Vol. 6 No. 1 (2021): 15th issue

Dear Reader,

We are pleased to present the 15th issue of the International Journal of Civil Service Reform and Practice published by the Astana Civil Service Hub biannually.

This issue includes four articles.

The first article is a contribution of Demetrios Argyriades, Professor of Public Administration at John Jay College, in New York City. In view of the recent pandemic, he poses the question what would be the new norm as we exit the pandemic? Will it be public service and democracy or warfare and empire building? Responses to these questions are provided based on past experience going as far as back as the Antiquity Era. This article argues that democracy and sound governance are suffering due to warfare and empire building tendencies in the world, creating a “Thucydides trap” situation.

The second article has been contributed by Inji Jafarli, Chief Specialist of the International Relations Department of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. This article provides a comprehensive description of the public service delivery modality called “ASAN service” that has been established to provide public services effectively to the citizens and residents of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The third article, written by Inji Hasanova and Safura Aliyeva, both graduates of Nazarbayev University, deals with gender-equality issues in high-level positions in the government administration. It identifies the challenges that prevent women from occupying a larger share of such positions and it provides a set of recommendations on how the situation can be improved.

The fourth article is the result of a joint effort of Tayek Toufik Dahar, Deputy Director at the Ministry of Interior in Algeria and Yu Zhangquan, Deputy Division Director of the Department of International Relations of the Chinese Academy of Governance. This article is a comparative study of the civil service training systems in Algeria and in China, seeking to explore the similarities and differences between the two systems, and provide some recommendations that may be useful for the future development of civil service training.

Enjoy reading!

Panos Liverakos

Editor-in-Chief