IIAS new book on Covid-19 pandemic

This book provides the readers with a set of vivid studies of the variety of different national approaches that were taken to responding to COVID-19 in the first few months of the pandemic. At its core is a series of country reports about the actions, events and circumstances of governmental responses. The book’s contributions address the national experiences of countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa. They present as factually and objectively as possible the actions, events and circumstances of government responses to COVID-19 and make an early attempt at producing insights into what happened and at distilling lessons for the benefit of practitioners. The book also offers a series of eyewitness reports from civil servants and public managers. They contain practical points of view on the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. Some introductory chapters are included to place the governmental responses to the pandemic in the context of (i) the global governance agenda, and (ii) the fundamentally important relationship between governmental authorities and citizens. The understanding developed in the book is taken a step further by the inclusion of two comparative studies and a case study of the role of ideological factors in the government response to COVID-19 in one country.

The editors seek to add value to the wealth of facts and insights contained in this special report by using the introduction chapter to identify important questions and issues that can sensitize the reader’s attention to the descriptions and explanations of government measures and their consequences in a rich variety and diversity of national settings. This then sets up the concluding chapter as a bold attempt to model government strategies for managing the emergency of the pandemic and the consequences for trajectories of infection and mortality. As the editors argue in the concluding chapter, “good governance” and the principles of sound governance are of relevance to countries everywhere. There was evidence of them in action on the COVID-19 pandemic in countries in both the East and in Europe. Good governance and sound governance are compatible with a range of constitutional designs and institutional arrangements and practices.

The COVID-19 experiences, both those that occurred in the early months of 2020 and those that are yet to come, have a lot to teach us about the governance capabilities that will be needed when future emergency situations occur, emergencies that might be created by pandemics or climate change, or various other global risks. It is hypothesized here that governments will need to be agile, able to learn in real-time, good at evaluating evidence in fast-changing and complex situations, and good at facilitating coordination across the whole-of-government and in partnership with citizens and the private sector.

AGPA held its Annual Steering Committee meeting virtually on November 12 November at 11 AM - Jakarta time. 

The meeting was chaired by Eko Prasojo and attended by members of the AGPA SC and other guests. IIAS DG, Sofiane Sahraoui, participated in the meeting as well. Among the key points discussed: AGPA by-laws, scientific strategy and activities, and AGPA international webinar which will be organized as part of the IIAS 90th Anniversary conference.

IASIA President attends the Understanding China Conference 2020

DONG Qing, President of IASIA, Director General of Department of International Cooperation of China National Academy of Governance, was invited to attend the conference as a panelist.

The Understanding China Conference 2020 held from November 20 to 22 in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, facilitating multi-faceted and in-depth discussions to enhance mutual understanding between China and the rest of the world. Themed "Huge Shake-up, Big Test, Great Cooperation -- China's New March Toward Modernization and a Community of a Shared Future for Humanity," the three-day event has attracted more than 600 celebrated politicians, strategists, scholars and entrepreneurs, as well as representatives of international organizations.

29th NISPAcee Annual Conference 2021
May 20 – 22, 2021 - Ljubljana, Slovenia

Become a member of IIAS / IASIA / EGPA
 

Please join the IIAS Group as a member and avail of the following benefits: 

• Participate in the governance of IIAS and/or its entities (vote in the General Assemblies, apply for positions, establish research groups, participate in scientific activities, engage in contractual relations, etc.)
   
• Enjoy discounts for our products and services (events, publications, accreditation, etc.)
   
• Free subscription to the paper version of the International Review of Administrative Sciences. 

Different kinds of membership status exist:  

• State member or National Section is necessary to participate in the governance of IIAS;
   
• Corporate member allows participating in the governance of the IASIA and EGPA and enjoying discounts for all IIAS products and services;

To receive a membership application package,

please contact members@iias-iisa.org