메인메뉴 바로가기본문으로 바로가기
네이버 공유 카카오 공유 트위터 공유 페이스북 공유

Searching New Ways of Institutional Cooperation

The 3rd annual Global Public Policy Network (GPPN) Conference was held in Beijing, on October 20-21, on the campus of Peking University School of Government, and co-hosted by Peking University and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy of the National University of Singapore.



The GPPN is a network of public policy schools at four leading universities in the field Ð the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) of Columbia University, London School of Economics and Political Science, Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po) in Paris, and the Lee Kuan Yew School.
The conference theme was ‘Harmonizing Globalization: Seeking Solutions to Common Problems.’ More than 200 participants gathered at the conference Ð representatives from the four GPPN schools, and specialists and experts from other public policy schools, government organizations, research institutions, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations Ð to discuss both general and specific issues in the area of public policy and global governance.
The first day of the conference was devoted to the general presentations and discussions of the issues by the leading experts in the field, including Pascal Lamy, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Issues included a global values debate between the developed, Western countries and the rest of the world; globalization strategies for public policy schools; the role of public policy practitioners in public policy schools; the ethics of making public policies; the effectiveness and efficacy of the current global financial architecture; the problem of international cooperation in the field of energy and environment; and developing public policy education curricula in less developed countries and regions around the world.
The second day of the conference consisted of issues and strategies concerning the public policy schools. It has been mentioned that the schools of public policy have been ineffective in educating the future policymakers with the skills and knowledge they need to keep pace with the fast-changing global environment. One of the goals of the GPPN schools is to overcome this gap in education and practice, to be able to produce a work force that can understand and adapt to the changing global, multicultural environment.
One of the hot topics at the general sessions was the current financial crisis. One of the reasons for the current crisis is the problem of global governance, both domestically and internationally. Participants generally agreed that the economic tradition and system of the United States is mainly responsible for triggering the current crisis. And discussions concerning the topic were in accordance with the main discussions at other international arena such as the G20. There were talks raising the need for a new financial system that would be more appropriate for the current international financial environment than the Bretton Woods system that was established 60 years ago. Some others, on the other hand, called for a restructuring and better governance of the existing system, rather than creating an entirely new system and risking the adjustment to the new system. Only one thing seemed to be clear: all the major economies in the world need to cooperate closer in order to overcome the current crisis. And the rising economies of China and India and their more active participation in the international financial system were emphasized in the discussions.
However, even at this conference, the divide was evident between the positions of the developed countries and the developing countries in many international issues, such as environment, sustained development, human rights, and international financial framework. The four GPPN schools seemed to be keeping this in mind and attempting to expand the network to developing countries and to other regions of the world, in order to get a more global and wider perspective. Peking University was chosen appropriately as the venue for this year’s
conference, even though it is not yet a formal partner in the network, and there was a session on developing new public policy programs in Africa, for the purpose of knowledge transfer to less developed countries.
One of the more distinct features of the GPPN partnership seems to be a focus on the student experiences and not just the professors. Distinct from the concept of the general student exchange programs, the GPPN seeks a relationship more akin to a ‘sister school’ among the partnership schools, especially among the graduate students. They emphasize common or shared curricula in the increasingly integrated global environment. Some of the programs include awarding dual degrees among the network partner schools; dividing residence time of graduate students in each school so that they would be spending half or part of their residence time in other GPPN partner schools, and conducting joint research projects and holding joint academic workshops among GPPN students.
In essence, the schools seem to be working toward a global campus made up of separate academic entities. This framework would certainly expand the kinds of experiences that students and scholars of each school can have only in their own countries. Where countries and government organizations cannot do so, these academic institutions can cooperate more closely and freely. One concern, at the initial stage, would be the logistics of coordinating such different programs of the schools. However, the GPPN experience may provide a framework for a truly global education.
As for the other institutions in the field of international exchanges, the GPPN framework may also provide a good benchmark. Although international exchanges depend much on the networking of the countries and institutions, it is not common for the like institutions in different countries to cooperate or work jointly. Doing so may prove a win-win situation for both countries and institutions.
Often, Korean institutions lack a close, realistic, and effective international network. For example, out of over 200 participants from 29 countries, the Korean representation consisted of two persons Ð from the Korea Foundation and one university. The conference being held in China, it would have been good for Korean experts to participate in the conference. The GPPN is not yet a global network; however, working with the leading universities will benefit the Korean schools in the field.

SEARCH

통합검색

통합검색버튼
통합검색닫기

전체메뉴

전체메뉴 닫기