Lien International Conference 2017

Forging Towards an Inclusive and Sustainable Globalization

We live in an era of globalization, the global flow of trade has more than doubled since the 1990s with more open economies that lower the cost of goods and services. Since the end of the Cold War, the productive global labor force has grown vastly, contributing to new manufacturing and services throughout the developing and the developed worlds, boosting demand for energy and increasing consumptions. In the meantime, the intensity and scale of flows of capital, talents, skills, technologies, information, and ideas have been on the rapid rise over the past two decades.

Despite the vision of globalization to raise all boats in poor and rich countries alike, many countries remain on the fringes and some are even falling further behind. Their exclusions are due to many reasons, including, among other things, competing interests, poor governance, discrimination, diseases, absence of infrastructure, weakening economies, and environmental challenges. The stark numbers on unemployment, underemployment, working poverty and income inequality translate into major setbacks for the aspirations of hundreds of millions of women and men and their families and communities. The disconnection between the preoccupations of people and global political elites is deepening, with many damaging consequences for democracy, the rule of law, social cohesion and human development. Globalization offers incredible opportunities and potentials, however, achieving an inclusive globalization that can combine economic dynamism with social justice in a sustainable way for the people of the developed and the developing world alike is a key public policy challenge facing governments today.

The 2017 Lien International Conference on Good Governance will be held in Singapore from October 27-28, 2017. Jointly organized by the Nanyang Centre for Public Administration (NCPA) from the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) and International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS). Generously supported by the Lien Foundation, the Conference gathers local and international academics, practitioners and researchers to  discuss in-depth good governance in the context of achieving an inclusive and sustainable globalization.