MPUP is honoured to have invited Professor Mary Feeney, Associate Professor and Lincoln Professor of Ethics in Public Affairs, Associate Director of Center for Science, Technology and Environmental Policy Studies, School of Public Affairs, Arizona State University and also the Editor of the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory (JPART),top-ranked journal in the field of public administration and public management to visit the University and the Programme in late March 2019.

On 29 March 2019 (Fri), Professor Feeney delivered a talk on “Engaging through Technology: The Role of Administrative Culture and Mandates”.  Professor Feeney started her presentation with differentiating “Information Communication Technologies (ICTs)” adoption from ICTs use and brought forth her observation that governments had limited success in using ICTs to promote public engagement.  She further talked about, based on her research findings, the factors behind the limited success of governments with ICTs in public engagement and offered her insights into the critical role which “administrative culture” played in using ICTs for participatory purpose.

After the presentation, the audience discussed actively with Professor Feeney on her research findings, research methods and gave some new insights into future research.

Apart from giving the talk, Professor Feeney also introduced JPART, including its mission, objectives, submission requirements, etc. to the audience and encouraged submissions from local academics.

The whole session was a full house of local faculties and students from CUHK and other local institutions, who appreciated the valuable exchange with an experienced scholar in the field.