Our DSPS team (Professor Wilson Wong, Dr. Kelvin Lo, and Professor Annie Tam) is invited by the Executive MBA (EMBA) Programme of the Business School of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) to speak on the topic “Data for Social Good: Theory and Practice” in its online forum. The CUHK EMBA, as the first EMBA programme in Hong Kong, aims to nurture top-level management talent and enhance the well-being of the business community and society. In the forum, focusing on public organizations and the non-profit sector, our DSPS team would discuss the strategies, tools, and challenges of using data science and digital transformation to create a data-driven organization for enhancing social good.
This online Executive MBA (EMBA) Forum would be organized on 30 May 2022. Details are as follows:
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Event |
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Online EMBA Forum – Data for Social Good: Theory and Practice |
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30 May 2022 |
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07:15 PM – 08:30 PM |
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Delivery mode |
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Online |
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Zoom meeting |
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MOI |
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English |
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Registration |
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Speakers |
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Prof. Wilson Wong Programme Director and Associate Professor Data Science and Policy Studies Faculty of Social Science The Chinese University of Hong Kong Dr. Kelvin Lo Lecturer Data Science and Policy Studies Faculty of Social Science The Chinese University of Hong Kong Prof. Annie Tam Honorary Professor Faculty of Social Science The Chinese University of Hong Kong |
To learn more about CUHK EMBA, please see the link below:
Producing impactful research for enhancing public good is one of the core missions of our Data Science and Policy Studies (DSPS) Programme. In this connection, Professor Wilson Wong, our co-director, publishes two academic articles to find out the underlying factors of good government performance in fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic.
In “When the State Fails, Bureaucrats and Civil Society Step Up: Analysing Policy Capacity with Political Nexus Triads in the Policy Responses of Hong Kong to COVID-19” published by Journal of Asian Public Policy (Q1 in Sociology and Political Science), he examines the importance of an autonomous bureaucracy and a strong civil society in the combat against COVID-19 by analysing the policy responses of Hong Kong under the combined framework of policy capacity and Political Nexus Triads (PNT). He concludes that from the perspective of collaborative governance, it is crucial for citizens to be engaged as partners in public policies, highlighting the complementarity between state and non-state actors in the co-production of public policies.
The second article “State or Civil Society – What Matters in Fighting COVID-19? A Comparative Analysis of Hong Kong and Singapore” co-authored with Professor Alfred Wu of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, is published by the Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis (Q1 in Sociology and Political Science). It investigates the nuanced and disaggregated role of state and civil society in the fight against COVID-19 in Hong Kong and Singapore. Professor Wong and Professor Wu consider Hong Kong combats COVID-19 with greater dependence on its civil society and bureaucrats, while Singapore relies more on a state-centred approach. The two contrasting cases represent the diversity of state-society relations and multiple configurational causality in the COVID-19 responses.
If you are interested in reading the two articles, please visit the links below.
Journal of Asian Public Policy Article (Professor Wilson Wong):
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17516234.2021.1894314
Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis Article (Professor Wilson Wong and Professor Alfred Wu):
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13876988.2021.1978819
Professor Wilson Wong, our DSPS co-director, has contributed a guest lecture “Governance in the Digital Era: Concerns, Issues, and Options” for the Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA) Programme of Tsinghua University in June 2022. All students in the EMPA Programme are major and active actors in the policy and public management arena of Hong Kong. In the lecture, Professor Wong examined five of the key challenges of disruptive information and communication technologies (ICTs) which are Big Data, Open Data, AI, Social Media and Smart City and discussed their impacts on governance. The rankings and performance of the digital governance of Hong Kong was also critically reviewed. Importantly, he offered advice and recommendations on how governments and public organizations could successfully transform these challenges and turned them into opportunities of digital transformation for improving the performance and accountability of the public sector.
Professor Wong would share some of the main content with the broader audience through his column in Mingpao. To have the full learning, apart from joining the Tsinghua EMPA, an easier and more direct way is joining our DSPS programme as he will teach these core topics of technology and policymaking in his DSPS courses offered for major and elective students.
If you are interested in reading the Mingpao article based on the EMPA lecture, please refer to the link below:
As our DSPS is now in its third year after its launch, we have invited some of our students to share stories and reflections of their studies and accomplishments in the Programme. We hope their experiences in their own words would help to guide the DSE students for understanding the focus and identity of our Programme better and serve as an invitation for any of them who share our vision to join us.
“The DSPS programme guides me to develop a global mindset and to think creatively. The combination of hard and soft skills allows me to win the D.H. Chen Scholarship and other awards.”
Miranda DING, Year 2 in DSPS, Recipient of D.H. Chen Scholarship, Second Prize of Huawei ICT Competition, Administrative Officer Intern 2022
“With English being a dominant language in academics, little before do I learn about the governance on digital platforms and data of non-English-speaking countries. The exchange experience in Italy offers me a unique opportunity to do so. ”
Wesley HO, Year 3 in DSPS and Exchange Student at Luiss Guido Carli, No. 1 University in Italy for Political Sciences and International Studies (QS Ranking 2022)
“The DSPS program has provided me with a solid foundation that helped me excel at the trading floor at Morgan Stanley. Through a combination of practical and theoretical knowledge, the program inspired me to explore the private and commercial sectors.”
Amanda HO, Year 3 in DSPS and Intern at Morgan Stanley (Class of 2022)
In our Data Science and Policy Studies (DSPS) Programme, learning and impact does not stay inside classrooms. All our teachers are ready to take their teaching to the next level for knowledge transfer and public engagement. For example, Professor Wilson Wong, our DSPS Co-Director, are contributing to Mingpao on a regular basis. This help to serve three major purposes. First, students and individuals who are not in DSPS could still benefit from our teaching and knowledge. Second, it showcases the integration between the analytical power of data science and the insights of policymaking. Third, it shows how teaching and learning can be easy and fun.
In sum, they give students who are interested in DSPS a glimpse of the impact and excitement of our learning which is distinctive from a hard science department and a traditional social science programme. If you would like to read some of the latest contributions by Professor Wong in Mingpao, please refer to the links below:
推動智慧城市 必先做好「開放數據」（文：黃偉豪） (09:00) – 20210712 – 文摘 – 即時新聞 – 明報新聞網 (mingpao.com)
被遺忘了的架構重整：天文台應屬哪個政策局？（文：黃偉豪） (09:00) – 20211018 – 文摘 – 即時新聞 – 明報新聞網 (mingpao.com)
盲創科：被遺忘了的管理科技人才（文：黃偉豪） (09:00) – 20211108 – 文摘 – 即時新聞 – 明報新聞網 (mingpao.com)
Don’t Look Up：是人類戰勝了病毒 還是自然放過了人類？（文：黃偉豪） (09:00) – 20220103 – 文摘 – 即時新聞 – 明報新聞網 (mingpao.com)
抗疫迷惘：欠缺開放數據下的無所適從（文：黃偉豪） (09:00) – 20220321 – 文摘 – 即時新聞 – 明報新聞網 (mingpao.com)
數據素養：善用數據與有效抗疫的距離（文：黃偉豪） (09:00) – 20220328 – 文摘 – 即時新聞 – 明報新聞網 (mingpao.com)
人定勝AI—— 推動數碼轉型 切忌妄自菲薄（文：黃偉豪） (09:00) – 20220620 – 文摘 – 即時新聞 – 明報新聞網 (mingpao.com)
This newsletter marks a good year of accomplishment and harvest for our DSPS students and faculty members. We have a unique focus of integrating the analytical power of data science and the insights of policymaking which is quite distinctive from any hard science department and traditional social science programmes. Students sharing our vision are thriving with flying colors and you can learn about their accomplishments from this issue. Looking forward, we wish you would have a chance to become a part of our DSPS success through different modes of engagement and collaboration in the future. Happy reading and have a nice summer!
Embarked on becoming an interdisciplinary programme three years ago, DSPS have not only recruited major students but also attracted students from other programmes and departments. We are pleased to invite some of them who have fulfilled the requirements of our DSPS minor programme to share their experience and exposure from their studies in DSPS. We encourage students who echo with their words join us for exploring a new path of learning and career.
“Pursuing a minor in DSPS program has equipped me with the knowledge and skills that I can apply in building a career in social and public policy. It inspired me to harness technology and data to design public policies in an effective and responsible way.”
Elaine WONG, Major in Sociology (Class of 2022) and Master of Public Policy, University of Calgary, Canada (Class of 2023)
“I am a Non-DSPS student, this program really helps me explore different pathways and job opportunities. I also learned how to use various analytical frameworks to analyze different policies and cases. I have improved my research skills, and ability to think critically and write thoughtfully.”
Chloe CHONG, Major in Sociology (Class of 2022)
“DSPS programme gave me the opportunity to take a deep-dive in modern and more effective approaches in public policy making, hence empowered me towards different internship opportunities and awards in case competitions.”
Henry CHAN, Major in GPA (Class of 2022) and Champion of HKUST Inter-University Public Policy Case Competition 2021
DSPS taster workshops in collaboration with CLAP@JC School Hub were successfully organized for students from the following schools: Queen’s College, Wong Shiu Chi Secondary School, United Christian College (Kowloon East), St. Paul’s School (Lam Tin), DMHC Siu Ming Catholic Secondary School, and Po Leung Kuk Wu Chung College, in July 2022 in the Digital Scholarship Lab of the University Library. The workshops are effort to envision the younger generation with the great potential of data-driven and interdisciplinary learning. These taster events were organized/customized for a group of network schools from CLAP@JC project. CLAP@JC funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, encourages youth to gain more experience in the sectors of education, business and community for better transition from school to work.
In the workshops, our DSPS team consisting of Professor Wilson Wong, Dr. Kelvin Lo and Professor Geoff Chan introduced the participants to DSPS Programme and shared their insights with respect to the innovative intersection of data science and public policy. In the meantime, our DSPS students (Ms. Nga Yin Fung, Ms. Zi Qi Li, Ms. Lok Man Ng, Ms. Ka Ying Yiu, Ms. Ching Yi Kwong, and Mr. Shing Kin Wong) led the participants to work with interactive dashboard and analyze the youth unemployment among major countries. Participants, thereafter, presented their findings and recommendations for alleviating youth unemployment.
Please refer to the following link for more information about CLAP@JC:
Professor Wilson Wong, co-authored with Professor Charles Hinnant of Florida State University, publish a new article “Competing perspectives on the Big Data revolution: a typology of applications in public policy” in Journal of Economic Policy Reform (Q1 in Economics, Econometrics, and Finance) to examine the driving factors of Big Data impacts. While the Big Data revolution is transforming public policy, debates and competing perspectives on its impact remain. Rather than joining the never-ending debate on whether Big Data is something good or evil, they consider it more appropriate to ask what explains the divergence of its consequences. They find out the ultimate impact of Big Data would depend on the moderating factors, which vary across contexts such as policy areas and national systems. The article also develops a typology of Big Data applications in public policy as a heuristic to understand and reconcile competing perspectives.
For more information of the article, please visit:
https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/I8BPUTNT9RFXIZRXGVH5/full?target=10.1080/17487870.2022.2103701
DSPS Admission Talks and Showcasing of Students’ Case Studies were organized at the CUHK Information Day 2022 on 15 October 2022 (Sat), which was the first Information Day held in face-to-face mode since 2019. On the Day, we provided an overview of the Programme to students who have dual interest in data science and policy studies and participants were able to meet and talk to our teachers and students to learn about the DSPS learning experience.
The core of the DSPS Programme embodies and promotes data for social good by applying data analytics and data visualization to social research and policy innovation. In the meantime, our students are required to study overseas, take up internships, and address real-world policy issues in the capstone project. With international exposure of hands-on and real-world experience, we encourage students to make impactful changes in the society.
Please refer to the links below for more information about the DSPS Programme.
