Local and foreign scholars discuss public management in Macau

Over 70 foreign scholars will be attending this week’s international conference on “Public Management in the 21st Century: Opportunities and Challenges,” taking place at the University of Macau on Thursday and Friday.
Alongside local scholars, the experts will be providing insights on how to better administrate government services.
The deputy director of the Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau (SAFP), Kou Peng Kuan, revealed in a press conference last Friday that they will be debating certain issues related to public management, as well as promoting the administrative reform that Macau’s Chief Executive announced when delivering his Policy Address last year.
The conference kicks off on Thursday at the University of Macau’s new campus. The morning will begin with several foreign scholars such as Allan Rosenbaum from Florida International University and Professor Edoardo Ongaro from Northumbria University delivering keynote speeches focusing on “Governance in the Post-Crisis Era.”
Scholars from Hong Kong, Australia, America, Beijing and Macau will be discussing performance management on Thursday afternoon, with a particular emphasis on Macau’s government services.
Professor Ma Jun from Sun-Yat Sen University stressed that the invited scholars are “renowned experts” who can provide a glimpse into their country’s different models of public management and governance.
“We are also looking to discuss the economic development of Macau after the financial crisis, since it has been fraught with different challenges,” he added.
Several panels will be discussing a wide range of issues from worldwide governance experience to public services innovation and economic development and regulation in Macau.
On Friday, one of the panels will be looking at the performance and management of the public sector, presided over by scholars from the Australian National University, Kristianstad University (Sweden), among others. Also on Friday, a panel will be discussing administrative reform and anti-corruption, featuring scholars from mainland China, including Fudan University, Sun Yat-Sen University, and Beijing University.
Professor Liu Bolong, coordinator of the Research Center for Contemporary China Studies at the University of Macau, said that improving management performance in the public sector was one of the crucial policies included in this year’s Policy Address. He stressed that they intend to also address challenges brought on by the international financial crisis, and that scholars will be producing reports on these matters.
“We have taken serious consideration of the Macau government’s agenda. They want to improve [the quality] of governance. So this conference will focus on state governance, and scholars will provide their insights on how this [administrative] reform should be conducted,” said professor Ma Jun.
Professor Liu Bolong stressed that international experiences on public management are very welcome in Macau, and that is why they have invited so many foreign experts. However, he recalled that there isn’t “only one formula” that can be applied to governance in every country. “I believe it will be important to hear all of their opinions, which the government may then consider when drafting policies for next year,” he said.
The 6th International Conference on Public Management in the 21st Century is organized by the Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau, Sun-Yat Sen University in Guangzhou and the University of Macau, as well as the Macau Foundation.