Government leaders to visit Australia for next leg of 'Global Cities Study Programme'

The itinerary in Australia includes a study visit to the Government of Brisbane in Queensland, and a meeting with Queensland Governor, ministers and the mayor in addition to the programme's mentors.

Organised in conjunction with the Dubai School of Government (DSG) and in association with Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, the sessions, held in Singapore from 9-11 July, were part of the 'Managing Global Cities Study Programme'. The programme brought together speakers from the school in addition to senior government and business leaders from Singapore, Hong Kong and London to engage those from the UAE on the challenges and opportunities in managing global cities.

Adel Al Shared, Director, Nationals' Development, The Executive Office, said: "These sessions provided an exceptional opportunity for the Government leaders to gauge others' perception of the country. These forums also acted as a platform to understand how, views articulated by other country leaders, could be used in moulding the country's institutional culture."

The sessions addressed a number of issues including urban planning, sustainable development and social development. Dynamic Governance, moderated by Professor Neo Boon Siong, Director of the Asia Competitiveness Institute at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in NUS and former Dean of NTU's Nanyang Business School, discussed the development of a dynamic system and a supportive institutional culture and the lessons from the role of public service in Singapore.

The Government leaders also participated in Economic Development and Productivity, moderated by Associate Professor Ashish Lall, who teaches Economics and Business Strategy at Nanyang Business School. This session addressed inequities in economic development and discussed dilemmas and the associated strategic choices facing policy makers.

Al Shared added: "We all walked away from the sessions with a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of leadership and the processes of managing global cities. We also learnt how different leaders perceive different circumstances and, in turn, devise policies catering to each unique situation."

During the 'Urban Development and Planning' session, Assistant Professor Paul Barter, a frequent invited speaker on urban transport policy issues in the region and teacher of urban policy and infrastructure policy, analyzed land-use planning and included a discussion on how global cities can benefit the most while minimizing pitfalls.

On 'Social Development', Assistant Professor Kenneth Paul Tan, assistant professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, focused on the question of managing social and cultural differences within global cities while Innovations in Governance, moderated by Assistant Professor Scott Fritzen, highlighted the importance of innovative approaches to deal with challenges of effective city management.

On 'Sustainable Development', Associate Professor Dodo J. Thampapillai, holder of a Personal Chair in Environmental Economics at Macquarie University, Sydney and an Adjunct Professorship in Environmental Economics at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences at Uppsala, weighed in on the debate of defining sustainable development and examined its implications.

The session 'Execution: Breaking Down the Barriers', saw Assistant Professor Scott Fritzen, specialist in the analysis of governance reforms and capacity strengthening in developing countries, identifying a range of barriers as well as the organizational and governmental capabilities which may help promote, the successful execution of multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral projects - the bedrock of innovative city management in the 21st century.

The sessions were concluded with an award ceremony, during which Al Shared presented a trophies to the speakers for their involvement in the programme.

DSG offers a range of customised and open enrolment programmes through its faculty and in cooperation with international partners. The partners include Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore, and a network of renowned experts.