Global Policy最新文献

This article takes the proposal of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013 as a quasinatural experiment, uses the difference-in-difference model and data on China's listed companies from 2010 to 2021 to examine the relationship between outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) and total factor productivity in the micro level. The empirical results show that after the BRI is put forward, enterprise investments in countries along the Belt and Road have a reverse ‘productivity effect’ at first, with the implication of being the strongest in 2015 but are no longer significant by 2017; furthermore, the BRI has a significant positive effect on the total factor productivity of enterprises in 2021. Potential irrational investments and low investment efficiency can better explain this phenomenon, as investment efficiency declined at the beginning of the BRI but steadily increased after 2019, which is consistent with the negative to positive ‘productivity effect’. Extended analysis and robustness tests support the above conclusions.

This special issue on ‘Governing a VUCA World’ aims to contribute to ongoing endeavours in expanding the practices and theories of governance by bringing in perspectives and case studies from the Global South at a time of great turbulence and uncertainties. It hopes to further advance discussions pertaining to various aspects of Asian experiences of governance in developing a model of transnational governance that embraces agility and flexibility in navigating a VUCA world that is fraught with volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.

While the smart city literature extensively discusses the human-centric approach to smart city governance, empirical evidence remains limited. This study examines the practical applications of this approach and considers the remaining challenges, using the case of the Sustainable Smart Town of Fujisawa, Japan. It focuses on institutionalisation, organisational transformation, and public participation, highlighting the achievements and limitations of human-centric governance in this context. In Fujisawa, a practical approach to human-centric governance emerged to overcome bureaucratic barriers to implementing smart city initiatives. This includes formulating smart city policies tailored to the urban context and introducing institutional reforms in the local government; these allow the city to engage with multiple stakeholders and prioritise citizens' needs. However, several challenges persist, such as the limited competence of the local smart city department to drive a citywide initiative and limited governmental digitalisation. Furthermore, while public opinion is collected by certain advanced digital tools, there is no mechanism for stakeholder dialog or direct citizen participation in decision-making processes; this lack of engagement prevents the city from adequately addressing citizens' needs. Addressing these limitations is vital for achieving a human-centric approach in local smart city initiatives.

A volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) world presents both challenges and opportunities. One good example is the increased focus on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), which can be viewed as a barrier for growth or as a competitive advantage for countries. For countries to view ESG as a competitive advantage, there are three key opportunities to tap on. First, nations could collaborate on ESG technology, specifically on the development, deployment or building of ESG technological infrastructure. Second, nations could share best practices regarding their solutions to social issues such as social mobility. Third, nations could collaborate to harmonise ESG standards to promote trade between countries.

Public administration has witnessed an avalanche of crises spanning financial, economic, health, environmental and governmental domains in the past two decades. Consequently, governments responded with volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) management strategies. Utilising these approaches to new types of systemic crisis which turned into systemic breakdowns, as system-quakes, did not work sufficiently. This article presents the TODO framework—turbulent environments, oscillating knowledge quality, domino falling types of interdependence and opposing ‘solutions’—for understanding these contemporary systemic crisis patterns. Additionally, we propose six institutional reforms aiming at enhancing readiness, including (1) establishing a New Weberian State (NWS) to foster ‘systemic resilience governance’, (2) shifting sequential to simultaneous thinking, (3) embracing a Whole of Government (WoG)/Whole of Society (WoS) approach, (4) ensuring Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) implementation, (5) fostering institutional alignment and (6) promoting collaborative organisational leadership. These reforms aim to create a governance structure characterised by resilience and systemic responsiveness.

A growing bandwagon of commentators declare our collective existence is subject to volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. Welcome to the ‘VUCA world’. Since populations typically turn to governments for support when crises strike, there is merit in policy scholars paying close attention to the ‘VUCA world’ narrative. This article assesses the implications of the VUCA narrative for policy professionals charged with conducting policy coordination and development. If volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity are becoming more commonplace, what aspects of coordination and development work should change? We indicate how policy professionals might harness new technologies and integrate them with long-term planning tools to help governments anticipate and reduce the consequences of crisis events. A lot of the technology now at our fingertips can be usefully deployed to assist with improved policy coordination and development to rapidly and effectively respond to VUCA-like challenges. Further, more ‘stewardship’ capability in and around government must be built to enable exploration of future scenarios so societies can stand ready to address anticipated eventualities. We conclude that the VUCA narrative can promote salutary improvements in the practice of policy coordination and development.

From COVID-19 to the crisis in Ukraine, and fears surrounding a potential cold war brewing between global superpowers, volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) events have created a tsunami of ripple effects affecting individuals, groups, organizations, societies, nations, and the world. To keep pace with or even stay ahead of the VUCA environment, leaders and organizations are required to understand and embrace new leadership skills. A mixed-methods research design was conducted in a real-world context as part of the theoretical exploratory research project to collect data for knowledge creation. A mixed-methods research design was conducted in a real-world context as part of the theoretical exploratory research project to collect data for knowledge creation. Qualitative data from the interviews of the SME (practitioners) and participants from focus group discussion (FGD) as well as quantitative data were collected from subject matter experts (SMEs, typically leadership educators) and participants working in cultures where collective leadership is practiced. Three key leadership competencies with 12 skills for collective leadership were identified from this knowledge-creation process. From the 12 leadership skills, a preliminary collective leadership survey was proposed to help leaders and organizations develop greater self-awareness to plan, conduct, measure, and refine evidence-based leadership education and development for collective leadership. Limitations and future directions for this relatively new leadership research topic were identified and discussed.

The rise of smart cities has raised innovative ideas on public designs that provide opportunities for community building. Despite extant academic conversations discussing community formation and community management through urban design, there is a lack of literature on the role of the public sector in community building and redevelopment of spaces for the local community. This research aims to gain a better understanding of the importance of how local governments in various countries create and operate public facilities that are intended to allow residents to exchange ideas, learn, and have fun, and how they also pay attention to the esthetics and design of their surroundings to create comfortable spaces for the people. Examining through the perspectives of city design, political science, and urban sociology, and considering the impact that COVID-19 had on the use of these spaces, this research proposes a benchmark for community building through urban design and analyzes in detail case studies from four different cities: Sapporo, Helsinki, São Paulo, and Singapore. Findings from our proposed benchmark contribute to the theory, and inform public stakeholders and local government to create, activate, and manage current and future public spaces to better serve the residents and attract new residents.

This case study article delves into the comprehensive governance strategies employed by Singapore during the COVID-19 pandemic, as elucidated in a compelling speech delivered by Mr. Zainul Abidin Rasheed at Lien Development Conference 2022. The former Senior Minister of State (Foreign Affairs) and Member of the Board of Trustees at Nanyang Technological University sheds light on the triumvirate of key elements—capacity, collaboration and cohesion—that underscore Singapore's successful management of the crisis. The article explores the multifaceted state capacities meticulously developed over time, highlighting the instrumental role of public–private partnerships in fostering collaborative innovation. Anchoring these strategies is societal cohesion, intricately woven with political trust, effective communication and a shared spirit of mutual support. As Mr. Rasheed contemplates the open question of whether humanity has gleaned the necessary lessons from history to adequately prepare for the future, he envisions Singapore's experience serving as a valuable reference for others.

This article examines the evolving landscape of digital geopolitics, with a focus on the intensifying technological rivalry between the United States and China. It discusses how digital transformation is reshaping global power structures, influenced by and contributing to the bifurcation of the world through strategic initiatives and differing digital ecosystems. The article distinguishes digital geopolitics from conventional geopolitics and techno-nationalism on several fronts: the shift from hard power centred on territorial control to digital dominance; the transcendence of geographical boundaries that have conventionally defined geopolitical conflicts; the evolution from traditional political alliances to strategic technological partnerships; and the competition over setting international standards. Additionally, it addresses how corporate power plays a pivotal role in this new era, contributing to the shaping of the digital geopolitical landscape. Through case studies of Huawei and TikTok, this article demonstrates the influence of digital geopolitics on international business (and vice versa) as well as the intensified bifurcation of the digital ecosystems. The article concludes by arguing that digital geopolitics serves as both the by-product of and contributor to the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) world in which China is encountering a new global order.