Depok, March 13, 2024 – The Faculty of Administrative Sciences at Universitas Indonesia (FIA UI) has officially appointed Prof. Wolfgang Drechsler from Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia, as an Adjunct Professor.

The conferment ceremony took place on Thursday morning, February 29, 2024, at the Auditorium Room, 4th Floor, Building M, FIA UI, Depok. This appointment aims to enrich the academic experience of FIA UI students through strategic collaboration in research, teaching, and community engagement.

Dr. Fibria Indriati, M.Si., Vice Dean for Education, Research, and Student Affairs at FIA UI, emphasized that internationalization remains a top priority for the faculty. “We are committed to expanding our network with academic colleagues worldwide and developing various programs, from joint lectures and student and faculty mobility to collaborative research, international conferences, and dual-degree programs,” she said.

In his inaugural lecture, Prof. Wolfgang discussed Max Weber’s contribution to modern public administration under the title “From New Public Management to the Neo-Weberian State.”

“Weber emphasized rationalization and ‘disenchantment’—the process where religious and mythical elements lose their significance due to increasing rational and scientific approaches. New Public Management (NPM) attempted to apply business techniques to the public sector but failed because citizens are not mere customers. The Neo-Weberian State focuses on orientation, input, outcomes, and citizen professionalism,” he explained.

Prof. Wolfgang Drechsler is a distinguished expert in public governance. He serves as a governance professor at the Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance at Tallinn University of Technology and is an Honorary Professor at University College London (UCL) within the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. He is also an Associate at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University and has authored or edited more than 20 books and journal issues, along with 200 scholarly articles, with a Scopus index of 14.

In addition to his extensive academic career as a visiting scholar at various universities worldwide, Prof. Wolfgang has also served as a consultant for international organizations such as the OECD, the Council of Europe, SIGMA, the World Bank, the European Union (including the Commission and Parliament), the Inter-American Development Bank, and the UNDP. He has also advised national governments, including Bhutan and Kosovo, and has experience in the private sector.