Lien Development Conference 2022

中文

Held in conjunction with the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Nanyang Centre for Public Administration (NCPA) of the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), NCPA organized the 2022 Lien Development Conference on 25-26 November 2022 in hybrid form. This two-day conference was co-organised with the Lien Ying Chow Legacy Fellowship, International Institute of Administrative Sciences, and the Stratagem Group. The theme this year was “The Dynamics of Governance in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous World”. Academics, researchers, and practitioners from various fields and around the world were invited to come together and deliberate broadly how the structures and dynamics of governance had developed in the VUCA world that we currently live in.  A total of around 300 academics, policymakers, and practitioners from 15 countries participated in the two-day hybrid conference.

On the morning of 25 November 2022, Professor Subra Suresh, President, NTU Singapore, Professor Liu Hong, Director of NCPA, NTU Singapore, and Mr Laurence Lien, Chairman of Lien Foundation, Singapore, gave their welcome and opening addresses respectively.

Prof Liu Hong commented that governance has been an increasingly important topic both in research and policy especially since the early 2020, reinforced by the rise of challenges that are brought about by a combination of several ongoing trends. They include accelerating climate change, heightening geopolitical tensions, deglobalisation, rapid digitization, prolonged economic and supply chain volatilities, worsening inequality, as well as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which has reinforced the necessity of good governance in the effective functioning of both government institutions and consequently, the life outcomes of populations (in terms of access to medical care, economic livelihoods, etc.) during periods of crisis. Sustainability and resilience have become key as the world adapts to the new normal. 

In his recorded speech at the conference, Senior Minister of State for National Development and Communications and Information Tan Kiat How said to thrive in an uncertain and turbulent world, Singapore will work with like-minded partners to grow the region’s economy and expand areas of cooperation. This includes not just governments but businesses and academia. At the same time, governments must help their people thrive amid disruption, including creating new opportunities and providing assurance when needed.

Other speakers at the conference included Professor Geert Bouckaert, Chair, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Networks of Schools of Government; Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed, Member, NTU Board of Trustee, and former Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore;  Dr Arkebe Oqubay, Senior Minister and Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Visiting Professor, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, and British Academy Global Professor, Ethiopia; and Professor Woothisarn, Secretary General, King Prajadhipok's Institute Thailand.

The biannual forum continued on 26th November 2022, with more than 20 breakout sessions around seven themes, covering topics including policymaking, sustainability and inclusiveness, public values, smart governance, public health and policies, and public governance model and development. This year, coinciding with the Centre’s anniversary, the forum invited public management scholars, policymakers, and professionals from all over the world to attend the event, which also reflects the academic value and influence of the Nanyang Centre for Public Administration as a public administration teaching and research institution.