communiqué - harvard university · 6 communiqué winter2010...

The Roy and Lila Ash Center for DemocraticGovernance and Innovation advances excel-lence in governance and strengthens demo-cratic institutions worldwide. Through itsresearch, education, international programs,and government innovations awards, theCenter fosters creative and effective govern-ment problem solving and serves as a catalystfor addressing many of the most pressingneeds of the world’s citizens. The FordFoundation is a founding donor of the Center.

At a time of tremendous economic growthand political transformation throughout EastAsia, Harvard Kennedy School has announc-ed a $20.5 million gift to launch an impor-tant new initiative designed to expand andstrengthen the School’s support for policyresearch and educational programming inAsia.

The permanently endowed RajawaliFoundation Institute for Asia was establish-ed on January 1, 2010, to bring togetheracademics and practioners from around theworld to enhance research, teaching, andtraining on public policy and governanceissues of critical importance in Asia. A sepa-rate gift also establishes a new HarvardKennedy School Indonesia Program withinthe Institute, which will promote research,education, and capacity building in supportof democratic governance and institutionaltransformation in Southeast Asia. As the

world’s largest majority Muslim country,Indonesia will continue to be an importantmodel for positive institutional change.

Both the Institute and the Program willbe housed within the newly renamed AshCenter for Democratic Governance andInnovation.

“The Rajawali Foundation Institute forAsia at Harvard Kennedy School will createopportunities for Harvard scholars and stu-dents to work with people and institutionsthroughout the Asian continent,” said Har-vard University President Drew Faust. “It willserve as a hub for policy research, educa-tion, and dialogue on a region which contin-ues to grow in political and economicinfluence.”

“We are deeply grateful for this generousgift to the Kennedy School,” said HKS DeanDavid T. Ellwood. “Asia has experiencedcontinued on page 9

CommuniquéAsh Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation Winter 2010 Volume 5

IN THIS ISSUE

Asia Programs Becomes RajawaliFoundation Institute for Asia

Indonesia’s Improbable Democracy

Inaugural Multimedia Case SpotlightsTreatment of Troubled Youth

Democracy Seminar Series AddressesChallenges To Democratic Governance

Minister Li Yuanchao Speaks atHarvard University

On the Bookshelf: China Rules

2009 Innovations in AmericanGovernment Winners Announced

Institute Welcomes New World Fellows

Ash Center Receives $20.5 Million Gift from the Rajawali FoundationEstablishes Institute for Asia and Indonesia Program

Chairman Peter Sondakh and Dean Ellwood at Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia Signing Ceremony

2 Communiqué Winter 2010

In the News

“Indonesia is one of the world’s mostimprobable democracies,” said TarekMasoud, assistant professor of public poli-cy at Harvard Kennedy School and facultyaffiliate of the Ash Center. “It’s poor, ethni-cally diverse, geographically dispersed, andmajority Muslim. Each one of these thingson its own is thought to make democracyless likely; the fact that you have them all ina single country that has nevertheless man-aged to get and keep democracy is nothingshort of remarkable.”

Formerly an authoritarian regime,Indonesia recently celebrated its 10-yearanniversary as a multi-party democracy.The sustainability of Indonesia’s democracyis the subject of a recently launched, multi-year Ash Center study. Building upon theCenter’s intellectual capital—with facultywho conduct cutting-edge research ondemocracy, governance, and development—the project will explore both how Indone-sia can serve as a model to other democra-tizing countries, and how its political andeconomic institutions can be reformed inorder to ensure that its fledgling democracyendures and thrives.

The project is part of the Ash Center’sbroader exploration of the relationships

between democratic governance and socialproblems. The Center’s research is organ-ized into three broad themes:• Democratic strands in former and cur-

rent authoritarian regimes (of which themulti-year Indonesia project is a part);

• Innovations in democratic participationin government; and

• Democracy and immigration.

Successes & ChallengesAt a recent JFK Jr. Forum event at HarvardKennedy School, Indonesian PresidentSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono praised hisnation’s diversity and postulated a shift inworld economic power away from Europetoward Asia.

“We can be a powerful example thatIslam, democracy, and modernity can gohand in hand,” he remarked. However, henoted that celebration of Indonesia’sprogress must be tempered by a recogni-tion of the harsh realities facing the archi-pelago nation. “We have actually made a lotof progress but at the same time we alsoface many challenges in the managementof poverty and unemployment problems,and in how we can maintain and strengthenour democracy.”

The challenges are stark. While Indone-sia’s GDP is projected to grow by four per-cent this year, the country struggles withhigh rates of poverty and unemployment. Itsnominal GDP per capita is a modest $2,200per year, far below the minimum level of eco-nomic development thought necessary fordemocracy to endure. Such shaky economicground is further unsettled by Indonesia’snear-endemic rates of corruption. Ranked126 out of 180 in the most recent Trans-parency International Corruption PerceptionsIndex, Indonesia tied with such notoriouslycorrupt countries as Uganda, Ethiopia, andLibya. A 2005 World Values Survey notesthat over 60 percent of Indonesians had littleto no confidence in their country’s governinginstitutions, such as its parliament, the Peo-ple’s Representatives Council (Dewan Per-wakilan Rakyat or DPR).

Add to all of this the fact that Indonesiais the fourth most populous country in theworld with an estimated population of 237million people dispersed over 17,508islands. Despite its religious homogeneity—more than 85 percent of Indonesians areMuslim—the country is ethnically fragment-ed: Javanese make up 40 percent of thepopulation, followed by the Sundanese at15 percent, with the remaining 45 percentcomprised of more than 300 ethnic groups,including an often-persecuted Chineseminority of about four percent.

Reforming on the Margins:Considerations for the Future ofIndonesia’s DemocracyIn his recent Ash Center working paper,“Institutional Choices for Indonesia’sFuture,” Professor Masoud offers a host ofconsiderations as the Center launches itsexploration of the country’s democratic andeconomic prospects. He focuses on whathe considers two of Indonesia’s most press-ing challenges: making public officialsanswerable to the people, and binding thefar-flung country together. He argues thatIndonesia faces a difficult tradeoff: meas-ures to increase accountability also riskfragmenting the country politically.

For example, Masoud explains that oneway to increase the accountability of publicofficials is to change the way they are elect-ed. Instead of having large electoral districtsin which voters cast ballots for slates of can-didates put up by political parties, one couldhave smaller districts in which each votercasts a ballot for a single representative.Political scientists have argued that the lattersystem reduces the “distance” between thevoter and his or her representative in parlia-ment: voters know whom to punish if thingsdo not go well, and representatives knowthat their political futures depend solely onwhether constituents are happy with theirperformance. The result is that the represen-tative is, in theory, more accountable tocitizens. Masoud notes, however, that repre-sentatives elected in this manner may focusmyopically on the needs of their small cornerof the country, with little incentive to work onbehalf of broad, national goals.

An Investigation of Indonesia’s Improbable DemocracyCenter Faculty Explores Democratic Practices in Former Authoritarian Regime

continued on page 9

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono speaks at

JFK Jr. Forum at Harvard’s Institute of Politics

www.ash.harvard.edu 3

Minister Li Yuanchao, one of the top leadersin the People’s Republic of China, gave thelecture at Harvard Kennedy School “Dealingwith Crisis: China and Global MutualAction.” Minister Li is a member of thePolitical Bureau of the CPC CentralCommittee and head of the OrganizationDepartment of the Communist Party inChina. His lecture drew a standing-roomonly crowd of faculty, students, and stafffrom across Harvard. The lecture was host-ed by Jorge Domínguez, vice provost forInternational Affairs at Harvard.

In his talk, Minister Li spoke aboutChina’s changing and increasingly importantglobal role as the world addresses the cur-rent financial crisis. He praised his country’stimely response in adjusting its macroeco-nomic policies to ensure growth, expandemployment opportunities, and encouragedomestic consumption. Such a shift from anexport to a consumer economy is reflectedin China’s latest fiscal reports: the countrycites a 15 percent rise in domestic con-sumer spending over last year, and the luxu-ry goods market is finding increasedtraction with Chinese consumers.

In addition to macroeconomic policies,China has developed strong mechanisms ofsupport for tackling the current financial cri-

sis according to Minister Li. He discussedhis country’s establishment of reform institu-tions and the collective strength of the Chi-nese Communist Party in motivating thepublic and concentrating resources to solvethe crisis. Minister Li concluded his talk byaddressing the importance of globalization.All countries are partners, said Li, andChina’s solid economy can promote harmo-nious development and world stability.

Minister Li’s public address was part of alarger fact-finding mission exploring over-seas executive training programs through-out the United States. During his visit toCambridge, Minister Li met with PresidentDrew Faust as well as faculty from the Fac-ulty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard BusinessSchool, Harvard Kennedy School, HarvardLaw School, Harvard School of PublicHealth, and the University Committee on theEnvironment to learn more about eachschool’s research initiatives and trainingprograms focused on U.S.-China relations.

Minister Li is himself a graduate of“Leaders in Development: ManagingChange in a Dynamic World.” This HKSexecutive education training program fos-ters enhanced leadership skills in address-ing reform, globalization, and collaborationwith other countries. While attending HKS,

In the News

Minister Li Yuanchao Speaks to Harvard CommunityHead of the Organization Department of China’s Communist Party DiscussesU.S.-China Relations

Minister Li was a New World Fellow. Estab-lished in 1998, the New World Fellows Pro-gram is now recognized as one of the bestoverseas training programs by the govern-ment of China. The program fosters sus-tained collaboration between rising Chineseleaders and their international counterpartsand has sponsored over 120 experiencedcivil servants, policy makers, and risingleaders from China to attend short-termexecutive training programs or conductresearch for a semester at the Ash Center.

Dean Mary Jo Bane, Minister Li Yuanchao, Anthony Saich, and members of Minister Li’s delegation

Minister Li Yuanchao


2009 Innovations in AmericanGovernment AwardsIn September, the Ash Center announcedthe 2009 winners of the Innovations inAmerican Government Awards. Honored at areception in Washington, D.C., this year’saward winners demonstrate unique solutionsto some of our nation’s most pressing issuesincluding economic development, education,mental health, health insurance, governmenttransparency, and water scarcity.

The 2009 Innovations in American Gov-ernment Award winners represent innovativegovernment programs in two states, twocities, one county, and one school district:• Commonwealth Health Connector

Authority, Massachusetts• Data Feeds: Democratization of

Government Data, Washington, D.C.

• Higher Education Initiative, Kingsport,Tennessee

• Mapping Evapotranspiration, Idaho• New Leaders for New Schools , Chicago

Public School District, Illinois• Wraparound Milwaukee, Milwaukee

County, Wisconsin

At the awards event, Kathleen KennedyTownsend, 2009 acting chair of the Innova-tions Awards National Selection Committee,offered opening remarks about the impor-tance of government innovation, recallingher late uncle Senator Ted Kennedy’s strongbelief in politics as a noble professiondesigned to make government work for thepeople. “Today we have great challenges inmaking government effective, but what wedo together makes our lives better,” said

Kennedy. “Government is a place where wemake our most solemn decisions.”

In addition to remarks from Center Direc-tor Anthony Saich and Innovations in Gov-ernment Director Stephen Goldsmith,Edward DeSeve, assistant to the vice presi-dent and special adviser to the Office ofManagement and Budget director for imple-mentation of the Recovery Act, deliveredthe event’s keynote address exploring spe-cific drivers to influence and encouragegovernment innovation to flourish. Heargued that innovation requires the internalspirit and insight of individuals with a visionto make the world a better place.

The event concluded with the premier of2009 Visionaries, a PBS-produced docu-mentary highlighting all winners’ innovations.Please visit www.youtube.com/ashinstituteto watch the documentary.

In the News

Innovations in Government Program Honors Government InnovatorsDevelops New Areas for Faculty and Student Research

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Data Feeds: Democratization of Government Data Higher Education Initiative

Commonwealth Health Connector

Authority New Leaders for New Schools Wraparound Milwaukee Kathleen Kennedy Townsend Stephen Goldsmith

Mapping Evapotranspiration


Academic ImpactSince 1986, the Innovations in AmericanGovernment Awards (IAG) has recognizedover 400 public sector initiatives that for-ward innovative practices that benefit citi-zens. Throughout its history, the programhas generated a wealth of research basedon award-winning government innovationsand the study of how innovation occurs toinform students, faculty, and practitioners.The Division of Youth Services in Missouri, a2008 Innovations winner, recently was thesubject of the first multimedia case study atHarvard Kennedy School, and several addi-tional Innovations Award winners are thesubject of future cases. More than 450courses at Harvard and over 2,250 coursesworldwide have incorporated Innovations inAmerican Government case studies includ-ing Milano Graduate School, University ofWest Indies, and the Hong KongPolytechnic University.

“The public sector innovations honoredthis year and over the 20-year history of theInnovations in American GovernmentAwards program demonstrate creativeapproaches to previously intractable civicchallenges and prove instrumental inenhancing scholarly research and academicstudy of government innovation,” saidAnthony Saich, director of the Ash Center.

Summer Internships in InnovationAs part of efforts to enrich students’ aca-demic experience at HKS, the Ash Centeroffers Harvard Kennedy School degreestudents opportunities to work with winnersof the Innovations in American GovernmentAwards. Such internships are designed tobetter prepare students for a world of prac-tice while harnessing student talent and expe-rience to foster excellence in government.

This past summer, three Kennedy SchoolMaster in Public Policy (MPP) studentsserved as summer interns in innovationthanks to Ash Center support. Studentsworked on the following projects:

• Acquisition Fund, City of New York, NewYork (2008 IAG winner): The AcquisitionFund is a $230 million partnership thatfinances the purchase of land and build-ings for affordable housing. Privatefinance tools allow smaller developers tocompete in a tough market. During herinternship, Megan Thibos worked onencouraging the redevelopment of for-merly contaminated land parcels intoaffordable housing.

• CitiStat, Baltimore, Maryland (2004 IAGwinner): CitiStat is a performance account-ability tool that is now the industry stan-dard for driving down government costsand improving citizen engagement initia-tives. During her internship, Janice Flynnhelped the city integrate budget perform-ance measures into CitiStat procedures.

• Solid Waste and Energy Management,Yukon River Tribes, Alaska (2008 IAGfinalist): Sixty-six indigenous tribes haveimproved the solid waste systems on theYukon River, removing six million poundsof hazardous materials and recyclables.Chris Kolerok supported the Yukon RiverTribes work to ensure that the voices ofindigenous peoples were integrated intodecision making processes.

Policy Analysis ExercisesThe Ash Center provides travel grants toHKS students working on their PolicyAnalysis Exercises. Students are encour-aged to explore research related to pluralistsocieties, social justice, accountability, andrestoring trust in government and willreceive assistance by the Center with avail-able resources.

Past Policy Analysis Exercise granteesthe Ash Center has supported include:• “Principles for Ethical Equity Investing in

Microfinance Institutions,” Ben Clark,Stephanie Lazicki, and SubaSivakumaran

• “Managing Labour Migration: The Caseof the Filipino and Indonesian Domestic

Helper Market in Hong Kong,” EmilyzenIgnacio and Yesenia Mejia

• “Special Economic Zones in South Asia:A Comparative Analysis of Bangladesh,Sri Lanka, and India,” Semil Shah

Innovations in Government SeminarsThe Innovations program continues toengage faculty and students in research andco-curricular activities around the key find-ings of innovative government programs.This academic year, the Center launchedthe Innovations in Government SeminarSeries for Ford Foundation Mason Fellows,Roy and Lila Ash Fellows in Democracy, andother interested students and faculty.Designed to educate and inform the nextgeneration of government innovators, theseries explores key areas in governmentinnovation and avenues for implementinginnovative ideas in the public sector.

Seminars feature Innovations in AmericanGovernment Award winners and innovationexperts, who present current innovationsacross a spectrum of policy fields. Fallspeakers included Innovations Director andformer Indianapolis Mayor Stephen Gold-smith, Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone,and Governing Magazine’s Jonathan Walters.

In addition, several seminars are specifi-cally designed to further the research andunderstanding of the dissemination andreplication of innovative practices in govern-ment. Spearheaded by Ash CenterResearch Fellow Sandford Borins, professorof strategic management at the University ofToronto, a host of HKS faculty will lead dis-cussions and share different theories andmodels for replication of innovation.

In the News

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China’s Leaders in Development Training ProgramApril 20–June 18, 2009Established in 2001, China’s Leaders in Development program iswidely recognized by the Chinese government as one of the bestoverseas training programs for government officials. Taught both atTsinghua University, China, and Harvard Kennedy School, this eight-week training program is specifically designed to help preparesenior local and central Chinese government officials to more effec-tively address the ongoing challenges of China’s national reforms.Courses in public management, policy reform, public finance, eco-nomic development, and globalization are taught by both Tsinghuaand HKS faculty. The program concludes with a focus on real-worldeconomic and management cases and innovations that addressthe changing needs of governance in the 21st century. Over 50 Chi-nese civil servants participated in this year’s training program.

Better, Faster, Cheaper Website LaunchesJuly 27, 2009In the midst of the biggest fiscal meltdown government has facedin decades, public officials urgently need innovative ideas andcutting-edge solutions for doing the public’s business better, faster,and cheaper. Responding to this need, Better, Faster, Cheaper(www.bfc.ashinstitute.harvard.edu) launched in late July as a non-partisan source for concrete, actionable information on what isworking in government right now. Bringing together a community ofgovernment innovators for up-to-date news, opinion and blog, aswell as insights from influential public sector thought leaders, thesite is presented by Professor Stephen Goldsmith. From manage-ment to infrastructure and the environment, the site captures thelatest creative policy approaches and partnerships between govern-ment and the private sector.

Strengthening Our Nation’s Democracy ConferenceAugust 2–4, 2009The Strengthening Our Nation’s Democracy conference convenedover 100 practitioners, federal managers, activists, and leadingthinkers, along with members of the Obama administration to devel-op a vision for improving the nation’s democracy and aligningreform efforts with the new administration. Held in Washington,D.C., this two-day conference was cosponsored by the Ash Center,Everyday Democracy, Demos, and America Speaks. The conferenceculminated with all participants presenting short- and long-termreform recommendations including new public engagement training,electoral reforms, annual health of democracy reports, and thedevelopment of demonstration projects whereby citizens nationwidecould deliberate on issues of national significance such as healthcare and global warming.

Event Snapshots

Rosemarie Day, Commonwealth Health Connector Authority

Larry Diamond, Hoover Institution

Sandford Borins, University of Toronto


Democracy Seminar SeriesFall 2009Throughout the 2009–2010 academic year, the Democracy SeminarSeries will welcome distinguished speakers to the Ash Center toaddress critical challenges facing democratic governance. Duringthe fall semester, seminars addressed several key themes: demo-cratic strands in former and current authoritarian regimes; innova-tions in democratic participation in government; and democracyand immigration. Notable seminars included• “Immigration, Economic Security, and the American Labor Move-

ment: Enduring Conflicts in Recombination,” Daniel Tichenor,University of Oregon

• “Democracy Promotion Under Obama: The Complexities ofReengagement,” Thomas Carothers, Carnegie Endowment forInternational Peace

• “The Art of Not Being Governed,” James Scott, Yale University• “Why Is There No Arab Democracy?” Larry Diamond, Hoover

Institution and Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies

Innovations in Government Seminar SeriesFall 2009This year-long series is designed to educate and inform the nextgeneration of government innovators by exploring key areas in gov-ernment innovation and avenues for implementing innovativeideas in the public sector. The various aspects and approaches tothe study of replicating government innovations are also examined.During the fall semester, notable seminars included• “The Importance of Leadership in Innovation,” The Honorable

Joseph Curtatone, Mayor of Somerville, Massachusetts• “Creating a Culture that Promotes Innovations and Implementing

Innovative Ideas,” Jonathan Walters, Governing Magazine• “Health Care for All: A Discussion with the Massachusetts Com-

monwealth Health Connector Authority,” Rosemarie Day, 2009Innovations in American Government Award Winner

• “Spreading Innovation: Innovation as Narrative,” SandfordBorins, University of Toronto

Vietnam Executive Leadership ProgramNovember 1–6, 2009In early November, the Ash Center’s Vietnam Program hosted 19Vietnamese senior government officials, led by Deputy Prime Minis-ter Nguyen Thien Nhan. Each day of this week-long executive edu-cation training program was devoted to the discussion of a singletheme, tailored to the issues most relevant to Vietnam, and taughtthrough a combination of presentations by Harvard and visitingfaculty members, Vietnam case studies, and site visits. Issuesdiscussed included the global economy, industrial policy, climatechange, education, Asian geopolitics, and rural development.

Event Snapshots

Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Cuong and Deputy Prime Minister

Nguyen Thien Nhan

Jane Mansbridge, Heather Gerken, and Archon Fung

Vietnam Executive Leadership Program

Wraparound Milwaukee


Recognized as “the guiding light in juvenilejustice” by the American Youth PolicyForum, the Missouri Division of YouthServices (DYS) demonstrates a new philos-ophy in the treatment of youth offenders.While most states opt for cells, solitary con-finement, and jumpsuits to reform offendersin an environment mirroring adult prisons,the DYS chooses small dormitories, groupmeetings, and street clothes to rehabilitateyouth in a homelike setting. The program’sunique mission is to treat children as chil-dren, capable of change despite troubledbackgrounds scarred by drug addictions,mental health issues, criminal records,abuse, and neglect.

“If you never had the chance to have achildhood, it’s safe to have one here,” saidone youth about his experiences at a DYSresidential treatment center.

Youth participate in daily meetings withsmall peer groups to talk through challengesand serve as positive role models for eachother. Each young person receives individual-ized educational assistance and participates

in multiple community volunteer activities.The DYS reports promising results: over

90 percent of youth avoid further incarcera-tion for three years or more after graduatingfrom the program, and 48 percent of youthreturn to high school after release. Suchnumbers dramatically outpace nationalaverages.

“Our system is based on the belief thatthe public interest is best served by helpingyoung people turn their lives around andbecome productive and law-abiding citi-zens,” said Tim Decker, director of the Divi-sion of Youth Services.

Honored as a 2008 Innovations in Ameri-can Government Award winner, the DYS isthe subject of the first multimedia casestudy at Harvard Kennedy School. Thanksto the commitment of Professor Julie Wilsonand Anne Drazen at SLATE, the written casestudy and corresponding video presentationpromise to inform students and practitionersas well as enhance policy study in a host ofHKS courses including criminal justice,social policy, community organizing, and

Research Brief

public management. The new multimediavideo presentation that accompanies thewritten case puts a face to the metricsdetailed in the case. Viewers watch groupsessions in practice and become familiarwith the range of youth treated by the DYS.To view the case study, please visitwww.ksgcase.harvard.edu/.

In addition to this contribution to theHKS curriculum, the DYS was spotlighted inearly September by Primetime 20/20 in aone-hour show on its approach to rehabili-tating juvenile delinquents.

Several Innovations winners are the sub-ject of upcoming cases. Wraparound Mil-waukee, a 2009 Innovations winner, is beingdeveloped as the school’s second multime-dia case. Much like the Division of YouthServices, Wraparound Milwaukee focuseson the treatment of troubled youth. Wrap-around attempts to reduce costly andarguably ineffective residential care optionsby offering a host of individualized treat-ments that allow youth to stay with theirfamilies. New York City’s Acquisition Fund, a2008 Innovations winner, will be taught as acase in Professor Stephen Goldsmith’s“Leading Cities” course this spring and willfeature a video interview with U.S. Secretaryof Housing and Urban Development ShaunDonovan, the program’s former director.

Treating Kids as KidsHKS First Multimedia Case Spotlights Therapeutic Treatment of Troubled Youth

Youth from the Division of Youth Services


Research Brief

This is particularly problematic given thatIndonesia has already undergone a massivedecentralization program that puts much ofthe country’s decision making and budget-ary authority in the hands of local govern-ments. Decentralization has tended to muteseparatist demands, but it also makes it dif-ficult for the government to embark on proj-ects to improve the national welfare, or tocompel rich localities to contribute to theeconomic uplift of poorer ones.

Managing these tradeoffs will not beeasy. Masoud suggests that Indonesia mayhave to adopt a mixed strategy: reducingaccountability in the parliament in order tostrengthen national political parties, while atthe same time taking steps to deepen theaccountability of local executives andregional assembly members. But the over-whelming complexity of Indonesia’s politicaland economic landscape counsels caution.“Indonesia is where political science theo-ries go to die,” Masoud says.

For example, Masoud notes that mostscholars believe that presidential systemsare less stable than parliamentary ones.However, he suggests that in Indonesia, thepresidency might act as a “centripetal,nationalizing force,” in a country dominatedby the centrifugal forces of localism andethnic diversity. Moreover, the existence ofthe office of the presidency might even gen-erate incentives for ex-military leaders tosupport and participate in democratic insti-tutions instead of undermining them. In thelast presidential election, for example, eachof the three tickets had at least one militaryofficer on it.

In the end, Masoud notes, it is preciselyIndonesia’s complexity that makes it anexciting laboratory for the Ash Center’s workon democratic governance and innovation.And he suggests that the most importantthing that Indonesia’s democracy needs istime: “Indonesia is a young democracy. It’snot fair to expect it to become perfect withinone or two election cycles.”

The initial portion of this research projectwas funded by the Rajawali Foundation.

continued from page 2 continued from front cover

Jeffrey Winters, Anthony Saich, Peter Sondakh, Jonathan Pincus, Fritz Simandjuntak, and Arif Arryman

at Signing Ceremony

dynamic growth and change over the pasttwo decades, enhancing the region’s influ-ence on international policy and discussionswhile also increasing the challenges facinggovernments throughout the region. Thenew Institute and Program at the Ash Cen-ter will help enrich the policy dialogueamong scholars, students, policymakersand Asian leaders throughout many levels ofgovernment, business and civil society.”

“I would like to express my sincereappreciation to Dean Ellwood and DirectorSaich for making this moment possible,”said Peter Sondakh, chairman of theRajawali Foundation. “We are embarking ona very important relationship. Establishingthe Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asiawill open new opportunities both at theKennedy School and in the region of Asia.For those of us at Rajawali, it is our hopethat this Institute will be a valuable instru-ment for deepening understanding of Asia,exploring possibilities for innovation, andadvancing important initiatives that willaffect millions of lives in Asia.”

The Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asiawill link together existing Kennedy Schoolprograms focusing on Asia such as the

China Policy Program, the Vietnam Programand Asia Visions 21. Asian scholars andpractitioners will spend time at the Centeras research fellows, attending symposia andparticipating in executive education andpolicy dialogue programs. The HarvardKennedy School Indonesia Program willhost Indonesian scholars and policy makerswho will undertake research fellowships andattend both degree courses and executiveeducation programs. Harvard scholars willwork in collaboration with Indonesian col-leagues in Indonesia and will participate inevents both in Indonesia and at Harvard.

Anthony Saich, director of the Ash Cen-ter for Democratic Governance and Innova-tion, remarked, “We are indebted to theRajawali Foundation for their support inestablishing the Rajawali Foundation Insti-tute for Asia and the Harvard KennedySchool Indonesia Program. The newly creat-ed Institute promises to strengthen ourteaching capacity and enhance our Center’spublic policy research and expertise notonly in Indonesia but throughout Asia,encouraging ongoing dialogue and knowl-edge sharing among key policy makers, fac-ulty, and students.”


Research Brief

On the Bookshelf

China Rules: Globalization and PoliticalTransformationIlan Alon, Julian Chang, Marc Fetscherin,Christoph Lattemann, and John R. McIntyre,Editors, Palgrave Macmillan, 2009

As the world’s third largest economy,China’s reported economic growth is faroutpacing the economies of many devel-oped nations including the United States. Inthe third quarter of this year, China reported8.9 percent growth by comparison to 3.5percent growth in the U.S.

Scholars attribute such acceleratedgrowth to the recent and ongoing financialcrisis, which has potentially cast China in anew role on the world stage. As Chinademonstrates such new world leadership,Chinese enterprises are quickly becominghousehold names across the globe. Suchcompanies not only are in talks to acquiretop Western brands such as HUMMER andWhirlpool, but also are demonstrating ahigher degree of sophistication in overseasoperations.

“Chinese companies are coming or arealready here,” said Julian Chang, executivedirector at the Ash Center. “We need tounderstand how they operate and in whichspecific sectors, as well as how they react tobusiness constraints and supporting factors.”

China Goes GlobalIt is within this global context that the AshCenter recently convened the third annualChina Goes Global conference. Bringing

together over 120 academics, businessleaders, and public officials from around theworld, the conference was part of theCenter’s efforts to advance analyticalresearch and the overall state of knowledgeabout China’s growing role in the worldeconomy.

Through a series of academic paper pre-sentations and panel discussions, confer-ence presenters assessed current researchon Chinese internationalization and provid-ed recommendations. Discussion topicsincluded• Western political and economic models

that explain China’s current trajectory;• How China’s globalization will affect the

business environment in developed andemerging countries;

• The globalization of Chinese higher edu-cation;

• Factors associated with China’s emerg-ing global economic prowess; and

• China’s possible role in a globalizedworld after the financial crisis.

ResearchWhile several publications are in develop-ment as a result of the in-depth discussionand analysis stemming from this year’sconference, China Goes Global conferenceorganizers recently published China Rules:Globalization and Political Transformation,presenting key findings from the 2008conference.

As the editors state in their concludingchapter, the book and research program

have at their core the root question of howChinese companies and China will imple-ment the mandate of going global. Buildingfrom a discussion of the underlyingassumptions that inform the Chineseapproach to foreign investment, and howthey might be changing, China Rulesaddresses the significant geopoliticaldynamics of China’s foreign investment.Drawing together a diverse internationalgroup of political economists, internationalbusiness specialists, as well as specialistsin various financial, trade, and institutionalsectors, the book extends the literature onChina’s globalization through the lens of thechanging rules and resources in China.

“China’s rise to economic and politicalpower over this century—renamed by manyas ‘the Chinese Century’—has been nothingless than historic,” said Anthony Saich,director of the Ash Center. “We werepleased to contribute to the worldwide con-versation on China’s growing internationalsignificance as a world player.”

The annual China Goes Global confer-ence and its publications are cosponsoredby the Ash Center, Harvard KennedySchool; the Center for International Busi-ness Education and Research, GeorgiaInstitute of Technology; the Crummer Grad-uate School of Business and Rollins ChinaCenter, Rollins College; and the Universityof Potsdam, Germany, with seed fundingprovided by the Alexander Von Humboldt-Foundation, Germany.

Michael Peng

John R. McIntyre, Christoph Lattemann, Julian Chang, Marc Fetscherin,

and Ilan Alon


In the News: Frontiers of Innovation


Research Brief

Established in 1998, the New World Fel-lows Program encourages the next genera-tion of prominent Chinese leaders todevelop their professional skills and interactwith international leaders of similar seniorityand experience, as well as distinguishedHarvard faculty, before returning to theirpositions of responsibility in the Chinesegovernment. Since its inception, the pro-gram has enabled over 120 experiencedcivil servants, policy makers, and risingleaders from China to attend short-termexecutive training programs or conductresearch for a semester at the Ash Center.This year’s New World Fellows include• JIANG Yaoping, Vice Minister of Ministry

of Commerce• GUO Kailang, Vice Governor of Hunan

Province• SUN Baohou, Auditor-in-Chief of the

National Audit Office• XIAO Guiyu, Deputy Secretary General,

Shanghai Municipal Government

The Ford Foundation Mason Fellowshiprecognizes individuals who have a strongcommitment to the principles of democraticgovernance and public service and acapacity to innovate and implement tradi-tional approaches to social and economicdevelopment. Such scholarships supportmid-career professionals from some of thepoorest nations in the world to HarvardKennedy School for an intensive one-yearmaster’s degree in public administration.The following students are Ford FoundationMason Fellows for this academic year:• Nizar Farsakh• Wassim Khazmo• José Marinero• Richa Mishra• Adamu Musa• Andres Navarro• Ayisha Osori• Ying Xia

Fellow Focus

The Roy and Lila Ash Fellowship inDemocracy is awarded annually to stu-dents who demonstrate a strong interest inthe overarching questions of democraticgovernance, a capacity for leadership, acommitment to research and inquiry, and adedication to work for improvements thatadvance social justice and serve citizens ofall countries and nationalities. This year’sRoy and Lila Ash Fellows include• James Beverly• Katherine Chon• Rebecca Hawk• Julie Leadbetter• David Raper

As representatives from academic, govern-ment, and business sectors in Asia, AsiaFellows pursue independent research whileresiding at the Ash Center. For over nineyears, the Fellows program has been lever-aging the considerable talent of academicsand practitioners from countries throughoutthe world and encourages the generationand dissemination of research in the fieldsof governance, innovation, and importantpolicy areas focused on Asia. This year’sAsia Fellows include• CHENG Wei• CHU Songyan• FU Liping• HU Xiaojiang• LIU Chunlin• LIU Xin• MAO Jie• MUNOZ Mark• PAN Xuejun• PILLANIA Rajesh• REN Junfeng• WILLIAMS Jeffrey• YANG Dan• YAO Yu• ZHAN Weiping• ZHANG Hanwei

New Study Finds Internet Town HallMeetings Increase Constituent Trust

The recently released report Online TownHall Meeting: Exploring Democracy in the21st Century finds that personal interactionwith a member of Congress, in person oronline, has a significant and positive impacton a constituents’ views of the official andtheir likelihood to become more politicallyengaged. The report was created by theCongressional Management Foundation anda team of academic partners includingDavid Lazer, director of the Program onNetworked Governance at HKS.

The research team conducted 21 onlinetown hall meetings to determine whetherthe Internet offers opportunities to bring citi-zens closer to their representatives in Con-gress as part of a project funded by theNational Science Foundation and additionalsupport from the Ash Center. In addition toHKS, researchers were drawn from theCongressional Management Foundation,Northeastern University, the Ohio State Uni-versity, and University of California,Riverside.

“There has been tremendous interest inthe role of the Internet in presidential poli-tics. This report helps fill the void on howthe Internet can also transform the relation-ship between members of Congress andtheir constituents,” noted David Lazer.Key findings of the report include• The online town hall meetings increased

constituents’ approval of members ofCongress. Members experienced anaverage net approval rating jump of 18points. The sessions also increased con-stituents’ approval of the member’s posi-tion on the issue discussed.

• The sessions were extremely popularwith constituents. A remarkable 96 per-cent of participants said they would liketo be included in similar events in thefuture.

• The online sessions increased the proba-bility of voting for the Congressionalmember. Those that participated in asession were 56 percent more likely tovote for their representative.

Ash Center

for Democratic Governance and Innovation

Harvard Kennedy School

79 John F. Kennedy Street

Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138

NON PROFIT ORG

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

B O S T O N , M A

P E R M I T # 1 6 3 6

CommuniquéWinter 2010, Volume 5

Ash Centerfor Democratic Governance and InnovationHarvard Kennedy School79 John F. Kennedy StreetCambridge, Massachusetts 02138

617-495-0557www.ash.harvard.edu

DirectorAnthony Saich

Director of the Innovations in GovernmentProgramStephen Goldsmith

Executive DirectorsJulian Chang, Arnold Howitt, Marty Mauzy

EditorKate Hoagland

Designforminform

PhotographyTony BrownHKS Media ServicesTony RinaldoMartha Stewart

�Jakarta

In Focus: Indonesia

17,508 Islands over surface area (sq. km) (thousands): 1904.6

Muslim Population: 85%

2008 Population, total (millions): 228.25

2008 GDP (current US$) (billions): 514.39

2007 Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people): 62

2005 Roads, paved (% of total roads): 55

2007 Internet users (per 100 people): 11.1

Source: World Development Indicators Database, April 2009

communiqué - harvard university · 6 communiqué winter2010...

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