From 27 to 29 June, under the guidance of Prof. WEN Hong and Prof. YE Tuo, 2 graduate students of the School of Public Administration (SPA) went on a visit to Lingnan University(LU) for the International Postgraduate Summer School cum International Conference on Comparative Development and Policy Studies.The event,co-organised by the Division of Graduate Studies and Lingnan Institute of Further Education at LU in collaboration with 11 leading higher education institutions in Asia, the UK and the US including University of York from the UK, Rutgers University from the US, Tsinghua University, Peking University, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhejiang University, South ChinaUniversity of Technology, South China Normal University and The University of Nottingham Ningbo China from Mainland China, and National Cheng Chi Universityand Fu Jen Catholic University from Taiwan.

On 27 June, following the welcoming remarks from Prof Joshua Mok Ka-ho, Vice-President, Chair Professor of Comparative Policy and Director of Division of Graduate Studies of LU, the forum themed “The Quest for World-class University: The Role of LiberalArts Education in Asia” and the conference on “Comparative Development and Policy Studies”with a Postgraduate Session were held. The aim of the forum was to have leading scholars reflecting and debating upon higher education from comparative and development perspectives. The event lasted from 9 a.m. to 7p.m., and all of the communication was in English. The visiting teachers andstudents of SPA benefited a lot from this high-strength academic exchange 

From 28 to 29 June, a series of workshops on multiple research methods for conducting comparative research, and a workshop on research strategies, publication and education development were held for postgraduate students. In addition, under the guidance of the staff from LU, the visiting teachers and students of SPA paid a visit to the Tin Shui Wai, which helped to understand the traditional cultural of Hong Kong. On 29 June, In the seminar titled “The Challenges of ComparingChild Well-Being across Countries: Reflecting on the UNICEF Report Card 13”,Prof John Hudson and Dr Stefan Kühner from the University of York and authors of the UNICEF Report discussed their latest research findings on the development of child well-being in 41 countries. Through the one-day study and exchange, the graduate students from SPA achieved a deeper understanding andknowledge on research methods.

The three-day International Postgraduate Summer School cum International Conference on Comparative Development and Policy Studies, provided a platform for scholars and research postgraduate students to present their major research findings, share good research practices and reflect upon major methodological issues. Meanwhile, this visit strengthened the meaningful exchange and partnership relationship between SPA and LU.