The 17th Annual Conference of the East Asian Social Policy Research Network
& 
The 27th Annual Conference of the Foundation for International Studies on Social Security

“BEYOND INEQUALITY? 
SOCIAL SECURITY AND SOCIAL WELFARE BETWEEN EAST AND WEST”

26-28 June 2020, Lingnan University, Hong Kong

Conference programme

EASP and FISS have worked closely together in recent months to ensure that all plenaries and panel sessions will be open to all delegates no matter whether they formally attend the EASP or FISS conference. 

All panel sessions will be announced after the deadline for abstract submission has passed. Booking & registration will start from 1 April (Standard rate: HK$1,500), with late registrations (from 1 June onwards) being charged at a slightly higher rate (HK$1,750).  

The provisional starting time of the opening ceremony on the first day of the conferences (26 June) is 9.00am and registrations will open at 8.15am. The conference will officially close on the third day (28 June) at 1.15pm. Lunch boxes will be provided on the final day to cater for those having to catch trains or flights. All other times are still provisional at this moment.  

>> Conference Information with programme schedule Download

Panel sessions

Each panel session will be allocated 1.25 hrs (i.e. 75 minutes). Speakers will normally be given 25 minutes for their  presentation including 5-10 minutes Q&A. Please make sure to keep to your allotted time. You will not be required to submit a full manuscript before attending the conferences. However, a password-protected Dropbox will be set up for those delegates who wish to share their manuscript for comments and suggestions. All delegates should prepare their  presentation slides (Powerpoint etc.) on a USB stick and use the desktop computer (Windows) provided for presentation in each room.

Conference venue

The opening ceremony and all plenaries are currently scheduled to take place at the Sin Cho Ming Function Hall, New Academic Block, 8 Castle Peak Rd – Lingnan, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong. For more information about the conference venue you may also consult the Lingnan University website or Google Maps. 

How to get there

To get to the conference venue, you can drive, take a taxi, or use other public transportation:

If you come by bus, you could take the bus routes 53, 67M, 67X, 261, 960 (via Tuen Mun Town Centre and minibus 46), K51 and K58. 

or,

If you come by West Rail, please get off at Siu Hong Station. You can then take the bus K51 (to Fu Tai); or if you choose to walk, take Exit F, and you will arrive the campus in about 10 minutes.

or,

If you come by car, please contact the conference organisers to arrange for a parking permit.  

Please also refer to the following websites for more details:

All panel sessions are currently scheduled to take place in the Leung Kau Kui Building. Please look out for sign-posts and ask our student helpers for directions on the day. The walk from the Sin Cho Ming Function Hall to the Leung Kau Kui Building should take no longer than 5-7 minutes. 

Conference dinner, lunches and refreshments

The conference dinner will be provided in the Amenities Building on the Lingnan University campus. It will only take a few minutes to walk to the restaurant from the Sin Cho Ming Function Hall and Leung Kau Kui Building. Sign-posts will be provided.

Besides the conference dinner, the registration fee allows delegates to join all lunches and refreshments throughout the conference. Please note that no dinner will be provided on the second day of the conference (27 June). Instead, we will invite delegates to join us for a sightseeing trip to the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade where many restaurants can be found that cater to different preferences and tastes. Shuttle buses will be provided.

Accommodation

We are unfortunately not able to provide accommodation for conference delegates on the Lingnan University campus, but have agreed preferential rates for a limited number of rooms for delegates with three local hotels:

Harbour Plaza Resort City (location: 18 Tin Yan Road Tin Shui Wai)

Pentahotel Tuen Mun (location: 6 Tsun Wen Road, Tuen Mun)

Hotel Cozi Resort (location: 4 Kin Fung Circuit, Tuen Mun)

Please note that available rooms are provided strictly on a first-come-first-basis, so please book early to avoid disappointment. Of course, Hong Kong has a wide range of other available hotels, which can be found through standard travel sites.

About Lingnan University

Lingnan University is the only liberal arts university in Hong Kong and has the longest established tradition among the local Hong Kong institutions of higher education. Its history can be dated back to 1888. In 2015, Lingnan University was named as one of the “Top 10 Liberal Arts College in Asia” by Forbes. Lingnan University was also named among the top 100 universities in Asia according to the QS Asia University Rankings in 2018.

Lingnan University students can participate in international internship programmes and about 80% of them spend a term studying abroad or participate in short-term summer programmes. Lingnan University upholds its motto “Education for Service” by providing students with service-learning and community service opportunities for engaging with society and helping those in need.

Lingnan University offers undergraduate, taught postgraduate and research postgraduate programmes in the areas of Arts, Business and Social Sciences. It has successfully launched several new Masters programmes and is home to the Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies (APIAS) and the Centre for Social Policy and Social Change (CSPSC) underlining its strong track record in these research areas. 

A note about recent events in Hong Kong

As Hong Kongers we have grown accustomed for the international media to feature our cosmopolitan city in a positive light emphasising, e.g. its role as a global financial centre, state-of-the art architecture, exemplary public transport system, and sprawling cultural scene. Lately, however, Hong Kong has undoubtedly gone through some turbulent times.

Since the beginning of June 2019, large-scale demonstrations, unannounced protests and calls for strikes have repeatedly affected public life. Since the district council election on November 24, however, violent demonstrations have waned significantly. Smaller peaceful demonstrations are still ongoing but due to its location at the Western outskirts of the city, Lingnan University has fortunately not been severely affected by any of these events. The airport can still only be entered with a valid flight ticket, but the connection to the airport with the Airport Express is currently running reliably.

As for the new type of coronavirus (COVID-19), the Hong Kong government has now restricted travel movements from China. Entry by sea and land (bus and train) has largely been discontinued from January 30, 2020. As of February 8, all travellers, including Hong Kong residents who have entered mainland China or have been in China for the past 14 days, must undergo a 14-day quarantine upon entry into Hong Kong. We are, of course, hoping that the spread of the virus around the world will soon end, and for Hong Kong that the peak of the public health concerns is already behind us.  

While we will monitor the ongoing situation closely, as organisers of the annual EASP and FISS conferences 2020, we have decided that we can reasonably go ahead with our preparations and are eager to welcome you in Hong Kong this summer. But we also appreciate that some potential attendees may need a little more time to make a final decision. The extension of the deadline for abstracts and panel proposals to 20 March 2020 reflects our thinking in this regard. 

For any queries or lingering concerns, you may, however, contact stefankuehner@LU.edu.hk directly.

In memory of Prof. Ray Forrest

It is with great sadness that we have to share the news of the sudden passing of one of our previously listed keynote speakers, Prof. Ray Forrest. For many years, Ray was a critical figure in the Hong Kong academy successfully shaping the local,  regional, and international debate on urban renewal, the contemporary city, housing markets, and social inequality. He was also an exceptional colleague, mentor and friend. He is very dearly missed by all of us.

Conference Information for the 17th EASP & 27th FISS