Sponsored by Harvard Kennedy School China Caucus and the Ash Institute, this China Salon Speakers event featured William Kirby, professor at the Harvard Business School and professor of China Studies at Harvard University. Professor Kirby is also the director of the Fairbank Center, chairman of the Harvard China Fund, and the former Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University.

Sponsored by Harvard Kennedy School China Caucus and the Ash Institute, this China Salon Speakers event featured Warren McFarlan, professor at the Harvard Business School. He has had a significant role in introducing materials on Management Information Systems to all major programs at the Harvard Business School since the first course on the subject was offered in 1962. He currently teaches a MBA course on "Doing Business in China in the Early 21st Century."

Sponsored by Harvard Kennedy School China Caucus and the Ash Institute, this China Salon Speakers event featured MA Weihua, president and CEO of China Merchants Bank since 1999. Senior Research Fellow William Overholt moderated the event. Previously, Mr. MA served as deputy director of the general office of the People’s Bank of China in 1990, deputy director of the Planning and Funding Department of the People’s Bank of China from 1991 to 1992, governor of the People’s Bank of China, Hainan Branch, and head of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, Hainan Branch from 1992 to 1998. China Merchants Bank is the sixth largest bank in China by assets. It was ranked 103rd in the list of Financial Times Global 500 companies by market capitalization in 2008.

Moderated by Professor of Public Policy Archon Fung, this event featured John Gaventa and Vera Coelho. Gaventa is a fellow of the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex. As a political sociologist, educator, and civil society practitioner, Gaventa has over 30 years experience in research, training, and organizational leadership. Vera Coelho, visiting fellow of the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations, works with both qualitative and quantitative research methods and has extensive experience in evaluating policies and coordinating research projects at local, national, and international levels. The event is sponsored by the Ash Institute and the Hauser Center.

Many experts argue that the relationship between China and the United States is one of the most important of the 21st century. China’s ascent to the world’s stage continues to ignite heated discussions over power transition in the United States. And in the midst of this changeover, history paints a cautionary tale - nine out of ten power transitions have not been peaceful.

At this event, several distinguished Chinese and American scholars discussed opportunities for these two nations to coexist peacefully by broadening their scope of cooperation. Included in the event’s two panel discussions was a focus on the global financial crisis and historical and military challenges. Speakers included Graham Allison, Harvard Kennedy School; Gu Guoliang; Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; and Ezra Vogel, Harvard University. Watch a recording of the event»

Sponsored by Harvard Kennedy School China Caucus and the Ash Institute, this China Salon Speaker Series event featured Asia Fellow Amy Cheng. Ms. Cheng discussed China's investments overseas and Chinese companies going global. She is the managing director and head of Metals & Mining at the Bank of China International. The event will be held in Chinese.

Stein Ringen, professor of sociology and social policy at the University of Oxford, teaches social and political theory and research methodology for graduates in social policy, sociology, politics, economic and social history and other subjects. In his lectures and seminars, he aims to bring together students in different subjects and to bridge the gulf between theoretical reflection and empirical application. Professor Ringen's research focuses on the meeting ground of democracy, public policy, and justice. He is interested in questions of 'good government' – the degree to which democratic governments can be effective given that they are severely constrained in the means allowed to them. This seminar was presented by the Malcolm Wiener Inequality & Social Policy Seminar Series and the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation. Paper available»

Sponsored by Harvard Kennedy School China Caucus and the Ash Institute, this China Salon Speaker Series event featured JIN Qingjun, a partner at King & Wood LLP, the biggest law firm in China. Mr. JIN specializes in securities, investments, finance, real estate, bankruptcy, and litigation. He is one of the first lawyers licensed to practice securities law in China.

Sponsored by Harvard Kennedy School China Caucus and the Ash Institute, this China Salon Speaker Series event featured Ezra Vogel, the Henry Ford II Research Professor of the Social Sciences at Harvard University. Professor Vogel served as the National Intelligence Officer for East Asia at the National Intelligence Council and as the director of the Fairbank Center and the Asia Center. He has taught courses on communist Chinese society, Japanese society, and industrial East Asia.

Sponsored by Harvard Kennedy School China Caucus and the Ash Institute, this China Salon Speaker Series event featured Martin Whyte, professor of sociology at Harvard University. Professor Whyte is an expert in sociological studies in contemporary China as well as post-Communist transitions.

2009 marks the 30th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA). Enacted on April 10, 1979, the bill continued the commercial and cultural relationship between the U.S. and Taiwan despite the severance of formal diplomatic ties between the two sides. At this Taiwan Studies conference, experts discussed the potential implications of the TRA on relations among the U.S., Taiwan, and China going forward. J. Stapleton Roy, former ambassador to the People’s Republic of China from 1991 to 1995, delivered the conference keynote address.

The conference was co-sponsored by Asia Programs at the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Harvard Kennedy School and the Taiwan Studies Workshop of the John King Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, Harvard University

*Photo: Ambassador J. Stapleton Roy

Dwight Perkins, professor of political economy at Harvard University, offered insights on the current global crisis and the resulting implications on China's growth prospects. Professor Perkins was previously the director of Harvard University's Asia Center, director of the Harvard Institute for International Development, chairman of the Department of Economics, and an associate director of the East Asian (now Fairbank) Research Center. Professor Perkins is an expert in the economies of East and Southeast Asia.

This China Salon event, a speaker series organized by Harvard Kennedy School China Caucus, featured Robert Ross, professor of political science at Boston College. Professor Ross is also an associate of the Fairbank Center for East Asian Studies at Harvard, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the National Committee for U.S.-China Relations, as well as the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

This China Salon event, a speaker series organized by Harvard Kennedy School China Caucus, featured former Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao. Secretary Chao is the first Asian-Pacific American woman ever appointed to a President’s cabinet in U.S. history. She was the only member of President George W. Bush’s original cabinet to have served all eight years of his administration.

The State of Access: Success and Failure of Democracies to Create Equal Opportunities documents a worrisome gap between principles and practice in democratic governance. Featuring contributing chapters from Professor Guy Stuart along with Institute Fellow Jorrit de Jong and former Institute Director Gowher Rizvi, the book offers a comparative, cross-disciplinary exploration of the ways in which democratic institutions fail or succeed in creating equal opportunities for the people they serve. Archon Fung and Tony Saich as well as the book's contributors elaborated on the potential and performance in democratic governance at this public seminar.

As 2009 brings a new administration to Washington, the U.S. faces a financial crisis on Wall Street and Main Street, rising energy costs, and cities across the country struggling to do more with fewer resources. Housing sits at the center of all these struggles, both as a cause of current problems and as a crucial area for innovation and action. The Housing Cities Symposium 2009 sought to open a dialogue on housing as a broad metropolitan issue, addressing the many spheres that impact and are impacted by the quantity, quality, location, and affordability of housing. Dan Kildee, 2007 winner for the Urban and Reform Initiative in Genessee County, participated in the panel "Local Responses to the Housing Crisis."

Cosponsored by the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations and the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation, this seminar featured Geoff Mulgan. Mulgan is the director of the UK’s Young Foundation and served as the former director of policy under Prime Minister Tony Blair. He is also the co-founder of the Demos think tank.

In this comprehensive discussion, Professor Yang Yao explained China’s economic success in the last 30 years using the concept of disinterested governments. In addition, he discussed the importance of social equality as crucial element for disinterested governments to emerge in a country. Professor Yang Yao is a professor at the China Center for Economic Research and the National School of Development at Peking University.

Sponsored by the Ash Institute and the Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management, this interactive brownbag session featured Carol Shapiro, founder and president of Family Justice. Since its founding in 1996, Family Justice has emerged as a leading national nonprofit institution dedicated to developing innovative, cost-effective solutions that benefit people at greatest risk of cycling in and out of the justice system. Family Justice's original storefront center for families, La Bodega de la Familia, was a 2003 Innovations in American Government Award winner.

Jeffrey Williams addressed corporate governance issues in China on February 13. Williams is the independent director and risk management committee chair of China Universal Asset Management Company. He has over 25 years of experience working on issues in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan and served as the former foreign president of the Chinese commercial bank Shenzhen Development. The event was sponsored by the Harvard Kennedy School China Caucus.

Dr. Fujita, president of the Research Institute of Economy, Trade, and Industry (REITI) Director Nezu recently shared their unique perspective on the Asian and world economies. RIETI is a renowned think tank in Japan. President Fujita discussed means for reshaping East Asia and the world economy in the wake of the current financial crisis. Director Nezu argued for U.S. support of the Comprehensive Economic Partnerships for East Asia (CEPEA) Initiative.

At this JFK Forum event, Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell will address innovative practices in national security in the nation’s post September 11th climate. McConnell’s Office of the Director of National Intelligence recently was honored as a 2008 Innovations in American Government Award winner for its Intelligence Community Civilian Joint Duty Program. The Program instills a new model of collaboration within the intelligence community by requiring personnel to serve a period of duty outside of their parent agency as a prerequisite for senior level promotion. All 16 agencies, including those within the six cabinet departments that make up the intelligence community, participate in the program. For more information, please visit the JFK Forum's site.

Sponsored by Harvard Kennedy School of Government China Caucus China Salon Speaker Series, this seminar featured Jianguo Liu, visiting scholar in the Sustainability Science Program at Harvard Kennedy School. Professor Liu is a guest professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Rachel Carson Chair in Sustainability, and a Michigan State University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife.

Members of the Kansai Keizai Doyukai, a delegation of prominent Japanese business executives from major corporations across the Osaka-Kyoto region, will convene for the 16th Annual U.S. – Japan Symposium. Sponsored by the Institute’s Asia Programs, the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, and the Japan Society of Boston, the event will examine the changing roles of Japan and the United States under the next president.

Hosted by the Ash Institute’s Vietnam Program, this first annual dialogue initiative with senior Vietnamese government policymakers will be attended by a delegation of Vietnamese officials led by Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai. The forum features research-based discussion with Harvard faculty and senior executives from leading multinational firms. Organized by Harvard Kennedy School and Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the event will address key policy challenges confronting Vietnam in the context of current trends in the world economy.

In this interactive seminar, Duan Peijun of China's Central Party School offers insights into China's strategy for innovation. Duan Peijun is the dean of the teaching research section of strategy study and serves as the executive director of the Research Center for Social Development as well as the deputy director of the Academic Committee of the Philosophy Department. He has lectured and trained numerous government officials in China. The session will take place in Littauer Room 130 at 6 p.m.

The Bangladesh Development Initiative (BDI), a USA-based non-profit organization, in collaboration with the Democracy and Development in Bangladesh Forum (DDBF) and the Ash Institute hosted this two-day conference examining the economic, political, and social issues facing Bangladesh in the 21st century. Attendees participated in panel discussions on improving education quality and impact; private sector and infrastructure development; microfinance; aid, FDI, and remittances; and solutions for revitalizing democracy. Speakers included former Institute Director Gowher Rizvi and BRAC University Vice Chancellor Dr. Jamilur R. Choudhury.

Since the late 1970s, China has been transitioning from a planned economy to a market economy, from a rural and closed society to an urban and open society, and from a governance structure based on individual will and charisma to one based on democratic principles and rule of law. While the first two transitions have generated tremendous achievements over the past 30 years, progress on the latter transition has not been as successful. Nevertheless, there have been gradual evolutions within the political system that have fundamentally changed the way China’s governance system operates. Because many of these changes have been gradual, they have not attracted the attention they deserve.

The Ash Institute and the HKS Asia Programs jointly sponsored China: Challenge and Change on Thursday, April 10th. Discussion sessions included "Results and Implications of the Party and People’s Congresses," "Understanding the Chinese Policy Process," "Key Institutions and Players," "Sectoral Challenges," and "Security and Foreign Affairs."