Joining forces to tackle issues
HKU’s new public administration course bridges the gap between private and public sectors in facing challenges
Hong Kong has been one of the world’s leading financial centres for decades, on a par with New York and London. The city is full of financial professionals, and a master of business administration (MBA) degree is one of the most popular academic programmes for those wishing to join, or gain promotion in the industry.
In recent years Hong Kong has seen rising political challenges in making governance more efficient and effective. Today’s social problems include a widening income gap, rising property prices, and a growing desire among the young for more freedom as well as a higher degree of democracy.
Lam says those operating in the public sector, including policy advocates and public managers, feel the need to brush up on their knowledge and skills to understand and cope with increasingly complex problems. On the other hand, those from the business, NGO and social sectors see the importance and relevance of public policy to their work, and are interested to learn more about governance.
He says that in mainland China, the burgeoning of MPA programmes at many universities since 2000 shows rising awareness of how vital public administration education is. But, until now there has been no professional doctorate programme in governance in Hong Kong or the region to satisfy this need.