This course will develop students’ knowledge on the major theoretical approaches which have been developed for cross-national studies, policy transfer and lesson learning in policy-making. Students will critically assess and synthesize the applicability of these theories for analyzing public policy development in Southeast and East Asia in the context of an increasingly pluralized world. Major public policy areas (for example, environment, education, social security, and health care) will be identified for comparison in light of the global public policy trends and changing governance models in public policy. Students will apply theories and evidence from other countries and reflect on processes of policy transfer to into Hong Kong to enable them to question policy processes, synthesize knowledge from different places and disciplines and consider the nature of policy in Hong Kong.

Group Presentation: 20%
2 Essays: 80%