2024 Asia Pacific Comparative Development and Policy Symposium

Abstract

While digital technologies are increasingly applied in the delivery of social welfare, the platformisation and gigification of work generate new risks and reshape labour market institutions. The platform-mediated care, referring to the digitised intermediaries matching service requesters and providers via Apps or websites, has recently emerged as a ‘techno-fix’ to the global care crisis. This paper presents a qualitative study of 36 care workers engaged in online platforms in Hong Kong (HK). Adopting a relational approach, this study investigated the multilevel configuration of HK’s platform-mediated care. The findings revealed that care platforms constituted positional dominance over workers and generated uncertainty in everyday care work relations. Platforms’ digitised scalability and business model created fast and on-demand care services, yet the quality and reliability of care were not guaranteed under the cost-based competition. Regarding institutional support, care platform work was enabled by HK’s residual welfare regime, liberal labour market, and marketised model, in which the limited social and labour protection paved the way for the gigified care market. Arguably, the corporate logic of platform-mediated care was incompatible with the logic of care based on trustful and long-term relations, leading to the work and care precarity. While the care platform economy was subsidised by government’s voucher system and outsourcing strategies, the low-cost policy approach to care might also constrain its expansion. This study contributes to the literature by examining how the corporate logic of care platforms impacted on care relations and linking the platform-mediated care to an institutional analysis.

Abstract

This presentation examines the classification of first and second-order risks associated with the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) systems across various societal domains. First-order risks involve direct harms such as privacy infringements and biased decision-making, while second-order risks encompass broader societal impacts, including changes in employment landscapes and ethical norms. A central focus is the critical challenge of aligning AI systems with societal values and the public interest, a key concern in AI ethics and governance. Traditional alignment strategies, including Reinforcement Learning with Human Feedback (RLHF) and Constitutional AI, typically rely on predefined ethical guidelines and overarching norms. However, these methods face significant limitations, notably the risk of specification gaming, where AI systems exploit loopholes in defined rules to achieve objectives without adhering to intended ethical standards. Additionally, the presentation explores various policy approaches adopted by national governments to harmonize AI systems with societal values and mitigate emerging challenges. It highlights three primary governance models within this sociotechnical framework: the market-driven (promotional) approach, which encourages innovation and AI adoption through incentives and minimal regulation; the state-driven (developmental) approach, focusing on strategic development and investment in AI technologies to drive national progress; and the rights-driven (controlling) approach, which emphasizes the protection of individual rights and imposes strict regulations to mitigate potential harms. By comparing these approaches, the presentation aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how different governance strategies can effectively manage AI risks and promote the ethical integration of AI into society.

Abstract

Social interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic have led to some unintended consequences. However, a comprehensive understanding of how COVID-19 policies have affected victims of intimate partner violence and child maltreatment is still lacking. This study aims to investigate the complexities and mechanisms of intimate partner violence and child maltreatment within the context of COVID-19, identify the role of social policies in this process, and understand the dynamics of these issues, particularly in relation to coercive control, during the pandemic. This systematic review adhered to a rigorous protocol based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, focusing on literature published from 2020 to 2024. The search was conducted using three databases: Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed, with grey and non-English literature being excluded alongside those that did not include original empirical or merely descriptive findings. The current research concludes the impacts of social interventions on survivors’ lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, it identifies the risk and protective factors associated with child maltreatment and intimate partner violence. Policymakers should pay more attention to the digital divide when preparing for future pandemics. Practitioners should receive training to better understand the dynamics of child maltreatment and intimate partner violence. Additionally, special provisions to support child victims are necessary.

Keywords: 

social policy, child maltreatment, intimate partner violence, risk and protective factors, COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The concept of "risk" has long permeated the social policy literature, focusing traditionally on life cycle stages (childhood, youth, old age), economic contingencies (sickness, unemployment), and, more recently, new social risks (single parenthood, low skills/precarity, care). Despite extensive debates on classifying government responses, consensus on ‘best practices’ to alleviate these various risks remains elusive.

Moreover, few comparative studies have explicitly examined the impact of social protection policies, encompassing social insurance, social assistance, and labour market programmes, on mitigating crises and disasters across global welfare regimes. Social protection is commonly recognised as an "automatic stabiliser" during financial crises, maintaining household incomes and consumption levels. However, much less systematic attention has been given to social protection responses to health pandemics, climate change, and environmental hazards.

Emerging discussions have ventured beyond traditional social rights discourses, introducing the concepts of adaptive, shock-responsive, and anticipatory social protection. These approaches emphasise agility, foresight, and pre-emptive government actions, aiming to address immediate and long-term vulnerabilities. Further, the interplay between formal social protection policies and the role of non-public benefit providers has gained traction, particularly through "social innovation" initiatives. These efforts, however, face criticism for neglecting structural issues and barriers to community participation.

This talk will explore the historical and comparative dimensions of “risk discourses” in mainstream social policy analysis, scrutinising the evolution of welfare state responses and their effectiveness in addressing traditional and emerging risks in an increasingly unstable world.

Abstract

There was rapid and widespread adoption of international border control measures during the first few weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, despite initial recommendations against their use by the World Health Organization (WHO). Building upon four years of research as part of the Pandemics and Border project, this presentation will summarise key findings with regards to understanding which border control measures were adopted and by which jurisdictions, as well as assessing their effectiveness in practice. Our analysis revealed that over 60% of Member States had implemented international travel measures before the WHO declared COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. While health screening and travel restrictions were initially favoured, quarantine and testing measures gained more widespread adoption over time. The effectiveness of these measures varied, with quarantine demonstrating the highest level of evidence of effectiveness, especially when coupled with diagnostic-based testing methods. Targeted measures directed at Chinese travellers in early 2020 were likely initially effective but lost efficacy by March. The lessons from COVID-19 suggest that if travel measures were to be effective, there is value in acting early and universally. While quarantine measures were found to be consistently effective, but the economic and social benefits, which are likely substantial, have not been full described. Additionally, the importance of transparent data to assess the effectiveness of International border control measures was identified. Moving forward, there is need to develop frameworks and decision-tools to guide decision-makers on whether or not the use of such measures are warranted to strengthen the effectiveness of public health responses in times of crisis.

Abstract

This lecture examines the evolving role of climate migration and displacement in shaping policy responses globally. Grounded in recent research, Dr. Su will explore how climate-induced mobility is driving new frontiers in adaptation, governance, and sustainable development. By drawing on key findings from case studies and policy analysis, this talk will illuminate how migration is not simply a response to environmental challenges, but a critical factor in building global resilience. From disaster recovery to planned relocation, Dr. Su will assess the opportunities that climate migration presents for rethinking international cooperation, local adaptation strategies, and the future of climate and migration governance. This discussion aims to provide a nuanced understanding of climate frontiers as spaces for innovation and transformative policy interventions.

Abstract

The impacts of climate change are getting more severe with each passing year. In response, several international organisations, development agencies, and governments have proposed a variety of policies and programs to adapt effectively. While useful, climate adaptation is place and context-specific, and there is no single principle that is appropriate for all settings. In this presentation, I will draw upon the existing literature and outline a few characteristics of “effective” and “problematic” climate adaptation projects in the Asia-Pacific context. I will then present empirical case studies of various climate adaptation projects, namely a seawall in the Philippines, floating gardens in Bangladesh, and nature-based solution in Fiji and explore their potential and pitfalls for just and inclusive outcomes. I ultimately argue that, in order to be transformative, climate adaptation projects should build on local knowledges and assets, be led and owned by community members, and entail co-benefits for humans and more-than-humans alike.

Abstract

Resettlement, also called planned relocation or managed retreat, has emerged as a popular but highly contested policy to manage the impacts of weather extremes and global climate change. This talk will present the results of a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council-funded project which critically examines the processes and impacts of resettlement as a social policy to help vulnerable and disaster-affected communities in the Philippines, a southeast Asian country considered most at-risk to climate change. Drawing on empirical data from a two-week intensive fieldwork in July 2024, I will present how a local, international, and national government agency differently implemented resettlement in three municipalities in a province devastated by two consecutive super typhoons more than ten years ago. This will be followed by a discussion on the long-term impacts of resettlement based on the lived experiences, current challenges, and critical reflections of resettled residents themselves. Ultimately, this presentation aims to distill the contrasts and parallels on resettlement implementation strategies employed by state and non-state actors as well as its potentially positive and negative outcomes to disaster-affected communities in order to understand its social and policy implications in the Philippines and other climate-vulnerable countries in the global South.

Keywords:

resettlement; disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation, policy processes, policy