A United States lapdog - or a lone wolf?
The foreign policy train rolls on, and Australia has finally gained a seat on the United Nations Security Council. According to the combined authority of the Prime Minister and the Foreign...
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International Research and Professional Development Partnerships
Professor Mark Evans has substantial international experience in strategic partnerships in professional development and research.
Working with local partners in Afghanistan, China, Japan, European Union, Kazakhstan, Korea and Vietnam Mark has developed local capacity building programs, lectured and researched public administration in post-war reconstruction and development environments.
AFGHANISTAN EXPERIENCE
Key partners: COWIE, CMI, Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, Ministry of Education, Ministry of the Interior, UK Department for International Development, World Bank.
Professional development activities:
Professor Sultan Barakat and Mark were approached in September 2002 by the European Union to conduct training in Kabul with senior members of the Afghan Interim Authority on enhancing the capacity of Afghan public administration. This has now evolved into a major international research collaboration on public administration and post-war reconstruction supported by the Al-Tajir World of Islam Trust. In 2005-7 they were commissioned to evaluate the Islam Republic of Afghanistan’s National Solidarity Programme for the World Bank. The evaluation is cited on the World Bank’s website as a seminal contribution to evaluation in the area of post-war reconstruction. More recently, in December 2008 they were commissioned to write the DFID report ‘Understanding Afghanistan’ which has influenced recent changes in government thinking on conflict transformation in Afghanistan. They are presently a member of a DFID ‘privileged working partner’ consortium with COWIE and CMI which provides research and training in this area.
Description of services provided:
Knowledge transfer on strategic development issues in conflict transformation and capacity development to large numbers of senior policy-makers, operational delivery managers, and international NGO’s.
Outputs:
A broad range of bespoke training courses on conflict management and transformation, IB Tauris library on Post-war Reconstruction, action-based research with demonstrable policy impact.
CHINA EXPERIENCE
Key partners: China National School of Administration; School of Public Administration, Renmin University; Social and Economic Reform Commission
Professional development activities
Mark has developed a series of institutional relationships with high quality Chinese partners including the China National School of Administration (CNSA), Zhejiang University, Nanjing University and Renmin University involving joint research projects and professional training courses. He has been awarded an honorary professorship at the CNSA and a visiting professorship at Renmin University. Research projects have focused on strategic issues in urban governance, international policy transfer and administrative reform. Other training programmes include:
- Senior Trainer, ‘Teaching and Learning Methods in MPA Education’, 15 participants, China-Europe Public Administration Programme, Renmin University (November 2007).
- Convenor, ‘Vice President Strategic Management Training Programme’, 15 participants, for the Ministry of Personnel, China, University of York (July 2007).
- Convenor, ‘Policy Analysis for Practice’, training programme delivered to academicians and practitioners, 45 participants, School of Public Administration, Renmin University, Beijing (May and June 2007).
- Programme Director, ‘Towards Public Value Management’, summer training programme for Provincial DG’s, 30 participants, Hanzhou and Nanjing Municipal governments, University of York (July 2006).
- Programme Director for a training programme for Senior Officials Managing the Beijing Olympics on ‘Sports Management’, 30 participants, University of York (November 2005).
- Public Administration Trainer for Executive Officer Programme, 75 participants, China National School of Administration China focusing on administrative reform and managing change (May, 2005).
- Public Administration Trainer for Young Leaders Programme, 50 participants, China National School of Administration China focusing on the theory and practice of governance reform (May, 2004).
- Public Administration Trainer for Young Leaders Programme, 35 participants, Understanding Governance Reform, Xi’An Provincial Government Training College, Xi’An, China (April 2004).
- Public Administration Trainer for Executive Officer Programme, 85 participants, Beijing National School of Administration China focusing on the theory and practice of governance and the rudiments of successful international policy transfer (May, 2003).
Description of services provided:
Knowledge transfer and capacity development in the areas outlined above to large numbers of Chinese policy-makers, operational delivery managers, higher education providers and public administration academicians.
Keynote lectures to major Chinese institutions:
- April 2003, ‘Policy Transfer in Global Perspective’ and ‘Administrative Reform in the UK’, keynote lectures delivered to the China National School for Public Administration, Beijing, China.
- April 2004, ‘The New Governance: Positive and Negative Lessons for China’, Xi’An Provincial Government Training College, Xi’An, China.
- October 2004: ‘Understanding UK Governance’, Institute of Public Administration, Renmin University; ‘Using Policy Transfer as a Tool for Rational Policy-making’, keynote lecture delivered to the Central Party School, Beijing, China; ‘Policy Transfer in Global Perspective’, keynote lecture delivered at Zhejiang University, Hanzhou.
- May 2005, ‘Policy Transfer in Global Perspective’, keynote lecture delivered to the Department of Political Science, Peking University, Beijing, China.
- May 2006, ‘Towards Public Value Management’, keynote lecture delivered to the Department of Public Administration, Nanjing University, Nanjing.
- May 2007, ‘Understanding Embedded Corruption in Public Administration – Some Comparative Observations’, Conference on Corruption in Government, ‘Transparency’ International/International Business Solutions/School of Public Administration, Renmin University, Beijing, 11 May 2007.
- May 2007, ‘Towards Public Value? Negotiating the Problems of Networked Governance’, invited lecture, First Sino-European Conference on Public Administration, ‘New Directions in Chinese and European Public Administration’, School of Public Administration, Renmin University, Beijing, 18 May 2007.
- May 2007, ‘Towards Public Value? Administrative Reform in the UK’, invited lecture, National Development and Reform Commission, PRP China, Beijing, 23 May 2007.
- June 2007, ‘Post-war Reconstruction and the World Bank: the Case of Afghanistan’, Zhenjou University, PRP China, 5 June 2007
- November 2007, ‘Negotiating the Problems of Network Governance’, China-Europe Public Administration Conference, China National School of Administration, ‘Conference on Public Sector Management’, 14 November 2007.
Outputs:
Training delivered to 380 participants, and academic outputs on administrative reform and policy transfer in China. See: M. Evans (2005), Policy Transfer in Global Perspective (Hants, Ashgate); (2006), Public Administration and Development (York: E-University on-line); (ed.), (2009), New Directions in Policy Transfer Analysis (Routledge/Taylor and Francis); (2009), ‘Towards Public Service Oriented Governance? Administrative Reform with ‘Chinese Characteristics’, in A. Massey, ed., Handbook of Public Administration (Edward Elgar).
EUROPEAN UNION EXPERIENCE
Key partners: Central European University, Institute of Development Studies at the Hague, IBEI in Barcelona; EU Phare Programme; EU Erasmus Mundus Programme
Professional development activities:
Mark designed a two year Erasmus Mundus MA programme in Public Policy for non EU public managers or NGO managers which is delivered in collaboration with three European institutions. The course attracts 25 fully funded EU scholarships per year. Professor Evans also designed and delivered a one year MPA programme for senior civil servants in Romania under the Phare programme from 2005-8. He was also the Academic Facilitator of the UK’s European Citizens Consultation sponsored by the Power Inquiry/European Union at the University of York (Easter 2007).
Description of services provided:
Two MPA programmes, a short course in programme evaluation and a three day deliberation on the future of the European Constitution.
Outputs:
Training delivered to 70 participants.
JAPAN EXPERIENCE
Key partners: JAICA, Nippon Foundation, Waseda University and Ritsumeikan University
Professional development activities:
In 2006, Mark developed a series of institutional relationships with high quality Japanese partners including Waseda University and Ritsumeikan University involving joint ’1 plus 1’ MA courses in Political Research.
Description of services provided:
MA programmes.
Outputs:
Thus far these programmes haven’t recruited as well as expected with approximately 5 students per year.
KAZAKHSTAN EXPERIENCE
Key partners: Civil service commission, Cabinet Office
Professional development activities:
In April 2008, Mark was invited to deliver a one week training programme by the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan entitled ‘Administrative Reform in International Perspective’ to kick start the government’s latest round of administrative reforms.
Description of services provided:
Knowledge transfer on administrative reform issues and capacity development to large numbers of senior policy-makers and operational delivery managers.
Outputs:
Training delivered to 60 participants.
KOREAN EXPERIENCE
Key partners: Ministry of Personnel and Services
Professional development activities:
Mark designed a two year ‘MPA with Public Service Placement’ programme for the Ministry of Public Administration and Services in South Korea which was launched this academic year (see attached programme specification).
Description of services provided:
MPA training, placement provision and mentoring.
Outputs:
The first cohort of CEO’s are currently attending Year 1 of the programme.
UNITED KINGDOM EXPERIENCE
Key partners: Benefit Fraud Inspectorate (BFI), Cabinet Office, Department for International Development (DFID), Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), National School of Government (NSG).
Professional development activities:
These have include three bespoke Chevening programmes for the FCO on various aspects of conflict transformation, a bespoke MA in Public Management for the DWP (running since 2002), a Foundation degree in Government for the NSG, short courses on programme evaluation for DFID and the BFI. Professor Evans was also Co-Convenor of PAC/NSG/Cabinet Office workshop on ‘Professional Skills for Government – the Contribution of Higher Education Institutions’ with Sir Gus O’Donnell, Head of the Home Civil Service, University of York, 2 September 2008.
Description of services provided:
Knowledge transfer on the above issues and capacity development to large numbers of senior policy-makers and operational delivery managers.
Outputs:
Training delivered to 260 participants.
VIETNAM EXPERIENCE
Key partners: Institute of Social Sciences in Hochiminh City, Ministry of Labour and War Invalids, Confederation of Labour
Professional development activities:
A collaborative research project research on ‘Evaluating the social impact of equitisation on the Vietnamese textile industry’ with the Institute of Social Sciences in Hochiminh City in Vietnam led to the development of a six-year British Council/DFID sponsored link programme which evaluated the social impact of equitization on workers and retrenched workers in Vietnam. Mark was the Link Director. This was the first major social research project conducted by overseas researchers that has received Vietnamese governmental and trade union backing.
Description of services provided:
Programme evaluation, capacity development in programme evaluation and data analysis.
Outputs:
Knowledge transfer on the above issues and capacity development to large numbers of senior policy-makers, trade unionists and operational delivery managers. In addition, several research outputs (books, international journal articles, and toolkits) were produced.
INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS
Key partners: Integrity in Reconstruction Network; West Asia and North Africa Forum
Professional development activities with the Integrity in Reconstruction Network
In July 2008, Professor Evans delivered a keynote lecture at TIRI’s Integrity in Public Administration Conference on ‘Administrative Reform in International Perspective’, Central European University, Budapest. This provided the platform for the launch of an Integrity in Post-war Reconstruction network which has already generated £40,000 research income for a comparative project on community level reconstruction monitoring in Afghanistan, East Timor, Aceh, Northern Uganda and Palestine.
Professional development activities with the West Asia and North Africa Forum
Leaders, opinion elites and representatives of the media and civil society from Morocco to India assembled in Amman, Jordan on 19-20 April for the first West Asia and North Africa (WANA) Forum meeting. The event tackled the major social, economic and environmental challenges facing countries from Morocco to India. I was invited to become a member of the Forum as a technical expert on institutional development.
In the words of the Forum’s founder and the event’s host, HRH Prince El-Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, the Forum sought to bridge the gap between “what is and what ought to be”. Expounding upon this objective, the event’s keynote speaker, former Finnish President and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Martti Ahtisaari, reminded all in attendance that ‘peace is a matter of will’ and that popular will can only develop through dialogue between states and between states and civil society within the region.
The WANA Forum is a five-year process which aims to engage innovative and distinguished regions from West Asia and North Africa to identify key priorities, develop policies and programmes and advocate for their adoption among civil society, governments and international organisations. It marks a shift away from a strict focus upon the Middle East to also encapsulate northern and parts of eastern Africa, Turkey and large segments of both central and South Asia, parts of the world which share similar dilemmas but which have failed thus far to address them in a coordinated manner. As such, in addition to the development of innovative policies and plans, the Forum aims to build bridges across countries previously perceived to comprise distinct regions.
One key priority identified and endorsed by the Forum was post-conflict reconstruction and, particularly, the founding of a WANA-based centre to build capacities for governments, civil society and others to engage in reconstruction, conflict prevention, peace building and development initiatives without the need for foreign expertise. Mark presented the idea at the WANA Forum with Steven Zyck and have been asked to help develop the centre over the coming five years. In addition Mark has been asked to engage in research related to social cohesion and donorship within West Asia and North Africa in order to support the Forum.