Lingnan University (LU) 's School of Graduate Studies and Institute of Policy Studies organized the Symposium on Social Change and Social Policy in the COVID-19 Context: Asian Perspectives and Experiences on 16 December 2022. The symposium was a multidisciplinary conference held at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, which attracted over 160 participants to join this hybrid event. The Covid-19 global pandemic has unleashed a catastrophic crisis all across the world, which also changed people's lives in different ways. Social policy needs rethinking in many ways and responding to the need for social protection and the challenges of social injustices.

Professor KU Yeun Wen from National Taiwan University delivered his keynote speech with the topic of “Social policy responses to the covid-19 pandemic in the Asia Pacific Region: Some reflection from Taiwan's experiences”. Professor KU gave an overview of the economic and social impacts of the pandemic and discussed how the pandemic potentially raises an opportunity to rethink the current structures of the capitalist economy and the welfare state and result in more ambitious reforms in East and Southeast Asian welfare states. Professor KU highlighted that Taiwan, with its national health system, has effectively delivered vaccines, medicines, and public health information to all citizens. A comprehensive social safety net and the initiation of some universal cash subsidies reduce inequality and maintain social stability.

16 scholars, PhD and MPhil students from LU from different research fields, shared their latest studies and research findings on the following areas: Labour Markets and Youth Employment, Ageing and Public Health, Educational and Societal Supports and Policy and Research Directions. The presentation fostered dialogue on rethinking social policy for post-pandemic transformations in the Asian context so as to meet global challenges. Please click here to review the symposium booklet with all presentation topics and abstracts for further details.