The Asia Pacific journal of public administration 

About: The Asia Pacific journal of public administration is an academic journal published by Taylor & Francis. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Government & Corporate governance. It has an ISSN identifier of 2327-6673. Over the lifetime, 332 publications have been published receiving 2890 citations. The journal is also known as: Ya Tai gong gong xing zheng xue.

Citizen-Government Engagement: Community Connection Through Networked Arrangements

Abstract: Changes in the social, political and economic make-up of contemporary society have resulted in greater emphasis on competition, entrepreneurship, individualisation and fragmentation but, at the same time, there has been growing calls by the community for improved connection between government and citizens, and greater integration and cooperation. Since governments cannot afford to tolerate excessive levels of tension between constituents and other stakeholders, and the previous systems of integration on their own are no longer sufficient, there is a need for new processes and mechanisms of connection. Universally, networked forms based on horizontal integration principles have been presented as the new mode for social connection. Despite their apparent simplicity, networked arrangements offer a wide array of options, structures and potential outcomes. This paper explores and analyses the emerging need to customise these linkages between governments and community to optimise inherent benefits of these modes of working. It is proposed that in this context, new ways of working together require specialised mixing, matching and managing of networked arrangements between government and citizens.

The motivational bases of public service: foundations for a third wave of research

Abstract: Research on public service motivation has garnered significant attention from scholars, especially in the last two decades. This article divides the evolution of the research into three waves: definition and measurement; assessing and confirming construct validity and diffusion of the construct; and learning from past research and filling shortcomings and gaps. Significant contributions and benchmarks of the first two waves are identified. Four foundational activities are discussed that are present and will be important for advancing public service motivation research during the third wave. Some aspects of the research in the Asia Pacific region are highlighted.

Probing System Limits: Decentralisation and Local Political Accountability in Vietnam

Abstract: Decentralisation occupies an important space in debates over public-sector reform in doimoi Vietnam. This article assesses the changing distribution of roles, responsibilities and resources across levels of government over the past decade. Vietnam is incrementally transfering greater administrative and fiscal responsibilities to the provincial level. In addition, the Communist Party is attempting to prevent local corruption through a much touted “grassroots democratisation” initiative. Yet such moves towards decentralisation, however cautious, are problematic in terms of their bureacratic politics and potential impacts on poverty. Incentives for bureacratic actors and local leaders to transfer meaningful control downwards are weak or non-existent within the current governance structure, which centralises political power and emphasises hierarchical, sectoral controls over decision-making and resources. And decentralisation trends are exacerbating the weak administrative and fiscal capacities of poorer prov...

“All quiet on the non-Western front?” A review of public service motivation scholarship in non-Western contexts

Abstract: While public service motivation (PSM) research has recently become more internationalised, over 80% of all scholarship is still being conducted in Europe and the United States. In this article, the focus is on recent PSM scholarship in non-Western contexts, involving 36 empirical studies published between 2000 and 2014. Of particular interest are the origins of scholarship, the theories, samples and methodologies used, and the empirical findings on the relation between PSM and key antecedents and outcomes. The findings show that the use of theoretical and methodological approaches with a Western signature is sometimes problematic in explaining motivational and organisational dynamics in non-Western contexts. In response, the discussion concludes by proposing a research agenda for non-Western PSM research with three key interest areas: cultural values and societal disposition, different types of motivators and their relation with PSM, and links between public service ethos, institutions, and PSM.

The First Ten Years of the HKSAR: Civil Society Comes of Age

Abstract: Civil society in Hong Kong has gone through an important period of maturity in the ten years since the handover, with 2003 being a watershed. Around 2003, civil society assumed a separate identity, and from that point on it has been active in various aspects on the policy-making scene. This article discusses how civil society has articulated itself: its identity, roles, agenda and agency. Civil society’s self-articulation of its identity and roles reveals three discourses: civil society as a defender of its own autonomy, civil society as the third sector, and civil society as a partner in governance. While the first and third discourses are popular among civil society actors, the second discourse is used more by the government. There is also a shift in the emphasis: from the self-defense discourse surrounding opposition of the public security bill to the governance partnership discourse relating to an expanded agenda of civil society on environmental, history, culture and heritage issues. The expanded age...