Congratulations to Professor Alfred Ho Tat-kei of City University of Hong Kong (CityU) on his election as a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.

He is the only Fellow elected from Asia this year, emphasising the lead that CityU is taking in the field of public administration.

Professor Ho is the Head of the Department of Public and International Affairs at CityU. He is a leading scholar in public administration, especially in the subfields of performance management and budgeting, e-government, and citizen engagement.

He will be inducted into the Academy in Washington D.C. in November alongside other Fellows elected in 2023.

Professor Ho has formed extensive research partnerships in Asia, Europe, and the US and advocates the importance of engaged research. He believes that public administration research should strive to inform practice and be socially relevant and impactful.

“Professor Ho rightly deserves this great honour for his outstanding contributions to making governance more effective, sustainable and community-oriented,” said President Freddy Boey Yin Chiang of CityU.

Professor Ho grew up in an economically deprived community in Hong Kong but studied hard to win a fellowship to study in the US. His research is dedicated to making life better for people. In fact, his contribution to performance management and citizen engagement was so well appreciated in Indianapolis, US, that 17 June 2010 was officially declared “Dr Alfred Ho Day”!

His work is focused on highly innovative research aimed at supporting grassroots communities. One exemplary project involves engaging secondary school and university students to use 3D photo-taking and virtual reality tools to study a historically working-class neighbourhood in Hong Kong called Sham Shui Po and introducing several immersive arenas where you can observe how people behave and interact. The results will be used to explore the implications for policymaking, public engagement, urban planning, public management, and business development strategies.

Another project supports the creation of a fashion and creative district in the same blue-collar neighbourhood by analysing past policy successes and failures and suggesting how the proposed district might grow and be transformed to become a globally competitive economic development engine for Hong Kong. The study included stakeholder interviews, surveys, focus groups, documentary analysis, and case studies from South Korea, Shanghai, New York City, and Miami.

One of his current projects and some upcoming publications focus on the public value foundation and the value theory of public spending.  An international research team under his leadership is now looking at how different public values influence policymaking and budgetary decision-making in different countries. The project has implications not only for the public sector but also for cross-sectoral partnerships and international collaborations to promote sustainable and equitable development and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) reporting around the world.