Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in a given area. Leading scholars are given the space to explore their subject in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also visionary. Since the turn of the millennium, significant social, economic, political and technological transformations have brought policy issues to prominence in East Asian societies. This topical Research Agenda finds East Asian social policy at a critical juncture. It analyses the driving forces that are shifting contemporary research and diverse policy responses in the region. Providing a comprehensive overview of the critical socio-economic changes and events over the last two decades, the volume identifies both converging and diverging social policy developments and reforms across East Asian societies. Chapters explore the influences of globalisation, post-industrialisation, labour market transformations, demographic changes, and cultural shifts on social policy in East Asia. Taking regional, international and comparative approaches to social policy analysis, the volume also questions the sustainability, vulnerability and equity of current East Asian social policy and welfare systems. Contributing new empirical knowledge to the theorisation of social policy and practice in East Asia in the post-crisis landscape, this volume will be invaluable to students and scholars of social policy, sociology, and politics. Highlighting areas for urgent policy initiatives, it will also prove vital to policymakers and practitioners in the field.

Since the turn of the millennium, significant social, economic, political and technological transformations have brought policy issues to prominence in East Asian societies. This topical Research Agenda finds East Asian social policy at a critical juncture and analyses the driving forces that are shifting contemporary research and diverse policy responses in the region.

The search for good governance has become an increasingly important element of public policy and public management and is high on the political agenda of East Asian countries. The need for robust governance structures and institutions was brought into sharp focus by the Asian Financial Crisis which adversely affected most East Asian societies. Since then they have begun to look for ways to restructure their public administration and political systems in order to develop new mechanisms and structures to promote good governance. This book focuses on how selected Asian states have responded to the growing impact of "liberalizing and marketizing trends" in public policy formulation and public management. To what extent is the "state-guided" regime in Asia still relevant to governing public policy / public management? What are the policy implications for a growing number of Asian states which are pursuing more pro-competition policy instruments? The book is a timely and important collection that offers critical analysis of the search for new governance in Asia and compares and contrasts experiences in selected Asian societies such as China, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, and other parts of South East Asia. Chapters are written by leading scholars in the fields of comparative development, policy and governance studies from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, China, Singapore, Japan and the United Kingdom.

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} Evaluating achievements, challenges and future avenues for research, this book explores how new dimensions of knowledge and practice contest, reshape and advance traditional understandings of sustainable consumption governance.

This book addresses salient current issues in public administration research. It seeks to suggest where future research may or indeed ought to be focussed. To advocate the future routes for the development of research, this book is divided into themes, with a clear overlap between different approaches. The book has contributions that will assist students of public administration/public sector management and public policy, especially new PhD students, but will also be a useful resource for more established researchers to understand the major emerging issues within the field.

The book explores the state of social studies education within selected East Asian societies and provides some insights into distinctive classroom practices. In an increasingly volatile and unpredictable world, the education of young people who both understand the contexts in which they are growing up and see the need for engaging with them is a top priority. This task falls to social studies education which carries the responsibility for inducting young people into their social world and helping them to see the role they can play within it. This is particularly important in East Asia where strong economic growth, long held cultural values and diverse political systems create an environment that challenges young people on multiple fronts. This book, with its team of regional authors, shows how different societies in the region are dealing with these challenges and what can be expected from future citizens. The book will appeal to policy makers, researchers and teachers interested in the current state of social studies education in East Asian societies.

Drawing together international perspectives and disciplinary sub-fields of comparative and global social policy, this book provides an insightful guide for educators and academics embarking on or revisiting the design and teaching of classes, courses and programmes in and around social and public policy.