14:I[522016,["/_next/static/immutable/chunks/0x-9rc1bm-510.js","/_next/static/immutable/chunks/3v80c1g1-zgi8.js","/_next/static/immutable/chunks/3vivgy3w2iyos.js","/_next/static/immutable/chunks/1x5jqjnamgleq.js","/_next/static/immutable/chunks/10gpo3q2bed86.js"],""] 15:I[88361,["/_next/static/immutable/chunks/0x-9rc1bm-510.js","/_next/static/immutable/chunks/3v80c1g1-zgi8.js","/_next/static/immutable/chunks/3vivgy3w2iyos.js","/_next/static/immutable/chunks/1x5jqjnamgleq.js","/_next/static/immutable/chunks/10gpo3q2bed86.js"],"default"] 18:I[27201,["/_next/static/immutable/chunks/0x-9rc1bm-510.js","/_next/static/immutable/chunks/3v80c1g1-zgi8.js"],"IconMark"] 16:Tea0e,

Learn the latest public administration news in today's edition of The Bridge!

October 21, 2026

ASPANet.org | PA TIMES.org | Donate: Campaign 2030

Registration Is Open for #ASPA2027!

No charts. No maps. A world you have not seen before. How do you find your way? The same way everyone always has done: with the knowledge that comes from past experience and an educated companion or two to help you understand the terrain.

ASPA's 2027 Annual Conference, taking place April 9-13 in New Orleans, is a great place to start, not only for past experience and educated companions, but also for sharing your own expertise with those who can benefit.

Our profession is facing a host of new challenges: technological, regulatory, budgetary, philosophical, conceptual and cultural. No matter your role, chances are good your world is shifting constantly right now—in good ways and cautionary ones. "Doing something new" always carries with it elements of both the exciting and the scary. No matter what any of us faces, upholding our mission and taking care of those we serve require agility, flexibility and temerity.

Seven tracks will guide our discussions, providing space for research and practice in the conversation; four plenary keynotes and nine presidential panels will offer thought leadership and current context—as well as profiles of public administration in action in New Orleans; more than 10 symposia will dive in-depth into specific subjects for prolonged looks at what research and practice can tell us; and plenty of networking will help you connect with colleagues and meet new people.

Registration is open! Take advantage of our early-bird rate, available through December 18, to receive the lowest registration pricing available: $449 for members, $559 for nonmembers. Student and new professional member rates also are available. A full schedule of rates appears online now.

We look forward to seeing everyone in New Orleans where we'll navigate uncharted territories together.

Contact aspaconference@aspanet.org with any questions.

New Webinar Series Launches This November! Blurred Lines: Public Administration in the Age of Private Partnership

Across the country, state and local governments are facing an era of widening gaps: between infrastructure necessities and budget challenges, between technology's rate of change and public institutions' capacity to respond, between federal policy shifts and local communities' realities. Public-private partnerships (P3s) can be used to bridge some of these divides, enabling governmental entities to leverage private investment, expertise and innovation in the pursuit of public goals. However, P3s also bring with them their own incentives, risks and trade-offs, and success depends on how well public administrators navigate the evolving terms of partnership.

In this webinar series, ASPA examines the frontiers of P3s through the lens of housing, AI and renewable energy, exploring how these partnerships deliver results, where they fall short and what it takes to make them work in the public interest.

Scroll down to read more about this four-part series and register now. Speaker details and other updates will be posted online as they are available. These webinars are free and open to all participants (ASPA member or not); recordings will be available after each event.

Living in the Corner Office: Evaluating Adaptive Reuse in American Cities
November 10 | 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET

Across the country, vacant office buildings, shuttered retail spaces and underused commercial properties present both a challenge and an opportunity. Adaptive reuse—the conversion of existing structures into new purposes—has emerged as one of the most creative and contested fronts in urban development. This webinar will examine how cities implement adaptive reuse programs and weigh competing priorities between commercial and residential development to improve community welfare and the local economy.

Speakers:
David Garcia, Policy Director, Terner Center for Housing Innovation

What the Data Center Boom Reveals About Public-Private Power
November 17 | 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET

AI infrastructure is a federal priority but the deals are made at the state and local level, developed through partnerships between private industry and states, counties and municipalities navigating complex, competing demands. This webinar will examine:

How P3s in the AI sector are structured and governed across overlapping layers of government
The trade-offs administrators weigh as they balance economic development against strain on public utilities and community objections and
What the rapid build-out of data centers reveals about how much leverage local and state government actually hold in partnerships with the technology industry

Speakers:
Darrell M. West, Senior Fellow, Center for Technology Innovation, Brookings

Powering Forward: P3s in the Green Energy Transition
December 3 | 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET

As political winds shift, the future of renewable energy funding grows uncertain, leaving states, localities and private enterprise on shaky ground. As federal climate financing remains unpredictable, how can public administrators advance sustainability in their communities? This webinar will:

Take stock of where P3s in the renewable energy sector stand today
Examine how governments and private actors are adapting to an ever-changing political and financial environment and
Explore what the shift from government to philanthropic climate financing means for clean energy's long-term trajectory in the United States

Speakers:
Ashish Kapoor, Senior Energy and Climate Advisor, Piedmont Environmental Council

From Gridlock to Groundbreaking: Making Public-Private Housing Partnerships Work
December 8 | 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET

As the housing crisis reaches its boiling point, public administrators are finding ways to harness private assets to accelerate housing development. Cooperation between city, state and federal government and real estate developers can be both an opportunity and a challenge, with many lessons learned along the way. In this webinar, our speakers discuss how cities and states deploy P3s to address housing in the United States, examining the policy levers different locales use to attract private investment, the structural challenges facing both public and private stakeholders and how communities are building the conditions for housing to thrive.

Speakers:
More information soon!

Elections Slate of Nominees Announced

We are pleased to announce that ASPA's Nominating Committee has placed the following individuals on this year's election ballot. Those standing for election are:

President-Elect

S. Nicole Diggs
Malcolm Oliver
Alex Trembley

District 1

Christina Barsky
Jason Rivera

District 2

Phillip Carlisle (incumbent)

District 3

Shaoming Cheng (incumbent)

District 4

Erica Ceka
Alexandra Fercak

District 5

Jim Grant
Edgar Ramirez de la Cruz (incumbent)

Student Representative

Riley Crain
Ahmed Eraky
Ronald Gonzales-Lawrence
Salman Bin Habib
Ana Luiza Ferreira Terra Pinto
Kemuel José Rodríguez Montavlo
Sarah Ann Sommerville
George S. Welch
Emma White

Voting will begin in late November. For questions about ASPA's elections process, see our elections page for more information. For members wishing to petition to have their names added to this year's ballot, contact TJ Riggs for more details on the requirements. The petition period will remain open through Friday, November 20 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

We're Looking for the Best of the Best!

ASPA has opened its call for nominations for our annual awards program! This is your opportunity to nominate someone to be recognized by ASPA and its members as one of public administration's most dedicated public servants.

Do you know a current or former city official who has dedicated themselves to the public good?
Do you know an emerging scholar whose applied research represents a significant contribution to the field?
Do you know a public official who has stood up for equity and integrity in public administration?
Do you know an unsung scholar who produces excellent research?
Do you know someone who has bridged the academic/practitioner divide and encouraged best practices as a result?

Make the most of this opportunity to nominate them to be recognized for their efforts this April during ASPA's 2027 Annual Conference! More than 20 awards categories honor numerous practitioners and scholars who advance excellence in public service. Your name, or someone you know, could be on the list! Just some of the awards categories include:

National Public Service Award
Nesta M. Gallas Award
Gloria Hobson Nordin Social Equity Award
Paul A. Volcker Public Integrity Award
Stillman Research Award
Elmer B. Staats Lifetime Achievement Award
Paul P. Van Riper Award

Students and new professionals interested in opportunities to offset the cost of attending the Annual Conference should pay particular attention to the details about our two scholarships: The Wallace O. Keene Conference Scholarship and the Walter W. Mode Scholarship.

Find all of our categories listed online. Each award is a tremendous honor bestowed on those exhibiting excellence in public service. Please also be aware that the nominee does not have to be an ASPA member to be considered for all categories. City managers, local government service providers, public health advocates, nonprofit executives, organizations and more are eligible, and our committees look forward to considering a wide range of nominees. Review the criteria for each award and think carefully about who you will nominate (including yourself!).

Every year more than 30 public servants are recognized by ASPA as exemplifying the best of public administration, but only those who are nominated can be considered! Review ASPA's awards program details and begin work on your nomination today.

Remember: All awards submissions are due November 12, 2026. Contact us with any questions or for more information.

Critical Take-Aways Focus: The Future of the Workforce

Our most recent Critical Take-Aways edition looked at "The Future of the Workforce—Talent Development." This event, one of nine Presidential Panels that took place at the 2026 Annual Conference, focused on how to get young people into the federal workforce. If you missed it in your inbox, find it on our website any time!

Eight editions are available, with more being released every month. Topics range from government performance to Project 2025 to cybersecurity and beyond. Each is open access for both the written summary and video recording. Contact us for assistance if you are not receiving an emailed copy and want one!

Now Announcing: Partnership with Fudan University Institute for Global Public Policy

ASPA will be entering into a partnership with Fudan University's Institute for Global Public Policy (IGPP), an international organization dedicated to research and education in global public policy and governance in China and around the world. In accordance with ASPA's international engagement policy, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between ASPA and IGPP is available now via our website for a 30-day comment period. Members are invited to review the MOU and share any comments by November 20, 2026.

NAPA Announces 2026 Class of Fellows

The National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) has announced it has approved an incoming class of 64 highly accomplished public servants to join its Fellowship. The incoming class of Fellows includes AI pioneers, statisticians, historians, educators and public service practitioners from the local, state and federal levels. The 2026 Class joins more than 1,000 current Fellows, including former cabinet officers, members of Congress, governors, mayors and state legislators, as well as prominent scholars, executives, nonprofit leaders and more.

Induction of the new Fellows will occur during NAPA's 2026 National Conference, November 8-10 at the National Academy of Sciences building in Washington, DC.

Click here to learn more about the incoming class.

77th Annual Arthur S. Flemming Award Honorees

Seven public servants from various federal agencies will be honored with the Arthur S. Flemming Award for their exceptional civil service, to be given out during the National Academy of Public Administration's Annual National Conference. The winners are recognized for outstanding performance in the disciplines of applied science and engineering, basic science and leadership and management. In addition, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist from the National Institute of Standards and Technology will accept the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Flemming Awards Commission. The Arthur S. Flemming Awards are the nation's oldest and most prestigious award for government service given from outside the government.

Honorees are:

Dr. Erika A. Sudderth—U.S. Department of Transportation
Dr. Ruishu F. Wright—National Energy Technology Lab (U.S. Department of Energy)
Dr. Stephen P. Eckel—National Institute of Standards and Technology
Dr. Kathryn Keenan—National Institute of Standards and Technology
Dr. Nicholas Butch—National Institute of Standards and Technology
Dr. Michael J. Gullans—National Institute of Standards and Technology
Ms. Jan Tyler—U.S. Department of Energy

Receiving the Katharine B. Gebbie Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Federal Service is Dr. William D. "Bill" Phillips, National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Click here for more details about each of this year's Flemming Award recipients and their stellar government service as well as the history of this award.

IBM Releases New Report: Making Government Work For People: Putting Life Experiences at the Center of Policy and Service Delivery

Newly released by IBM Center for The Business of Government, the authors of this report led the Life Experiences initiative at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, which spanned the last two presidential terms. The report traces the initiative from its roots in 2018 to formal implementation for five life experiences where agencies collaborated to serve the public through how people move through life, rather than how agencies are organized: having a child, recovering from a disaster, facing a financial shock, approaching retirement and navigating the transition from military to civilian life. The authors draw significant insights from a convening with key leaders and stakeholders of the initiative to make findings and near- and long-term recommendations for improving government service delivery.

Applications Open for Clinton School International Public Service Projects

The Office of Field Service at the Clinton School of Public Service has opened applications for global partner organizations seeking to host Master of Public Service students for International Public Service Projects (IPSP) during Summer 2027. The IPSP is an intensive, stipend-supported eight-week field experience running from May 24 to July 27, 2027. The program pairs students with international host institutions and domestic organizations with a global focus to tackle pressing global challenges, execute critical field research, and build long-term organizational capacity. Project scopes are tailored to the self-identified needs of the host organization and local community. Common focus areas include: program design and toolkit development; empirical research and best practices analysis; needs assessments and program evaluations; and strategic planning and community outreach. To ensure a successful project, host organizations agree to: accommodate IPSP placement dates (May 24 – July 27, 2027), and provide a dedicated staff supervisor, an on-site workspace, an organizational orientation and a brief final project and student assessment. Interested partners can submit proposals online through the IPSP Partner Application Form. All proposals are due December 1, 2026.

Photo: Clinton School students Kennedy Kasten and Grace Maddox worked in Paris for UNESCO during their International Public Service Projects in Summer 2026.

New editions of PAR are released every other month; articles are posted online regularly between editions. Check out the following open source articles that have been posted to the website recently.

Institutional Amnesia and the Loss of "The Why Rationale" in Central Government Agencies
Alastair Stark, Hridesh Gajural, Jack Corbett, Dennis C. Grube, Heather Lovell and Rodney J. Scott

Steering and Setting Free: Insights From a 20-Year Retrospective Case Study of a Security and Justice Organization's Digital Transformation
Friso Selten, Dorus van Loo and Bram Klievink

Between the Lines: Decoding Signaling Differences in Public and Private Sector Job Advertisements
Nico Gießmann and Nicolas Drathschmidt

Governing Reserves: Managerial Discretion and Government Creditworthiness
Sharon N. Kioko and Temirlan T. Moldogaziev

Tips, Resources and Updates

Judge Blocks Trump Rule Limiting Student Visas to Four Years
A federal judge in Massachusetts has temporarily blocked the Trump administration's attempt to impose a four-year limit on student visas, granting a preliminary injunction one day before the new rules were set to start.

Trump Aides Are Getting Ready to Penalize Defaulting Student Loan Borrowers
Treasury officials are seeking ways to minimize the impact on vulnerable borrowers.

Federal Employees' Health Insurance Premiums to Rise by Double Digits for Third Straight Year
Some insurance carriers have undergone wide swings in cost, as at least one plan's premiums will more than double next year.

Why Success and Mattering Are Not the Same
Success and mattering are not the same thing, and confusing them is one of the more expensive mistakes a leader can make... If mattering is a baseline human need rather than a prize for performance, an organization can clear every key performance indicator on the board while still leaving that need unmet.

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

Public Finance

Public Service
Most news related to federal workforce are being reported in Federal Workforce in Turmoil. Contact us if you are not receiving that digest and want to.

Social Equity

Members and Notables in the News

Alan Balutis:
$25,000 Bonuses for Top-Performing Feds? OPM Makes It Easier for Agencies to Award Them

Barrett and Greene:
Government's Missing Rear-View Mirror

Carolyn Bourdeaux:
Red Ink: Federal Deficit Hits Nearly $2 Trillion

Francis Fukuyama:
Francis Fukuyama's Failures of Imagination

Craig Maher and ABFM:
What Professors and Practitioners Can Do for Each Other

Don Moynihan:
China: "Thank Trump" and
America.gov: Branding in Search of a Product

Kendra Stewart:
A Once Routine Race in South Carolina Now One of 2026's Nail-Biters

University of North Dakota MPA Program:
50 Years of Preparing Students for Public Service

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:

APPAM 48th Annual Fall Research Conference
Boston | November 5-7
Theme: 50 States, 50 Systems: State Policy Variations and Impacts
Registration is open
55th Annual ARNOVA Conference
Philadelphia | November 19-21
Theme: Igniting Civic Activism: Grassroots and Voluntary Action and Democracy
Registration is open
ASPA 2027 Annual Conference
New Orleans | April 9-13
Theme: Navigating Public Service in Uncharted Territory
Registration is open

Calls for proposals, calls for nominations and other updates:

IGI Global: Call for Chapters—Transparency and Anti-Corruption in Arab Public Administration
Book editors from IGI Global call for chapter submissions for a new release. This will be an edited volume that provides a comprehensive and evidence-based examination of transparency, integrity and anti-corruption mechanisms in Arab public administration. While a growing body of literature addresses governance and corruption globally, most existing scholarship remains anchored in Western or Asian contexts. This volume deliberately centers the Arab world—including Algeria, Tunisia, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries—as a critical site for understanding the persistent challenges of corruption and the effectiveness of anti-corruption reforms. Bringing together quantitative and qualitative studies, the volume critically assesses the effectiveness of legal frameworks, oversight institutions, digital governance tools, civil society actors and international conventions. Each chapter combines rigorous methodological approaches—including large-scale surveys, panel data analysis, qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), discourse analysis and in-depth case studies—to produce actionable policy recommendations. The volume is designed for researchers, practitioners and policymakers seeking to understand the complexities of corruption in the Arab region and to identify context-sensitive solutions. By integrating comparative perspectives and empirical insights, it contributes to the global literature on public sector integrity and offers a roadmap for the next generation of anti-corruption reforms in the Arab world. All proposals are due November 4. Click here for more information.
Call for Abstracts: 11th International Conference on Urban e-Planning
The 11th International Conference on Urban e-Planning brings together interdisciplinary research addressing innovative theoretical and practical developments in Urban e-Planning. The conference is held online, hosted from Lisbon, Portugal, from April 5-9, 2027. Organizers welcome theoretical and empirical submissions on, but not limited to: Smart Urban Governance and e-Planning; Artificial Intelligence, Urban E-Planning, and the Governance of Smart Cities; Citizens e-Participation in Urban Governance; Urban e-Planning and Social and Cultural Issues; Urban e-Planning, Biodiversity and Climate Emergency; Urban e-Planning for Periods of Disruption; Planning for a Nomad Workforce; Platform Urbanism and the Virtual Urban Economy; Decolonising Smart Cities: Towards Plural and Just Digital Futures; and The Education of Urban e-Planners and Planning Ethics. All abstracts are due January 15, 2027. Click here for more information.
Call for Submissions: Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC)
Public and nonprofit managers, civic leaders and elected officials are rarely the sole supervisors of unitary organizations. Instead, they often find themselves collaborating across organizations and with the public to address problems that cannot be solved, or solved easily, by single organizations. Thus, collaborative and participatory problem-solving, conflict management and collaborative and network governance and analysis are essential topics in most public administration and policy programs, as well as in many other social science disciplines. But conflict and collaboration are not simply a body of substantive knowledge—they also involve skills, attitudes and behaviors. One of the best ways to prepare students to operate in a collaborative world is through case studies, simulations and other engaged learning exercises. To this end, the E-PARCC competition aims to expand access to high-quality, relevant case studies and simulations focused on helping students and practitioners better understand and enact multiple aspects of conflict and collaboration to address public issues and problems. The E-PARCC competition awards several prizes, including $5,000 for the best teaching case, $5,000 for the best teaching simulation and additional $1,000 for honorable mentions. Winning cases and simulations are published online and are downloadable free of charge on the E-PARCC website. All submissions must be received by January 18, 2027. Submit the entry with the cover page as a single document to eparcc@syr.edu with the subject line: E-PARCC_Last Name. Click here for more information.

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 patimes@aspanet.org for consideration. (Please review our submission guidelines in advance!)

The Challenge of Out-of-Control Open Records Requests
By Michael Ford
The One Review Every City Needs Before Passing an Ordinance
By Oksana Manko
Buffalo's Wastewater Problem: An Opening for Punctuated Equilibrium Theory and Policy Change
By Britney Roach and Michael Turtz

American Society for Public Administration
1320 19th Street, NW, Suite 501, Washington, DC 20036

8:["$","main",null,{"className":"flex-1 bg-white","style":{"fontFamily":"var(--sans)"},"children":["$","article",null,{"children":[["$","header",null,{"className":"relative overflow-hidden bg-[var(--navy-dkr)]","children":[["$","div",null,{"className":"pointer-events-none absolute inset-0","aria-hidden":"true","style":{"backgroundImage":"linear-gradient(rgba(255,255,255,.018) 1px,transparent 1px), linear-gradient(90deg,rgba(255,255,255,.018) 1px,transparent 1px)","backgroundSize":"80px 80px"}}],["$","div",null,{"className":"pointer-events-none absolute -right-16 -top-16 h-[220px] w-[220px] rounded-full border-[34px] md:-right-[80px] md:-top-[90px] md:h-[340px] md:w-[340px] md:border-[50px]","aria-hidden":"true","style":{"borderColor":"rgba(0,95,140,.28)"}}],["$","div",null,{"className":"relative z-[1] mx-auto max-w-[1000px] px-6 py-8 md:px-12 md:py-10","children":[["$","$L14",null,{"href":"/news","className":"mb-4 inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 text-[0.8125rem] font-medium text-white/70 transition-all hover:gap-2.5 hover:text-white","children":[["$","svg",null,{"width":"14","height":"14","viewBox":"0 0 14 14","fill":"none","aria-hidden":"true","children":["$","path",null,{"d":"M11 7H3M6 4 3 7l3 3","stroke":"currentColor","strokeWidth":"1.4","strokeLinecap":"round","strokeLinejoin":"round"}]}],"Back to News & Updates"]}],["$","div",null,{"className":"mb-2.5 text-[0.75rem] font-semibold uppercase tracking-[.12em]","children":[["$","span",null,{"className":"text-[var(--green-accent)]","children":"Public Administration"}],["$","span",null,{"className":"text-white/60","children":[" · ","October 21, 2026"]}]]}],["$","h1",null,{"className":"subpage-hero-title max-w-[760px] font-light leading-[1.25] text-white","style":{"fontFamily":"var(--serif)","fontSize":"clamp(1.75rem, calc(2.2vw + 0.125rem), 2.125rem)"},"children":"Bridge Newsletter, October 2026"}],["$","p",null,{"className":"mt-2.5 max-w-[640px] text-[0.9375rem] leading-[1.6] text-white/70","children":"ASPA's Bridge connects you with all the news from across public administration! "}]]}]]}],null,["$","div",null,{"className":"mx-auto max-w-[820px] px-6 py-10 md:px-12 md:py-14 lg:py-16","children":[null,["$","div",null,{"className":"$undefined","children":["$","$L15",null,{"html":"$16","title":"Bridge Newsletter, October 2026"}]}],"$L17"]}]]}]}] b:null 10:[["$","title","0",{"children":"ASPA | Bridge Newsletter, October 2026 | ASPA News"}],["$","meta","1",{"name":"description","content":"ASPA's Bridge connects you with all the news from across public administration!"}],["$","meta","2",{"property":"og:title","content":"Bridge Newsletter, October 2026 | ASPA"}],["$","meta","3",{"property":"og:description","content":"ASPA's Bridge connects you with all the news from across public administration!"}],["$","meta","4",{"name":"twitter:card","content":"summary_large_image"}],["$","meta","5",{"name":"twitter:title","content":"Bridge Newsletter, October 2026 | ASPA"}],["$","meta","6",{"name":"twitter:description","content":"ASPA's Bridge connects you with all the news from across public administration!"}],["$","meta","7",{"name":"twitter:image","content":"https://www.aspanet.org/og-image.jpg"}],["$","link","8",{"rel":"icon","href":"/favicon-96x96.png","sizes":"96x96","type":"image/png"}],["$","link","9",{"rel":"apple-touch-icon","href":"/apple-touch-icon.png"}],["$","link","10",{"rel":"manifest","href":"/site.webmanifest"}],["$","$L18","11",{}]]