Introduction

Strengthening public administration and governance is the primary objective of any modern, international and progressive place in the world.

To enable those who aspire to work in the field of public administration and governance to gain an in-depth understanding of the latest changes in international, national, Greater Bay Area and Hong Kong in the areas of public administration, economy, finance, international relations, security and cyber security, and to explore the latest solutions, the positioning of the Master of Executive Public Administration and Leadership (EMPAL) programme at The Education University of Hong Kong is to cultivate public administration leaders who can promote the continuous development and progress of Hong Kong and the country. The programme emphasises “rooted in Hong Kong, backed by the motherland, connected to the world”, and focuses on enhancing students’ public administration and leadership abilities in terms of “knowledge, skills, values”. It is hoped that after completing the programme, students will be able to achieve basic goals such as “dare to take responsibility, people-oriented, do good deeds” and thus join the ranks of public administration and leadership.

Existing programmes on public administration, public management and public policy are mainly based on the traditional methods of public administration and public policy developed in Western academies. In response to the changing times and international situation, as well as to meet the increasing demands of various stakeholders for improved governance by the government, and to cope with the challenges brought by the latest socio-economic development situation, this programme will invite senior experts and scholars from different fields to provide students with different perspectives and professional practices. It will enable students to think deeply and analyse issues such as public administration, economy, finance, international relations, security and cyber security under the framework of “One Country Two Systems”, and cultivate public management talents with the ability to “rooted in Hong Kong, backed by the motherland, connected to the world”, the latest professional knowledge and governance capabilities for government departments and public and private sector organisations in Hong Kong and mainland China.