SKIP TO     Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6 | References

The refounding movement, 1989-present day

The fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War brought about major changes to the world. With an increasing number of environmental challenges coupled with rapid advancement of information and communication technologies, the economy of the entire world started to globalize at a stunning speed. A number of scholars, thus, have attempted to provide explanations from different perspective.

Friedman's flat world

While Stillman (2005) still focused on the hierarchy of the institutions and suggested that both the environment and the technology had "reshaped the complexities and challenges of the government" and that the changes therewith are shifting public administration concepts away from the old style hierarchical systems toward a more open system, Friedman (2007) attributed these all to his concept of a "flat world". Such a "flat world" allows for the existence of a globalized world in which inputs from different sources are clashing and crossing over to form a new and highly complex nonhierarchical system in which modern day administrators will have to reevaluate and hence tackle. Friedman summarized these challenges into his ten "critical" points (Friedman, 2007):

1. The global trend that capitalism is becoming the sole type of economic system for the whole world after World War II and the Cold War
2. The invention of the Internet browser, e.g. Netscape, Mosaic, Microsoft Internet Explorer® Firefox, Chrome, etc., allowing free access to information through Internet (p. 63)
3. The development of work-flow management software that enhances productivity by connecting previously isolated work systems (p. 81)
4. Web-based communication technologies, e.g. ICQ®, MSN®, Skype (free long-distance Internet telephony), and various IP-based telephony software that allow deeper collaboration ever between technical savvy communities which in turn drives innovation (p. 95)
5. The possibility to outsource conveniently throughvcommon digital platforms that enables cheaper production at all levels (p. 131)
6. The increase of competition, lowering of costs and creation of a more global economy due to off-shoring of businesses (p. 139)
7. Global supply chains that enable companies to locate better suppliers (via vertical e-business platforms) and compete at lower prices, hence driving economies and competition (p. 153)
8. In-sourcing or the development of horizontal markets which enables smaller businesses to compete in the global business arena (p. 169)
9. The possibility even for the individual to search and look up information freely and globally through convenient search engines, like Google, Yahoo etc., allows a much higher degree of "equal access to information" and hence drives creativity and innovation of the public (p. 184), and
10. The constantly evolving and innovative use of technologies, like YouTube®, Facebook™, MySpace®, enabling new types and generations of collaboration which in turn further globalize partnerships and development (p. 198)

The above factors, if converged, Friedman (2007) argued, would help reshape, in a fundamental way, the entire world for the coming century. They would superimpose to become new thrusts of productivity, new sources of creativity, and new ways of sharing that could eventually affect the system of governance. This is also why the current generations of scholars are now advocating new concepts of horizontal, nonhierarchical methods of governance.

SKIP TO     Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6 | References

  Main • Commentary   Special Foci • Syndicated News | Corruption | Socialism | GuanXi

  Health Related • Traditional Chinese Medicine   Others • OXLL

SHORTCUT TO MAIN SECTIONS & ARTICLES Home  •  About this site  •  How did we once fight corruption in colonial Hong Kong?  •  Historical US administrative thoughts  •  USA versus colonial Hong Kong  •  Anti-corruption review of Nigeria  •  Procurement monitoring in Nigeria  •  Syndicated news  •  Usman's blog  •  Anti-graft news  •  Socialist news

Contact the editor at raymond {dot} cheng {at} kellogg {dot} oxon {dot} org

RESERVED SECTION FOR MEMBERS The Rendezvous • Builders • Commentators • Contributors • Readers • Researchers

Reflection Pages • Miscellaneous Stuff • The difference between instant evaluation and improving recognition – November 20 • Freddy Krueger revisited: Politically correct education? – October 23 • From the evaluator's perspective: Justified conclusions and decisions – October 8 • Online and distance learning degrees – evaluator's perspective – September 25 • The moment fake degrees turned recognized and appraised – September 9