Please join us at the CIS 720 Seminar this Monday, September 21 (4:30p-5:30p) for Professor Morgen Johansen’s presentation on “Social Equity in the Asia-Pacific Region: Concepts and Realities”
Topic: “Social Equity in the Asia-Pacific Region: Concepts and Realities”
Abstract: Social equity (also known as fairness or justice) is one of 4 core public service values in public policy and public administration research and practice. However, the way that social equity is defined, conceptualized, and taught to public affairs students is based on Western, Judeo-Christian political thought and traditions. Because of this, social equity does not always resonate with our students, and with public sector workers in the Asia-Pacific region. This presentation will look at some broader differences between Western and Asia-Pacific approaches to social equity and then uses qualitative data from 9 cases across the Asia-Pacific region –Hawaii, Australia, Oceania, the Philippines, South Korea, Japan, China, Hong Kong, and Singapore– to explore what social equity may look like in these cases. The presentation concludes with discussion about similarities and differences in groups and policies related to social equity, and argues that the reasons for pursuing equity have been influenced by their individual case contexts, including the influence of Western culture imposed on them from various sources.
Bio: Morgen Johansen is Professor and Director of the Public Administration Program in the College of Social Sciences at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, USA. Her teaching focuses on social equity and leadership in the Asia-Pacific region. Her research focuses on differences in managerial behavior across public, private, and non-governmental organizations, and diversity management issues in public service organizations.