ASPA 2023 Annual Conference Call for Proposals Gaining Momentum

Since ASPA launched its 2023 Annual Conference Call for Proposals, submissions have been streaming in at a steady pace, showing robust interest in the 2023 event.

Taking place online, Monday, March 20 - Friday, March 24, the conference will feature almost 200 panels across seven tracks and will center around the theme, Protecting Democracy for the Next Generation: The Role and Responsibility of Public Administration. All proposals are due November 4, 2022.

We were delighted to hold the 2022 Annual Conference in person this past spring and know our attendees were gratified to see their friends and colleagues after such a long pandemic quarantine. We also appreciate the desire to continue in person next year. That said, as organizations like ours continue to cope with the residual effects of the COVID pandemic—hotel jam-ups, extremely limited availability and demand-driven cost increases due to postponed events that we could not pass along to our attendees—we must host our 2023 conference online.

We will use technology to our fullest advantage, providing the opportunity for those who cannot typically attend in-person events to engage their peers in conference sessions. And, while we will be working to introduce in-person touch points with our members throughout 2023, we also will be back in person for the 2024 conference in Minneapolis.

Your participation means more this year than ever before. The threats to democratic norms in the United States and around the world are known to all of us. The time has come for public administration—as a profession—to shore up our resources, steer the conversation and provide avenues to reinforce democratic principles for current and future generations. Many voices must contribute to these efforts. Ours must be at the forefront.

ASPA’s 2023 Annual Conference will bring together practitioners, scholars and students from around the world to continue a century-old tradition of bridging research and practice to develop new frameworks, share best practices and showcase new scholarship.

Recent years have shown weakening democracies amidst a global pandemic that has taken millions of lives and increased inequalities that have existed for decades, if not centuries. Now, emerging global economic volatility has begun to affect nations through inflation and recessionary concerns. Issues considered problematic before are now crises; what were crises are now catastrophes. Notwithstanding noteworthy successes in saving lives from COVID-19, improving aging infrastructure and placing renewed emphasis on social justice and racial equity, we also have seen significant backsliding toward autocracy, oppression and ignorance. Even more, the debate between individual freedom and authority undercuts basic societal necessity and rational government structure. Now is the time to loudly and publicly proclaim our commitment to democratic norms and practices, not only in the interest of good governance but to ensure they continue in the near and long term. Public administration “done right” is a beautiful thing. We must celebrate it and showcase its successes.

ASPA’s Annual Conference is the ideal forum for the varied and diverse voices within the public administration community to share information, invite others to learn alongside us and advance excellence in public service. During plenary lectures, concurrent panels, symposia and other forums, we will plan for a more democratic and equitable future.

Seven tracks will shape the discourse, providing focused space to concentrate on current research and practice to help those in the field take the necessary steps for future successes. Those tracks are:

• Good Governance and Democratic Norms
• Social Equity
• Public Service
• Global Challenges
• Emergency Management and Public Health
• Environmental Sustainability
• Infrastructure and Financing It

ASPA Searches for Next PAR Editor in Chief; Proposals Due October 31

ASPA has issued a Request for Proposals for the next Editor in Chief of Public Administration Review (PAR), its flagship professional journal. The new editor’s term will begin January 1, 2024, preceded by a six-month transition period. All proposals are due by October 31, 2022 at 5 p.m. EDT. If you are considering submitting a proposal, you have less than five weeks to finalize your package.

Through the outstanding efforts of its editorial team, led by Editor in Chief Jeremy Hall of the University of Central Florida, PAR has achieved significant success in terms of its readership, impact and contributions to the study and practice of the field. It has earned the top ranking in Thomson Reuters' Journal Citation Reports five-year metrics, ranks No. 2 in its two-year metrics for 2021 (behind Policy and Society) and stands atop Google Scholar's Public Policy and Administration ranking for 2018-2021. It also has seen substantial increases in its downloads and other access metrics.

The Editor in Chief is one of ASPA's most visible public figures and ASPA is looking to the next editor to sustain and build on the record of accomplishment made in the past several years.

Please visit our website to review the Request for Proposals, search and selection timeline and other details about the process. You also may download a PDF of the RFP here. Those who missed our webinar discussing what is involved in managing PAR on a daily basis can find a recording of it on our website, as well.

Remember: Proposals are due no later than Monday, October 31 to ASPA Chief of Communications, Marketing and Membership Karen Garrett. Contact her at 202-585-4313 with questions.

Please forward these details to your colleagues and networks that may be interested in this RFP.

E-Learning at Your Fingertips

ASPA staff work tirelessly to keep your skills up to date and the information flowing all year long through our e-learning program. Visit our website to see more details about upcoming KeepingCurrent, BookTalk and Students and New Professionals series programming.


Upcoming Events
While we continue to finalize details for upcoming webinars, here are the topics and registration links so you can plan your attendance.

Continuing to Examine the Impact of the COVID Pandemic
October 20 | 1 p.m. EDT


BookTalk: COVID-19, the LGBTQIA+ Community and Public Policy
October 27 | 1 p.m. EDT



From the Archives
KeepingCurrent: Local Government Workforce Challenges and Recovery in the Wake of Pandemic
This webinar explored disruptions to the local government workforce during the pandemic, including new public health measures, telework arrangements and additional hours in response to an unprecedented public health crisis. In the aftermath, local governments are experiencing the stress of workforce turnover and struggling to retain talent in a competitive employment market. The webinar also included pragmatic reflection on the tools and strategies local governments can deploy to retain and engage talented employees during the continued strain of pandemic and crisis management.

In Memoriam: Philip Alleyne

ASPA member Philip Alleyne, City Manager for Lauderdale Lakes, Florida passed away on October 3, 2022 at the age of 71.

Alleyne was a member of numerous professional societies including ASPA and active in the South Florida Chapter.

Alleyne first joined the City of Lauderdale Lakes in 2006 as the public works director and, after a brief respite, returned to service in 2016 as city manager. He held a bachelor's degree from the University of Toronto, Canada, and held more than 40 years of progressive experience in construction management and civil engineering. He attributed his success to having worked under the leadership of some of South Florida's most expert city managers.

A visitation will be held later this month with a memorial service and committal taking place immediately after. A public celebration of life will be held on October 26 at 4 p.m. in Vincent Torres Park, Lauderdale Lakes. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Alleyne's memory may be made to a charity of your choice. Find more information about funeral proceedings and a memory book online here.

ASPA President's Committee on International Scholarly Engagement Circulates Discussion Paper

ASPA President Allan Rosenbaum created a committee to study international scholarly engagement earlier this year. After almost nine months of work, the President's Committee on International Scholarly Engagement (PCISE) has released a short discussion paper providing guidance on how organizations can engage internationally while respecting academic freedom, human rights and other core values.

In this discussion paper, PCISE proposes a general approach to international engagement based on examples of actual challenges, consultation with international experts and a review of institutional practices.

The committee is seeking comments on this draft prior to developing final guidance at the end of this year. Those interested are welcome to download the paper, review its contents and submit comments and reactions to committee co-chairs Alasdair Roberts and Mary-Lee Rhodes in the next few weeks.

Policy Pathways Hosts Fourth Annual Fall Celebration

Policy Pathways will host its Fourth Annual Fall Celebration on Thursday, October 20, 2022, from 6 – 8:00pm EST. The virtual event will honor remarkable youth and distinguished policy leaders in Virginia. The Honorable Betsy B. Carr, Virginia State Delegate (69th House District), will serve as keynote speaker as well as its 2022 Excellence in Public Policy and Administration Award recipient.This year’s Policy Leadership Award honoree is Phillip D. Jones, Newport News (VA), Planning Commissioner and Director of Habitat for Humanity Peninsula. Their five 2022 Youth Public Service Award recipients are: University of Richmond student Christian Herald (Washington, DC); Harvard College graduate Noah Harris (Hattiesburg, MS); Woodside High School student Cai Gomes (Newport News, VA); Open High School student Chandler Holeman (Richmond, VA); and Clover Hill High School student Logan Sowers (Chesterfield, VA).

The Fall Celebration is a ticketed event ($30 per ticket) and open to the public. Funds support Policy Pathways educational programs and scholarships for youth to attend our Summer Academy for Policy Leadership and Public Service Online. Register online here.

Tips and Resources

Coffee vs. Tea Smackdown
Which beverage is healthier? The answers are surprising!

How to Make Networking Events Less Awkward: Be a Croissant, Not a Bagel
Learn the benefits of being "open" rather than "closed."

In a Reversal, the Education Dept. Is Excluding Many from Student Loan Relief
In a remarkable reversal that will affect the fortunes of many student loan borrowers, the U.S. Department of Education has quietly changed its guidance around who qualifies for President Biden's sweeping student debt relief plan.

Managers, Err on the Side of Too Much Communication
It's better for managers to give employees too much communication than too little, researchers report.

In the News

Today's headlines contain plenty of news coverage of some of our nation's most pressing public administration challenges. ASPA has curated some of the most important stories from recent weeks. If you have not seen these yet, make sure you read them now!

Infrastructure

• Biden Bid for Zero-Emissions Federal Vehicle Fleet Off to Slow Start
• The White House Wants to Make Food Assistance Programs Easier to Use—and Tech Plays a Big Part
• New Biden AI Framework a "Blueprint" for Future Regulations

• Senate Reaches Deal to Avoid Shutdown, Punts Threat for 10 Weeks
• Responsible Fiscal Policy in a Low Interest Rate World
• Feds Open More Funding for Diesel School Bus Phase-Out
• The White House Has Raised Contract Spending Goals for Small, Disadvantaged Businesses

• Only Two Agencies Had Submitted Their Schedule F Plans for Approval Before Its Rescission, But Several Others Had Begun Work
• Effort to Ban a New Schedule F Steps Up in Congress
• NSA Employee Leaked Classified Cyber Intel, Charged with Espionage
• What’s the "Highest Court"? Not What You Might Think.
• Federal Watchdogs Recognized for Their Outstanding Accomplishments

• Biden Administration Unveils Plan Aiming to End Hunger in U.S. by 2030
• The Mississippi Water Crisis Is the Tip of the Global Disaster to Come
• As the EPA Introduces Its Environmental Justice Office, the "Mother of the Movement" Remembers the Black Women Who Led the Battle
• How Hurricane Ian and Other Disasters Are Becoming a Growing Source of Inequality—Even Among the Middle Class
• Facial Recognition Technology Victimizes People of Color. It Must Be Regulated.

Tell Me Something Good...

Need some good news in your world? Check out this recent piece via Route Fifty:
How ARPA Funding Has Improved the Labor Market
Pandemic aid from the American Rescue Plan Act has helped reduce unemployment, improve pay and offer much needed child care services for working families.

Around Public Administration

Here are the most recent updates from across the profession. Did we miss you? Send us your news and we'll include it in the next round!

Upcoming Events:

• NASPAA Annual Conference
  Chicago | October 19-21
  Theme: The Time is Now: A Bold and Noble Public Service for All
  Registration is open
  
  
• 2022 Cascade Chapter Student Symposium
  Online | October 21 | Noon - 1:30 p.m. PST
  Theme: Promoting Democracy and Community through Public Administration at All Levels of Government
  Topics: The role of community partnerships in digital equity; local policy intervention effects on public wellbeing; comparative perspectives on leadership and democracy
  
  
• 2022 International Conference on the Future of Public Administration: Global Experiences
  Yarmouk University—Jordan | October 26-27
  Registration is open
  
  
• 2022 NAPA Fall Meeting
  Hybrid | November 2-4
  Registration is open
  
  
• 2022 NECoPA
  Online | November 4-5
  Registration is open
  
  
• AAPAM 41st Roundtable Conference
  Cape Town, South Africa | December 6-9
  Registration is open
  
  
• ASPA 2023 Annual Conference
  Online | March 20-24, 2023
  Find the Call for Proposals online; all proposals are due November 4
  
  

• PMRA Webinar Hosted by PMRA
  The Public Management Research Association (PMRA) and the U.S. Office of Management and Budget will co-host a webinar on Friday, October 21 at Noon (EDT) exploring President Biden’s Management Agenda Learning Agenda and how public management researchers can connect with federal agencies on research opportunities. Diana Epstein and Dustin Brown of the Office of Management and Budget have been invited to present. Register here to attend.
  
  
• Suffolk University Call for Cases
  Suffolk University professors Aimee Williamson and Marc Holzer seek concise cases with teaching/instructor notes for an edited book focused on public administration and nonprofit management to be published with Routledge. The book will offer global concise cases and activities designed to supplement the wide variety of introductory textbooks in the field of public administration. Williamson and Holzer welcome cases that reflect diversity broadly defined (e.g., race, ethnicity, sex, LGBTQ+, disability, etc.) across authorship, setting and concepts. This book will be part of Routledge’s International Cases in Business and Management book series, with series editors Gina Vega and Rob Edwards. We welcome concise case topics across a wide variety of public administration concepts and themes. Brief (one-page) case proposals/expressions of interest are due November 1, 2022. Contact Aimee Williamson for the full call for cases or with any questions.
  
  
• IJPA Call for Papers
  Organized by ASPA's Section on Emergency and Crisis Management, the International Journal of Public Administration (IJPA) invites proposals for a special symposium: "Public Administration during times of conflict: Impacts on governance and service delivery." Conflicts worldwide, such as the ongoing war in Ukraine and conflicts in Ethiopia, Somalia and Yemen, are increasing. There remain gaps in public administration and management scholarship relating to studying and understanding conflicts and their impacts on governing and service delivery. Conflicts often are protracted and complicated, compounding administrative burdens in ways we cannot always anticipate or fully comprehend. Their complexity, uncertainty and unpredictability make it difficult to study them, and their evolving and undefined nature complicates effective and timely public policy and administration treatment. This symposium collection seeks to redress some of these challenges. The journal welcomes research syntheses, international and comparative pieces, evidence from practice, quantitative research articles, single and comparative case studies, conceptual papers and literature reviews illustrating a particular practice or solution to the public administration and management challenges in conflicts. This symposium collection welcomes papers using analytical methods or mathematical modeling placed under public administration theoretical frameworks and models. All submissions are due by November 15, 2022. Click here for more information.
  
  
• Call for Nominations: SPAR Best Book Award
  ASPA's Section on Public Administration Research (SPAR) invites nominations for its 2023 Best Book Award, welcoming nominations for books on public administration published in 2021 and 2022. Books nominated should significantly contribute to research in public administration; all research methods are welcomed, as are books across the full range of public administration research. Books primarily written as textbooks and edited volumes will not be considered. The Section welcomes international publications written in English; only books contributing to public administration research and theory will be considered. This recognition will be awarded at ASPA's Annual Conference in spring 2023. All nominations are due by December 1, 2022. Please contact award committee Chair Angela Paez with any questions.
  
  
• Public Budgeting and Finance Call for Editors
  Public Financial Publications, Inc., a nonprofit corporation sponsored by the Association for Budgeting and Financial Management and the American Association for Budget and Program Analysis, invites applicants for a new editor of its quarterly, peer-reviewed journal, Public Budgeting and Finance. The call is open to a single editor or a team of editors. The current editors' term ends on December 31, 2023. The term as editor is for three (3) years and may be renewed once. Public Budgeting and Finance serves as a forum for the publication of research on all facets of government and nonprofit finance. Its purpose is to provide a meaningful dialogue among scholars and practitioners in public budgeting and finance. The search committee seeks an editor with a national reputation as a scholar in public budgeting and finance with a commitment to enhancing scholarly research and encouraging practitioners to share their insights and experiences. Nominations should be directed to the chair of the search committee. Applications for the position should include a statement of vision and editorial goals for the journal, a letter of institutional support and a CV. To receive full consideration, completed applications should be submitted to the chair of the search committee, Melissa Neuman, by December 15, 2022.
  
  
• Institute for Peace and Dialogue Call for Participants
  The Institute for Peace and Dialogue has issued a newly launched three-month executive diploma program, with special modules of instruction and experienced trainers to give participants field-based education, wide professional experience and fruitful networking, appropriate for a variety of positions. This program targets titles including manager, program coordinator, human resources officer, case manager, mediator, public relations manager, mentor, coacher, arbitrator and more. Modules are "Leadership, HR Management, Coaching and Project Management" and "Peacebuilding, Alternative Dispute Resolution Mediation, Conflict Management, International Security and Law." Participants may join either module. Applications are due beginning February 10, 2023, depending on your module of choice. Scholarships are available. Click here for more information.
  
  
• National Capital Area Chapter Issues Student Essay Contest
  The National Capital Area Chapter (NCAC) has established a student essay contest to encourage new thinking and thoughts to advance the practice of public administration and public policy. This essay contest also was established to help advance the development of future public administrators. The essays should focus on one of the following topics: social equity, intergovernmental relations, the future of government workforce, public engagement, community collaboration, new technologies and community resiliency. All entries are due by March 17, 2023; only NCAC student members are eligible to enter. Contact NCAC for full submission guidelines and other details.

PA TIMES Online

Here's a selection of current pieces on PA TIMES Online, covering a range of issues within the profession. We accept individual articles on a rolling basis; if you have a piece you think would fit our publication, submit it to [email protected] for consideration. (Please review our submission guidelines in advance!)

• Nepal’s Democratic Experiment and Struggles with Corruption
  By Udaya R. Wagle
  
  
• The National Unraveling—Or Just a New Normal?
  By Robert Brescia
  
  
• National Service in Times of Crisis
  By Zach Curinga