Christian Aspalter
Biography
Professor Christian Aspalter took office as President of the Asian Association for Social Welfare on April 30, 2006.
Prof. Aspalter has spent about one third of his life in Asia, having studied at National Taiwan University. His then taught and researched in a number of universities and research institutes throughout East Asia, including Seoul National University, The University of Hong Kong, and Fudan University.
In 2006, Prof. Aspalter established the "Social Work and Social Administration Program" of Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College, Zhuhai, which is located in the Pearl River Delta, across the bay from Hong Kong.
Professor Aspalter can look at a strong publication record in the international social policy arena with 16 books, and numerous articles in renowned, refereed international journals (such as e.g. International Journal of Social Welfare/International Social Work/Social Policy and Administration).
He is the founder of two international academic journals: The Journal of Social and Societal Policy and The Asian Journal of Social Policy. He is also member of the editorial board of Social Policy and Society, Journal of Comparative Social Welfare and The Malaysian Journal of Society and Social Policy.
Starting in 2009, Prof. Aspalter also edits a new book series by Routledge (Taylor and Francis) entitled "Routledge Studies on Social Welfare in Asia", which set ou to promote the academic discipline of Social Policy by local scholars, as well as scholars from outside of Asia.
After having been engaged in a series of research work for the Korean Government in the area of pension and health care reform, Professor Aspalter is currently also engaged in consultative work for Government of Malaysia, at the Institut Sosial Malaysia (ISM), Ministry of Women, Family, and Community Development, in Kuala Lumpur.
Professor Aspalter was honored by Prime Minister Dato' Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi of Malaysia as one of the Senior Fellows of Institut Sosial Malaysia, Ministry of on October 2, 2005.
Having received a Master's Degree of Economic and Social Sciences from the University of Linz in Austria, he spent two years at National Taiwan University at the Graduate Institute of Sociology, where he wrote his dissertation "The Driving Forces Behind the Welfare State: Party Competition and Social Movements," a comparative historical and contemporary study of Germany, Austria, Sweden, and Taiwan.
Prof. Aspalter received his Doctorate in Economic and Social Sciences from the University of Linz, He conducted research work for the National Bank of Austria on the comparative study of welfare state systems in East Asia. Thereafter, he took on several teaching posts at universities in Mainland China and Taiwan, also teaching at Fudan University in Shanghai on behalf of The University of Hong Kong.
In early 2001, Professor Aspalter also joined as a visiting researcher the Graduate Program of Public Policy of the Asia Pacific School of Economics and Government, The Australian National University in Canberra.
In the year 2002 Professor Aspalter was invited to come to Seoul National University, to the Department of Social Welfare. In the subsequent two and a half years in Korea, Professor Aspalter also began to intensively work for the National Pension Research Institute of the National Pension Corporation of Korea, and the Korean Institute of Health and Social Affairs, both in Seoul, on the politics of pension and health care reform in Europe.
It was not for long until Professor Aspalter was invited to come to Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College, in Zhuhai.
In April 2006, Professor Aspalter hosted the Inaugural Conference of the Asian Association for Social Welfare (AASW), where he was subsequently voted to become the first President of the Asian Association for Social Welfare. Today, the Association has more than 1,000 members from across Asia.
Christian Aspalter
