STUDENT LIFE

The experience of joining the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) 2022 annual conference was vision-expanding. I was more than lucky not only to attend the first in-person conference since the outbreak of the pandemic but also to receive the scholarship from my master’s degree program, International Public Policy and Management (IPPAM), which partially supported me with the living and traveling expenses. Taking place in Jacksonville, Florida, the five-day conference brought the public policy leading scholars, practitioners, and young professionals all over the world together. It was a great honor to meet them and interact with them. The insightful sessions I listened to and the intellectual yet also fabulous people I met enlightened and nurtured my passion for the realm of public affairs. With four years of experience serving in the Taiwan Coast Guard, I understand the challenges placed against civil servants in my country, such as the uninspiring working environment, the hierarchical and inflexible commanding structure, the unbalance of rewards and efforts, and the politics involving issues. Sessions in the conference deeply examined the severe governmental situations posted by COVID-19 and other factors, developed a practical way of solving the knots, and conveyed the values of being a public server. I especially enjoyed the opening talk given by Tom Nicholas, which highlighted the conflict between experts in a certain field and the self-educated people with information online. It alerts me again not to undoubtedly accept the shared knowledge and realize the information gap in groups. This idea also connects to another session I enjoyed, which was the redistricting of LA county. The session showed how public opinions shaped the policy decision and emphasized the importance of information outreach at the local level. One of my appreciations of attending the conference was the opportunity to meet elites in public policy from all over the world. I learned how governments of countries function differently to adapt to the challenges and evolve into a more flexible entity. I also saw a variety of career paths of practitioners, and it inspired my passion for public affairs seeing how people in different organizations work together to build a better society. We even had an exclusive meet-up with outstanding scholars and practitioners since IPPAM generously funded a warm dinner for students and distinguished guests. It built a bridge for students to learn from them and appreciate their contributions to society. I am proud and grateful to be an IPPAMer and had the opportunity to attend the 2022 ASPA annual conference. I sincerely encourage future IPPAMers to join the conference and participate as much as you can. It ensured my passion and expanded my visions – I am sure it will for you as well.

A famous proverb states, “By reading we enrich the mind, by conversation we polish it.” Reflecting on ASPA, I thought of my own spin on it: “By studying with IPPAM we enrich the mind, by connecting with peers from all over the globe at ASPA we polish it.” The formulation and management of the public policy field can never be fully understood by a single thought. It has a complex, multi-faceted dimension, like rivers do with intersections and branches. Through its special set of courses and professors, IPPAM trains students to sharpen their knowledge and skills and find their path. ASPA was a great place for like-minded students to gather, connect, and engage on a variety of topics. As the largest and most prominent professional association for public administration, the panels and conferences in ASPA include federal and regional issues. Post-pandemic, every government has had to tackle growing challenges up until now. Simultaneously, the treacherous international situation is also in a tense state. The war between Russia and Ukraine was highlighted several times by speaker Tom Nichols in his opening speech. It was interesting to hear that the root of the anti-democratic movement was actually the middle class, and that we must look inward. We also need to pay strong attention to cultural conflict that is due to social media and cable news, such as the increasing anxiety from watching television and clashing cultures in proximity due to the internet. ASPA has given me the chance to think about these issues regarding public policy early on, which only prepares me to address them in the future. The speakers who came to ASPA were all leaders in the public domain. It is a precious opportunity to observe their expressions and demeanor, and I hope to apply the public speaking skills I learned in the future. The attendees who participated in ASPA were all enthusiastic professionals working within public affairs. This allowed our post-meeting exchanges to blossom as our interactions only broadened our horizons and social network. I would like to thank IPPAM for giving students like us the chance to present to hundreds of experts. It was moving to watch my cohorts, Professor Kaki, and Professor Gayla convey their knowledge learning to the world. Getting closer with the other IPPAM cohorts and Kazakh scholars was also very fulfilling. Once again, I thank IPPAM for giving me this unforgettable experience, and am elated to participate in similar international conferences in the future.

The ASPA 2022 conference commenced under the theme: "Democracy under Threat: The Future of Equality in a Post-COVID World." This year, over 20 IPPAMers attended the conference located in Jacksonville, Florida. In addition, we participated in panel discussions and symposiums of diverse and international topics during the five-day conference. Due to my work experience in foreign affairs, I am interested in following the progress of implementing UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) after the 2030 Agenda approved by all UN member states in 2015. Therefore, my research focus in this conference is "how well the SDG implementation by central/federal governments" and "how well the key stakeholders- local governments are aware of the UN SDGs and how they implemented the goals." Two symposiums I attended during the ASPA annual conference discussed the topics mentioned above. The first was on March 19th under the theme of “Performance Management That Makes a Meaningful Difference: Lessons Learned from the United States, New Zealand, Korea, and Japan,” the other was on March 20th under “Sustainable Development Goals: Target 2030?” The symposiums have answered the questions well; my observations and findings are as follows: First, most central/federal governments are implementing the SDGs. After July 2021, 176 countries out of 197 member countries have reported their voluntary national reviews (VNRs) on the forum on sustainable development (HLPF), as mandated by the UN General Assembly and the 2030 Agenda. Based on the fact that nearly 90% of the member states have reported their SDGs progress at the UN, one can conclude that most of the central governments are aware of the SDGs and are willing to implement them under their national development frameworks. Second, few cities are aware of the UN SDGs. There is a significant gap between central/ federal government and local governments. Around 10,000 cities worldwide; however, only 333 cities, including New York and Los Angeles, have signed declarations to report voluntary local reviews of SDG implementations (VLRs). Sustainability has become a widely-discussed topic in local governments; some cities establish a sustainability office under the mayor’s office to coordinate and monitor the progress; however, it is not in line with the UN SDGs. Although central/ federal governments are incorporating the UN SDGs into their national development plans, there is a significant gap between governments and subnational governments regarding SDGs implementation. Thirdly, to fill the gap, central/federal governments need to support local governments to learn about the 2030 Agenda and the 17 SDGs, collect data for monitoring the progress, and incorporate the goals into their city development plan. Adriana Alberti of UN DESA expressed in the conference that lack of capability is the main issue that jeopardizes the localization of SDGs. She mentioned most cities do not have relevant SDGs data and cannot monitor and analyze the data for reporting the progress of implementation. Therefore, I believe that central/ federal governments need to provide a capacity-building program for subnational governments to localize and implement the SDGs. All in all, it is a precious opportunity to attend the 2022 ASPA annual conference. I have learned a lot, and I would like to express my sincere thankfulness to IPPAM and the donors.

Planning for uncertainty would be the main point to figure out how people can cope with the policy change or comply with the new policy. Negotiation against the conflict coming close to the policy acceptance is now essential, estimating the idea that people would not quickly try to follow the administration’s decision in terms of the drastic policy change. “The plausible reason” would be necessary for people to accept the difference, design the pathway, and go forward with the new policy that seems to be required for all social issues such as climate change, racial inequality, and many kinds of occupational disadvantage. In this conference, I hoped to find the silver lining in the concepts of the reality that is now coming, how people's thoughts have changed compared to last year. This unexpected year would guide me into the performance-based policy that measures how people live in a sustainable economic situation and how it systematically builds policy proposals. That correlates with the research found on ASPA concerning the public human management in the public sector. Interestingly, New Public Management would no longer be a rule of thumb for evaluating performance. The importance of the new public administration was to find out the way back to the humanitarian purpose, not just to privatize the public sector. That turns me out based on my knowledge that focuses on the new research model that understands the causality differently to come closer to what happens in the chain action in the labor force market. When approaching the brink of climate change, measures that need to be sanctioned against air pollution should be managed intensely. We have seen improvements such as cleaner air and wildlife back to increasing right after the economic depression pandemic. My analysis found the meaning that the prospective client can watch the communities in conditions, whether it is good or bad. I tried to step into the further questions by participating in the conference about what policies would be plausible for the community. The redistributing Los Angeles session with Prof. Gayla Kraetsch Hartsough was an inspiring moment. The community classification in Los Angeles could be seen differently in interpreting my analysis, a little bit more updated version of research. This idea leads me to how I should keep focusing on how I can do more on research progress considering the community limit reflecting the year 2022. I felt the flow of change would be faster against preparing for the unexpected circumstances in which humanity would find its way to sustain its lives. For example, the pandemic accelerates the speed of the digital era in every form of living, such as being close to speckless online service in the workforce and academic areas. From perspectives of the societal spectrum, it is undeniable that the change would impact public policy for minimizing the gap between the present and future. At the end of the conference, I found the liveliness in the public administration academia. The scholars are trying to find a new idea that keeps enriching the diverse perspectives inspired by their research.

Being able to attend the 2022 annual ASPA Conference was an exceptional experience for me. Public administrators from many different disciplines came together to discuss the challenges of our modern society. During my first day at the conference, my focus was the Section on African Public Administration (SAPA) Symposium with many excellent presentations, inter alia the use of cryptocurrency in African public administration, practical considerations in IT development, and combating corruption. The panels featured speakers from many different parts of Africa, giving us a diverse and comprehensive outlook on current topics. Mr. Ndogo’s presentation about cryptocurrency impressed me the most. I had previously heard about El Salvador also using a similar approach, and Mr. Ndogo inspired me to look into the matter further and initiate more detailed research. On the following days, I attended presentations about money laundering and corruption in Brazil and the U.S.’ intervention against it. Furthermore, I was excited to learn about lobbying and the use of drones in the public sector. The presenter showed their research about which individuals are most prone to lobbying efforts and why. Researchers from Syracuse University also presented their findings on drone use in city and county administration. While not a lot of branches in public policy are using drones yet, drones are likely to become an important part of future administration, especially in law enforcement and in emergency response. The event was not only informative but was also a great opportunity to network with international speakers and attendees of the conference. As many of my fellow IPPAM students and research scholars were also at the event, we had a good time together, bonding and forming unforgettable memories. I have made many valuable connections and hope I might be able to work with some of these inspiring people in the future. In my opinion, the ASPA conference is a great chance to broaden your horizon and learn about many different topics and viewpoints in public policy to create a better world for everyone. I would love to attend the conference again next year.

One of the most significant advantages of attending the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) 2022 annual conference is meeting prominent figures, scholars, and experts in public administration and the opportunity to interact with them. I remembered that Jeffrey Wasserman, our instructor in PPD 555, once said that the more networks we have with people, the more ways we’ll be able to make ourselves successful in the future. During the conference, I had the opportunity to build new relationships with professors from other universities and even from other countries. I learned much about how they tried to improve people’s living conditions in their independent ways. Attending this conference truly allowed me to nourish my brain and open it to new thoughts and ideas. I believe that the benefits that come from attending this conference will be long-lasting. Attending the ASPA conference will never be a trivial thing. Most of the time, the research papers and topics discussed are unpublished and fresh from the researchers and scholars. I had the opportunity to hear the opinions and works of public policy leaders and experts before their findings got published in high-impact journals like Scopus Journals and Google Scholars. This situation enhances my knowledge and thinking ability, particularly in managing digital transformation in the public sector. The skills I received from the ASPA conference will also play a key role in my future work at the Indonesian Ministry of Finance. Traveling to Jacksonville was one of the most exciting moments, and I was lucky to attend the first in-person ASPA conference after the COVID-19 outbreak. The IPPAM support system is excellent as well – I received a scholarship from the IPPAM program, which helped me with living costs and travel expenses. The IPPAM students even had the opportunity for an exclusive meeting with outstanding scholars and distinguished guests since IPPAM generously provided a cozy dinner for students and faculty members. I’d like to thank Dr. Mann, Dr. Yu, Ann, and Jimmy; they are super supportive and always be there for students. I am proud and grateful to be part of the IPPAM program and that I had the opportunity to attend the annual ASPA conference. The benefits I got from this amazing experience will last forever. I strongly encourage incoming IPPAM students to participate in similar events.

It was my first time attending the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) conference in Florida, and it was wonderful. This conference centered around COVID-19 and democracy. I was able to learn how various governments and organizations responded to the pandemic and how we can develop democracy in the post-pandemic era. I am honored to have participated in this conference with other IPPAM professors and students, which has broadened my understanding of public policy and novel methods towards research for my future studies. During the conference, I participated in several workshops and sessions, including the session of Professor Gaya Hartsough and Professor Kaki from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. Many scholars and professors have discussed that it is more appropriate to adapt rather than to change. Due to information asymmetry and delays, there is often a gap between policymakers and the public, which creates problems of public trust. In this situation, even if the government takes the initiative to take corresponding countermeasures, without the cooperation of the public, the expected effect cannot be achieved. What impressed me the most was that at the “Sustainable Development Goals: Target 2030” conference, the Chief in SDG, UN Adriana Alberti introduced 5 dimensions of government, including partnership building, people's engagement, knowledge sharing, and management. Although the public does not have a strong professional background, it is also an integral part of urban development and construction. After the panel discussion, I learned that only relying on the government's one-page policy cannot be implemented on a large scale in a short period of time, and public participation can just fill this vacancy and effectively implement the pandemic prevention policy in a point-to-point form. In another session titled “Crisis Communication Planning for Nonprofit Organizations,” the significance of public trust was also stressed. In the form of a case study, the speakers let us analyze the crisis faced by NGOs, discuss who the communication coordinators and stakeholders were in the crisis, and finally return to the issue of public trust. Unlike the previous government, due to the special nature of NGOs, it does not possess the original authority of the government, so it is more difficult to gain public trust. It sparked much inspiration. For example, I can refer to the cooperation form of the American university community to increase its authority, cooperate with enterprises, carry out public welfare activities, and gradually expand its influence. As the saying goes: when people gather firewood, the flame is high. Most importantly, ASPA provided me with a beneficial networking opportunity, allowing me to discuss various topics with different people in depth. It not only exercised my interpersonal skills but also enlightened me. Thank you to the IPPAM family for this extremely rewarding experience!

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the IPPAM program of the Sol Price School of Public Policy USC for the chance to participate in the ASPA annual conference. I attended the conference to learn, network, and take new ideas and insights back to my work in Kazakhstan. I appreciate the ASPA conference team for the excellent organization of the 2022 conference that took place. Five wonderful days of content, including more than 130 panels, sessions, symposia, and workshops with the excellent experts in public administration. Due to the easy-to-navigate program book, I was able to join Professor Rym Kaki and her colleagues for the SAPA 2022 Symposium, dedicated to the Democratic Governance in Africa. Listening to exciting and high-profile speakers, I have found out about the current socio-economic development of the African continent countries. It was interesting to hear how African countries transition to effective public governance performance pathways in the 21st century, a very relevant topic regarding governments’ COVID-19 responses. It was an honor for me to listen to the past ASPA President, USC Professor Emeritus Chester Newland, at the plenary session on the theme “What Public Administration has become as a field and recommendations to defend rule of law and constitutional democracy from enmeshed Plutocrat and underdog populism and Authoritarianism.” Especially, taking into account the recent aggressive act of Russia towards Ukrainian democracy and independence, it is very important to speak out loud about public administration needs to combat authoritarianism and bicentric global division, embracing polycentrism with valued American leadership. In his speech, he mentioned Kazakhstan’s demonstration and that support of the rule of law and constitutional democracy as absolutely contrary to their fundamentals. At the same time, I would like to highlight the speech of the Emeritus Professor of Public Administration Demetrios Argyriades. I was impressed by his words about the devaluation of truth when people prefer to speak of narratives. “The truth itself is relative and can be adjusted to suit a particular agency's needs or a particular moment.” This is what takes place now in the Ukraine-Russia war conflict, mostly based on informational war and propaganda from the Russian side. Also, I had a chance to participate in the plenary session about public administration transformation in post-Soviet countries – Astana Civil Service Hub. It was a pleasure to listen to the speakers from Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, and Latvia. The session was moderated by Alikhan Baimenov, ACSH Steering Committee Chair, former Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Speakers shared the experience of transformation of public administration in each post-Soviet country. The last plenary session to attend was “Cyber Storm Warnings: A Cyber War Game for Public Administrators.” I found the topic very up-to-date and relevant, as the need to protect confidential information is a pressing concern at the highest levels of government and industry. Attending a conference is a professionally rewarding experience. I got to socialize with colleagues, graduate students from other American universities, hear the ideas of different professionals about global democracy threats, and explore Florida. Thank you to the IPPAM program for organizing this wonderful trip.

First and foremost, I am grateful to have the golden opportunity to attend the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) annual conference this year in Jacksonville, which is the most significant and most famous professional association for public administration. The conference's theme, “Democracy Under Threat: The Future of Equality in a Post-COVID World,” addressed the most challenging concerns our society faces right now. All the IPPAM students attended several panels related to different public policy areas during the five days. Our first day started with the section on African Public Administration (SAPA) “Democratic Governance in Africa: Current Threats, Challenges, and Opportunities” with the chair of the ASPA Section on African Public Administration, Professor Rym Kaki from the University of Southern California. It is more complicated how the government works in Africa due to the diverse political-administrative arrangements and institutional history. One of the essential dimensions of democratic governance in developing countries is its capacity to address the realities of socio-economic stagnation by adopting innovations based on domestic ability and indigenous knowledge. We were pleased to support the presentation of our peers at the Section on African Public Administration. The most impressive session for me is the Astana Civil Service Hub (ACSH) session, with the theme, “Public Administration Transformation in Post-Soviet Countries: Diversity in the New Reality.” We enjoyed the meeting and discussed current issues in civil services with the ACSH Steering Committee Chairman, Alikhan Baimenov, and the Rector of the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Yerlan Abil. The International Public Administration Award was presented to Alikhan Baimenov, recognizing his efforts to strengthen the public sector. The ASPA conference allowed us to network with some of the most inspirational people in the Public Policy sector. Notably, an unforgettable impression was made when we met with Professor of Public Administration of USC, Chester A. Newland, and Dr. Demetrios Argyriades (City University of New York). They shared with us their in-depth knowledge and experiences. One of the most important insights I gained from attending the conference is that each developing country is unique. Its governance system should be transformed so that it reflects the country’s contextual realities and people’s demands and aspirations. In conclusion, I want to express my gratitude and big thanks to the IPPAM faculty for giving us such an excellent chance to visit the ASPA conference. Due to this opportunity, we were able to attend the lectures of experienced professionals from different countries, which enhanced our global knowledge of public policy. It was a fantastic time and memorable experience for all IPPAMers, and we developed personal relationships as a result.

I am extremely grateful to the alumni and the IPPAM program for the opportunity to attend the ASPA Conference in Jacksonville this year. The ASPA conference is one of the largest and most significant associations for public administration. Attending this conference was a good stepping stone to gain a better understanding of public policy as well as apply my learnings from the last two semesters at USC. Unlike most of my classmates, I do not possess any experience in the public sector, so I utilized this conference as an opportunity to learn more and to connect with different people that work within the realm. My peer Clark and I ran into several setbacks and were unable to make it the first day of the conference, but we still arrived in time to make it to the opening talk by Tom Nichols. The talk resonated with me and enlightened me that the anti-democratic movement is now being driven by the middle class. One of the underlying drivers behind this anti-democratic movement is, interestingly enough, narcissism. There has been a growth of narcissism in the developed world and a culture of entitlement and resentment. People are becoming more and more sensitive to personal issues, straying further away from achieving a collective goal. A large problem our society faces today is that a significant portion of people no longer agree or believe in credible, scientific knowledge. After Tom Nichols presented, Dr. Yu introduced me to Gayla Kraetsch, a professor from IPPAM. I also attended Gayla’s talk on Census Data and Redistricting. Redistricting at the local level is important because we need to rebalance district populations, design districts that are reasonably equal in population and vote for the supervisor of our choice. As someone that grew up in Los Angeles, it was interesting learning about the different challenges that Gayla and her team faced such as conflicting viewpoints from the public and different ways that Los Angeles City defines its communities. Apart from everything that happened at the conference, we also got to immerse ourselves in the beautiful city of Jacksonville. During the evenings we were eating together and exploring downtown Jacksonville. The IPPAM Program places much effort into helping us build relationships with other classmates. I got to know my fellow classmates from IPPAM 23, 24 and Kazakh scholars better as well as network with professionals from around the world. This trip to ASPA was extremely inspiring and I am looking forward to contributing to the public sector when I graduate. I would like to again thank the IPPAM alumni and IPPAM program who make this all possible.

The ASPA 2022 Conference (03/18/22) was held in Jacksonville, Florida under the theme of “Democracy under threat: The future of equality in a post-covid world.” It was a venue for academic exchanges involving professors, researchers, practitioners, and students. It helped me understand critical issues and research trends in various countries post-COVID-19, especially in the United States. Thanks to the ASPA session, I was able to gain new perspectives and knowledge in continuing my future graduate studies. I am fortunate to study at IPPAM, which provides many valuable opportunities. It is meaningful to me because it allows me to share my opinions and develop relationships with classmates from various backgrounds. A session that stood out to me during the conference was “Africa’s Development Governance Post COVID-19 Disruptions & Setbacks: Opportunities for an Equitable Socio-Economic Recovery.” Lisa Van Jaarsveldt's presentation also piqued my interest. Although the crisis of democracy that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic is not unique to Africa, there are areas that are particularly vulnerable politically and economically, so supplementary measures are needed. I want to use a research frame that analyzes the reasons why democracy is weak in countries within Africa and considers solutions for each one. Another impressive session was “Cyber Storm Warnings: A Cyber War Game for Public Administrators.” Rather than unilaterally listening to lectures, we were able to break stereotypes by setting up a virtual cyber attack situation and planning scenarios by taking on each role. I found this interesting as I am researching cyber security in a class this semester. Hearing other peoples’ opinions on this topic offers me lots of inspiration. The “Digital Innovation and Smart Governance: Lessons from South Korea and the United States” session was also captivating, and taught me much I didn’t know. I was also able to connect with Korean scholars working in the United States while exchanging opinions. The sessions throughout the ASPA conference enlightened me on numerous facets of research methodology and data collection that I was not aware of before. I intend on utilizing this knowledge and permitting it to shape my global perspective. I am sincerely grateful to the IPPAM staff, professors, and donors who have helped us participate in these enriching experiences.

Attending the ASPA conference in Jacksonville, Florida was a very valuable experience for me. I learned many advanced ideas about public policy, what is occurring in other countries, and how they face problems and solve them. During the conference, I attended several workshops related to different areas of public policy. Workshops where democracy, the openness of society, and methods of fighting corruption were discussed. SAPA, Section on African Public Administration, was one of the most impressive seminars because one of our IPPAM 24 students–Beruk Asfaw–gave the presentation “Lagging Agricultural Productivity and Sector Governance: Persistent Adverse Effects on Ethiopia Oromia Region’s Food Security and Poverty—A Policy Analysis.” He discussed Ethiopia’s agricultural issues, causal determinants, CAM analysis, and proposals. During those days, all the IPPAM students attended several significant panels related to different public policy areas. I want to emphasize the Astana Civil Service Hub (ACSH) session, where many presenters from post-Soviet countries gave speeches and shared their experiences about public administration transformation. Likewise, the presentations by the chairman of Astana Civil Service Hub; Alikhan Baimenov, and by the Emeritus Duggan Distinguished Professor of Public Administration; Chester Newland, were enlightening and exciting, boosting my knowledge in the realm of international public service. Networking events held by ASPA organizers are a unique chance for IPPAM students to meet many experts, scholars, and alumni, including Chester Newland (Emeritus Duggan Distinguished Professor of Public Administration, USC), James Perry (Emeritus Duggan Distinguished Professor of Indiana University), and Tom Nichols (author, writer at The Atlantic, and frequent commentator on MSNBC). Overall, attending the annual ASPA conference served as a scientific platform with an enormous theoretical and empirical experience and allowed us to gain in-depth knowledge of public administration, alongside expanding our professional networking skills. I would like to express my gratitude to our IPPAM program for such a valuable opportunity to attend the conference. It was an amazing experience for me, both as a student and as a young civil servant.

The ASPA conference this year was held in Jacksonville, Florida. The main theme of the conference was “The future of equality on a post-COVID world” and the 7 tracks included were comparative government, effective and equitable public policy, financial management and planning for uncertainty, good governance and democracy, managing for meaningful public service, protecting and replacing aging structures, social equity, and diversity and inclusion. This was my first time attending an academic conference and I found the setting to be very impressive. It was carried out by senior scholars and current professors from numerous institutions around the world, all gathering together to discuss controversial cases in the public field. More specifically, we recently had a presidential election in South Korea and there is a heated debate over the political neutrality of professional civil servants under the presidential system. As a member of the Board of Audit and Inspection, this topic became even more important to me as I have been given the task of monitoring the political neutrality of public officials during the election season and end of year. In South Korea, the Board of Audit and Inspection is stipulated in the Board of Audit and Inspection Act to ensure fairness and transparency in its duties, but it is difficult to maintain political neutrality due to the systematic limitations of the president. This was a meaningful topic as social discussions were active on what role the Board of Audit and Inspection should play to maintain political neutrality in a situation where the ruling and opposition parties are changing. The American scholars were learning about this as well, which reminded me how many countries possess the same political issues and worries, despite differences in administration. Another session I found interesting was “Technology Advances and Data-driven Decision-making,” which is a very important topic considering that more administrative decisions were made online due to telecommunication during COVID-19. In particular, when I audit public officials’ work, it is difficult to find data subject to audit because all related documents and materials are electronic today. But, there is also the advantage that all data online is stored transparently. At this conference, I connected with a few Korean professors teaching in the U.S. who showed much interest in me and my studies at USC IPPAM. I also happened to run into a friend of mine coincidentally, who studied at Seoul National University with me and my IPPAM peer Amber 15 years ago. Thank you IPPAM for the memories!

Big thanks to IPPAM and all of our honorable alumni that supported us to attend the most famous conference regarding public administration, the American Society for Public Administration. It is my pleasure to attend ASPA 2022 held in Jacksonville, Florida, with the meaningful theme “Democracy Under Threat: The Future of Equality in a Post-COVID World” that took place this year. With high regard for global views and public policy, the most impressive session for me was Women in Public Administration (SWPA). I was accidentally introduced to this session by Hillary–a professor at Pace University–after attending her session, which was related to healthcare information system building. In the SWPA section, Hillary and the chair shared how they help women attend the public and what program they had worked on in ASPA. It did surprise me how mentorship plays an important role in the career, especially for those who have clear goals or who are still looking. Based on their experience, the relationship even maintains after the program ends, which shows how meaningful it is for we students right at this time. I was inspired by their achievement! As a master’s student, I did learn a lot from the workshop which focused on the redistricting approach in LA county. The report of year-long effort and public input showed that the participation increased, which actually caused an influence on the society. Not only did I learn the new concept in the workshop, but I also learned novel information from the speaker when conversing at dinner. The various opportunities to talk to the speakers always bring me fresh experiences. I love what I have gained from the conference. I greatly appreciate that IPPAM provides such a wonderful opportunity for me to explore the new field. I gained a lot of new knowledge and will definitely apply what I’ve learned in the future.

It is a valuable opportunity to participate in ASPA 2022, especially since many events have been held online since the outbreak. In addition, this is my first time participating in such an event. As an IPPAM student, it is my honor to participate in such a conference and communicate and interact with participants from different countries and regions. Equality is one of the themes of the ASPA 2022 and one that I'm very interested in and want to explore in-depth. The “Addressing Barriers to Community Empowerment and Equality” session impressed me the most. Professor George Atisa mentioned the definition of a free society, where all citizens feel safe and are treated equally and have access to all forms of opportunities without any Barriers. In terms of diversity, the United States provides a variety of ways to meet the demands for equality of people of different genders and races. There are, however, still some challenges to overcome, such as blaming the victims, exclusion, and inequality. They stated that street protests in the United States have become more frequent since the pandemic, as well as that the unstable environment has aggravated inequality. The pandemic brought about an economic recession and exacerbated social inequities. With the disease-causing social, economic, and health problems, we need to think about resolving them and dealing with them. In this meeting, it mainly discussed how to realize the implementation ability of an equal society from various perspectives. Moreover, this lecture examines how past, present, and future legal, political, and economic/market frameworks have impacted exclusion from or inclusion into mainstream American policy. I firmly believe that we need not just theory but action. Therefore, I very much look forward to the future in which each of us can participate in building an equal society. In this session, I learned that as a policymaker, you need to formulate policies to facilitate exercising the founding principles and implementation of constitutional rights, reducing or eliminating existing gaps. After the meeting, I communicated with many scholars to discuss equality issues from different dimensions. As a result, I gained many new views and ideas, providing a solid foundation for my future study. This conference also allowed me to practice my networking ability as a bonus. IPPAM helped us prepare business cards in advance so that we can communicate with interested scholars and exchange contact information during the conference. Furthermore, I also had the opportunity to visit and appreciate the city of Jacksonville and walk along the riverside with other IPPAM students to experience the slow life of Florida. Although I only stayed in Florida for three days, it was a remarkable trip worth remembering.

The impact of COVID-19 on the world is not only a matter of public health management but it may lead to systemic changes in peoples’ democratic way of life and thinking, which will bring unprecedented challenges to democracy and world peace. In COVID-19: Volume 1: Global Pandemics, Social Responses, Intellectual Solutions, Ryan notes that “pandemics unite people, but they also expose systemic inequalities in a global society (2020). The post-pandemic democratic world faces the following three major threats. First is the shaking of democratic thought. The comparison between the rapid economic rise of third world countries and the slow advancement of living standards in developed countries, as well as the fact that authoritarian governments have more abilities to strengthen social control than democratic governments, makes some people in developed countries disappointed and confused about the democratic system, while some people in the developing countries are more confident and blind. People have begun to question the superiority of democratic system or to redefine the concept of democracy and expand its diversity to explain the development of today's situation. This ideological orientation is an attempt to fundamentally change the rules of the traditional democratic system. Second is the vulnerability of democratic style leadership. When the economic power of the democratic world is relatively declining, differences in cultural values begin to emerge. The influence of economic strength can bring together countries in different systems to jointly implement the same economic and trade rules through contracts. However, the fundamental differences in behavioral patterns between democracy and autocracy reflect the diversity, complexity, and root conflict of different regions of the world. The openness and inclusiveness of democracy and the closedness and exclusivity of autocracy determine that the democratic system is not in a dominant position in the ability to understand each other and take timely and effective responses. Finally, the threat to democracy posed by information technology changes. The development of science and technology itself is not divided into positive or negative, it is essentially the upgrading of tools. Its use and operating rules can reflect the progress and regression of the management system that uses it. It has never been easier than now for people to express their ideas, while also feeling increasingly tighter censorship controls. In today's increasingly developed surveillance technology, it can be seen from the coercive measures such as vaccine passports, information codes, and city closure control implemented during the epidemic control period. Platforms from the government to the media are increasingly relying on big data management. The control power of the government and technology giants is Infinitely enlarged, at the same time, as individuals in society, the privacy space is constantly being compressed, and people’s rights and abilities to practice democracy are gradually weakening. Concerning the equality of the democratic world in the post-epidemic era, more important than adjusting the equality between people in society is how to balance the rights and obligations between the government, technology giants, and the public, so as to achieve social equality with stability.