As the issues of pollution, climate change, urban planning, environmental regulation, and transboundary environmental disputes rise on national agendas, the KDI School of Public Policy and Management co-sponsored a conference entitled “Environmental Policy: Multinational Conference on Policy Analysis and Teaching Methods,” with the University of Maryland School of Public Policy and Ministry of Environment, in collaboration with the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM), to explore the topic of environmental policy analysis. The conference was held at the Sheraton Grande Walkerhill Hotel from June 11th to 13th.

Scholars, professors, and students from around the globe attended this meaningful event, which started with an opening reception on Thursday evening. Welcoming speeches were given by KDI School Dean Sang-moon Hahm, Former Dean Chin-Seung Chung, and Dr. Douglas Besharov from the University of Maryland. On the following day of the event, there was a plenary session on the hotly debated topic of “Green Growth: Beyond the Crisis.” KDI School President Oh- Seok Hyun gave a welcoming speech, with OECD Deputy Secretary-General Mario Amano giving a keynote speech emphasizing the importance of green development.

The final day of the event included another plenary session co-hosted by the Ministry of Environment. Vice minister Byung Wook Lee gave a congratulatory speech to all the participants of the conference, which was followed by four presentations on environmental policies in four respective countries. Dr. Nathan Hultman from the University of Maryland introduced the gist of the environmental policies under the Obama administrative. Dr. Ye Qi from Tsinghua University and Director Hidetoshi Kimura from the Japanese Ministry of Environment gave presentations on the policies and practices of green development in China and Japan and their efforts towards a low carbon future. Secretary General Ki-Jong Woo from the Presidential Committee on Green Growth presented the Green Growth Vision for the future of Korea. Mr.Fulai Sheng from UNEP and Dr. Peter Hennicke from Wuppertal Institute (Germany) also gave presentations explaining the UNEP’s Green Economy Initiatives and Climate Mitigation, Resource Protection and the Economic Crisis.

Some 36 selected papers from universities world-wide addressing issues surrounding environmental policy were also presented throughout the two days of the conference.These universities included Syracuse University, University of California Berkeley, University of Tokyo, National University of Singapore, Korea University, University of Sydney and many other respected universities. Fruitful discussions and insightful questionnaires made the sessions particularly animated.

A session was also organized to discuss how graduate environmental policy curricula should be designed and what teaching methods should be used to ensure the highest quality of graduates. The discussions led by Professor Dong Young Kim from the KDI School, Professor Stuart Bretschneider from Syracuse University, Professor Nathan Hultman from the University of Maryland, and Professor Peter Balint from George Mason University will facilitate the global institutional evolution of environmental policy education.

APPAM, dedicated to improving public policy and management, co-sponsors a series of scholarly conferences and workshops annually. The conference in Seoul convened by the KDI School of Public Policy and the University Of Maryland School Of Public Policy is APPAM’s first international conference held in Korea and its second in Asia. The conference attracted a worldwide audience of more than 120 participants, including academics and professionals from universities, think tanks, government agencies, and the private sector.

By Jun Hyun PARK (MPP 2009, Korea)