This course teaches essential concepts, theories, and methods of good governance and public administration. It helps students to understand how states build a modernized governance system and governing capability, and how good governance can be achieved through effective public administration and good institutions. Through studying good governance practice, public policymaking, and public service institutions, this course encourages students to apply the theories and approaches learned in classroom to the solution of practical governance problems.

The course introduces candidates to the concepts of public policy analysis, like collective action, political efficacy and transparency, as well as, tools useful for evaluating policy impact and effectiveness. The candidates can understand the tradeoffs involved in the design of policies and institution, besides, the impacts of public administration reforms on efficiency, accountability and transparency.

This course introduces to the candidates the evolution and the future direction of public administration theory and practice. In fact, the focus of public administration theory is shifting from mechanical efficiency of traditional public administration to social efficiency of New Public Management and, recently, to public values and public interests of New Public Governance or New Public Service. Interdisciplinary and integrative approach becomes more and more important to public administration and public policy research.

In this course, we will introduce and explore a variety of subjects related to the general administration of countries from an international comparative perspective, using China and major Western countries as examples. The topics include (but are not limited to) political culture, institutions and administration, bureaucratic structures and recruitment, governance and public policy, and public sector reforms.

The course provides the candidates with an overview of some major issues in public administration and public policy in China. Topics may include the public administrative system of China, social welfare system and welfare dependency, performance evaluation of municipal government, smart city development, civic engagement and public governance.

This course primarily introduces various academic research methods in the field of public administration, aiming to enhance students’ understanding of mainstream and cutting-edge academic research methodologies. Key topics covered include an introduction to empirical research, common methods of data collection and analysis, academic writing conventions, and the application of cutting-edge methods such as big data in the field of public administration. Additionally, the course integrates theory with practical applications, providing students with applied scenarios through classroom discussions, group assignments, and presentations, thereby enhancing their comprehension and application skills in academic research methods.

This course covers the international standards associated with the conduct of human-subject research, with a particular focus on survey, ethnographic, archival, and qualitative research. Topics also covered include issues of authorship, mentoring, and professional ethics for academics in the university. Some guest speakers from public sector will also share their viewpoints and insights about public administration and management.

Research skills are essential for evidence-based policy-making in public sector. This course provides the students with an overview of the theory and practice of qualitative methods and quantitative methods. This course enables candidates to deliver empirical studies, like the examination of causal effects of policy on observed outcomes and practical experience in applying techniques of qualitative analysis using computer software.

By this course, candidates have the opportunity to apply the concepts and the theories learned from the programme. The thesis-writing process could consolidate the candidates’ ability to conduct independent research, demonstrate their expertise in a chosen area of interest and make an intellectual contribution to the practice of public administration and public policy.

The course explores the complex terrain of governmental administration in the context of the disruptive impact of cutting-edge technologies like big data, AI, and the Internet of Things. It includes a thorough analysis of many different aspects, such as institutional structures, public engagement frameworks, organizational efficacy, rules and regulations, and service delivery systems.
The course intends to set a direction for future growth by clarifying the opportunities and difficulties that come with government digital governance today. Furthermore, it cultivates critical thinking on the interaction between new technologies and public policy, giving students a sophisticated grasp of cutting edge subjects related to digital governance.

Providing a thorough examination of theoretical frameworks and practical insights in the field of public crisis management, including both domestic and international situations, this course is based on the broad national security paradigm. The definition and risk assessment of public crises, emergency preparedness and institutional establishment strategies, crisis decision-making and risk mitigation protocols, crisis early warning and rapid emergency response mechanisms, public crisis investigation and accountability procedures, emergency news distribution guidelines, adverse impact prevention strategies, and crisis management techniques are all covered. The course’s main goal is to raise students’ awareness of public crises and improve their capacity to handle a variety of dangers and difficulties.

Grassroots governance serves as the core of contemporary public administration, reflecting the quality of people’s self-rule in a nation; and it is at least as important to political order as the governance by the government hierarchy. This DPA seminar aims at an advanced understanding on the grassroots governance in contemporary China. It will be conducted by studying selected cases in both urban and rural China, supplemented with vertical (historical) and horizontal (worldwide) cases. This course contains five major contents: theories on governance and grassroots governance, CPC ideas on governance as background, case studies on rural grassroots governance, case studies on urban grassroots governance, cases in the Chinese history and abroad. The student evaluation requires a term paper between 6,000-7,000 characters, comparing two contemporary cases of one’s own interest, to demonstrate the features and difficulties in the grassroots governance.

The course provides the candidates with an overview of current issues in economic and fiscal policy in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA). Topics may include the exchange rate policy of Renminbi (Hong Kong Dollar and Pataca), the development of stock exchange and featured finance, the role of GBA in service platform between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries and “the Belt and Road” Initiative, as well as, the development of GBA city clusters.

The course provides the candidates with an overview of social security and social welfare in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA). Topics may include the social welfare system and welfare dependence, the sustainability of social welfare system, the role of voucher system and social insurance in social welfare system, tourism poverty alleviation, furthermore, smart health care and smart elderly service.