Anthony Cheung

Public service reform, or public sector reform, has been a hot topic among political scientists in recent years as most existing government structures are inadequate to cope with the ever-changing environments of globalism in terms of capital and technology. This is particularly true among Asian countries where the traditional bureaucracy has been strong as compared to a relatively weak sense of community. Traditional relations between government, the business sector and labour, which slowly have taken shape in the last two decades, are now once again challenged through de-colonialization in Hong Kong, democratization in Korea, decentralization in Singapore and technological innovation in Japan. This timely collection addresses a variety of selected reform issues confronted by these four developed Asian economies. The areas of reform covered range from human resource management, financial management and pay reform, to central agency role, service improvements, private sector involvement and political accountability.

Reform Issues and Challenges in Japan, Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong

Public Service Reform in East Asia

Ian Scott

Based on new field research, this book assesses the current state of governance and public sector reforms in eleven Asian countries and jurisdictions, especially in the wake of the recent regional financial crisis that seriously affected some of them. It analyses reform efforts comparatively against a backdrop of governance problems, and seeks to establish whether these efforts represent a substantive shift in attitudes towards reform or whether they serve simply to reinforce existing practices. The authors explore a number of important themes that are central to governance and public sector reform issues. These include the role of the state, the success or failure of organizational reforms, corruption, the applicability of the new public management model in the Asian context, and the governance values and reform models promoted by regional and international agencies.

Anthony Cheung

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