the rise of social media. He focused on the concept of welfare to warfare and how it causes fragility, which in turn invites dysfunction and decay of institutions. However, Argyriades argued that to have sustainability, it needs fragility. To address the issues caused by fragility, sustainable actions must be made, such revisiting institutions and structures for the long haul. He emphasized that to meet SDG 16, there is need for a Paradigm Shift. As such, he urged that it is important to rediscover the value of history in order to think about bringing in the right actions to build sustainable institutions. Meanwhile, Professor Jose Antonio Puppim de Oliveira of Brazil discussed that it was only in recent years that countries are coming together to achieve common goals as evidenced by the creation of the Millennium Development Goals and the recent Sustainable Development Goals. However, the contradiction lies with the traditional concept of public administration, which is still constrained to think about organizations. While In the past, domestic PA is concerned mostly on the respective country’s self-interest, governments have gradually become more open to think about global interests. While there is a decline in poverty in Asian countries, emissions of greenhouse gas are increasing, which undermines the efficiency of the economy. Despite the need for transformations for these countries to progress, development is bounded by the limits of the planet. According to Mr. de Oliveira, the following steps are needed for sustainable development transformation: decoupling of economy and ecological footprint; recognizing the ecological limits by shifting the discussions from what policies are needed to the political and institutional conditions that make the adoption of certain policies; and changing environment-economy-society relations through values. He cited the experiences of Tokyo and Bhutan as models whose political and institutional conditions have facilitated innovative initiatives. Professor Daeyong Choi, in his presentation, “Governance Approach to the Implementation of the SDGs in the Korean Context,” described governance approaches and how they may or may not be applicable in attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He pointed out that all states bear the responsibility of ensuring that no one is left behind in the improvement of welfare outcomes. Nonetheless, he emphasized the need for collaboration and partnership across sectors and among stakeholders. Prof. Choi also argued that while SDGs are a universal, integrative concept, the public sector needs to acknowledge and consider the politico-administrative contexts under which they operate. Governance principles play a big role in this aspect. Governance entails a holistic approach to solving development problems; collective and decentralized decision making; integration of policies and processes, and clear institutional arrangements that are realigned with the prevailing context. Citing the development of environmental policies in Korea, Prof. Choi proposed that perhaps there is a need to reconsider hierarchical governance in Korea. He also presented the takeaway question of finding the right mix of governance styles to speed up the attainment of SDGs in Korea. In the last presentation, the context of Dr. Ting Guan’s study is the failure of China to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in the aspect of environmental protection. She noted that in 1997 China was not disclosing its data on pollution and air and water quality. Twenty years after, many local governments have enacted policies that require the disclosure of information on air and water quality. The enactment of the Environmental Information Disclosure (EID) policy is key in the improvement of access to information as regards air and water quality in China. Dr. Guan used the adoption of policy innovation as framework to analyze the development and implementation of the EID. She then compared the government and NGO/society perspective on the process and evolution undergone by the state and the society (as represented by non-government organizations) to be able to enact policy innovations. On the part of the government, it enacted the EID policy in 2008. On the side of the NGOs, it conducted annual assessment of local bureaus’ implementation of the EID policy. While targets have yet to be met, China has made significant progress in promoting and implementing EID. In conclusion, Dr. Guan summed up the lessons from the EID experience of China into three points: (1) effective implementation of legal principles into reality requires efforts from both state and non-state actors; (2) the mode of state-society partnership is context-specific and dynamic; and (3) information and communication technology (ICT) may favor new modes of policy implementation, public mobilization and participation. The Asian Leadership Forum (ALF) segment of the annual conference is the brainchild of Prof. Akira Nakamura. During the session, he announced that it was the time that he would act as moderator of the Forum and he had proposed some changes on how the session will be conducted in future conferences. For his last Asian Leadership Forum, Prof. Nakamura summed up the common thread that binds the four speakers into three concepts: government reform, IT development, and innovations. The ALF featured the following speakers: Deputy Minister for Government Innovation and Organization Iljae Kim (Korea), Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Regional Hub of the Civil Service Alikhan Baimenov (Kazakhstan), Ministry of Civil Service Secretary of State Youk Bunna (Cambodia), and Professor Emeritus Akihide Hirashima (Japan). Dr. Iljae Kim of the Ministry of Interior and Safety shared Korea’s story of developing e-government over the years. According to him, innovations did not only improved the government, but also had goals to improve the quality of life of the citizens and envisioned an enhanced competitiveness for businesses. Through relevant legislation and establishment of the necessary infrastructure, e-Government in Korea underwent many rapid changes from 1967. Being a world-renowned e-government hub, Korea created a number of systems that aim to make governments service-oriented, capable and transparent. Dr. Kim cited examples of systems providing information and helping perform transactions with the citizens, where there is no need for on-site visits – from information dissemination, financial transactions, public welfare and safety, among others. Given these developments, Korea can still improve through some means, as suggested by Dr. Kim. Among these are the establishment of the e-government roadmap, system reforms for new work processes, investment on e-gov infrastructure, reduction of more manual work processes, and mitigation of adverse effects such as cyber threats and to bridge the digital divide. Chairman Alikhan Baimenov started his presentation by stressing that public governance is very crucial in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. He added that technological innovation brought challenges and opportunities in the global order and government systems. Because of these experiences civil service reforms are now being addressed as part of government agenda. In his speech, he noted several key directions of administrative reforms. He also shared exemplary cases of civil service reforms in South Asia. These are Kazakhstan’s Senior Executive Service managerial continuity; Georgia’s anti-corruption reform through assets declaration and whistleblower protection for public employees; and Kyrgyzstan’s key performance indicators-based performance appraisal system as a tool for monitoring civil servants’ activities. Moreover, he also cited innovations in public service delivery by sharing the experiences of Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan. In addition he also shared his ideas on what factors should be considered for the continuous engagement in civil service reforms. Chairman Baimenov also took the opportunity to introduce their organizational work, member countries and institutional partners. He also encouraged EROPA to join them in their undertakings. Lastly, he ended his presentation by stating that the Sustainable Development Goals is perceived as the hope in the world that governments should always put the interest of the people above all of its initiatives. Secretary of State Youk Bunna focused his speech on the financial type of administrative reform they experienced in Cambodia. He shared that before the reform, Cambodia encountered a number of financial challenges in terms of salary adequacy, lack of control on payments for contractuals, lack of institutions to coordinate salary issues, and lack of implementation in terms of salary taxation. With this, they implemented a comprehensive administrative reform program, which includes compensation reform. To address the issues, they created committees and coordinated with relevant public institutions, together with regular reporting and monitoring systems. Benchmarking was also done to guide their actions. They included their strategies as well in the budget framework, together with the application of IT. As a result, hundreds of thousands of civil servants were able to reap the rewards of better salary and compensation – getting their salaries on time, reduction of gaps between minimum and maximum salaries and provision of pension to the retired civil servants. This is also due to the transformation made through better tax collection through an IT system, and as Mr. Bunna said, the creation of the culture of tax payment. Lastly, he said that it is also important to mobilize people to go along the reform, especially those who are resistant to change. Prof. Akihide Hirashima of Rikkyo University, a high ranking official of Yamanashi Prefecture, shared an insider perspective of how the prefecture’s Ventforet Kofu Football Club remarkably recovered from a bankruptcy crisis. At the height of the crisis in 2000, VFK incurred a total loss of about Y450 million (USD4.09 million), with the team landing at the bottom of the J2 League. To avert bankruptcy, the Yamanashi government announced the crisis the football club was facing, which prompted supporters to launch a petition through online forums, gathering around 300,000 signatures and Y10 million-worth of donations. Because of the petition, a memorandum was reached among the stakeholders of the football club. A new manage team was also created which enacted reforms to improve the football club’s financial standing within the year. As a result, the VFK met all its target, even doubling its revenue and increasing attendance during games. More than a decade after the crisis, Ventforet was able to break into the J1 League, the highest tier in Japan’s football league. |
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