In This Issue:

• Annual Conference: The Countdown is On!
• PAR Authors Cited within President's 2017 Budget
• Webinars, BookTalks and Student Series on the Horizon
• Interested in Joining a New ASPA Section?
• Contribute to PA Times Online
• Got Old PA Times Issues? We Need Them!
• FDA Fellowship Applications Due March 1
• 2016 EGPA Annual Conference Call for Papers
• 2016 Transatlantic Dialogue Announces Call for Papers
• ABFM 28th Annual Research Conference—Call for Proposals
• 21st Small Cities Conference—Call for Proposals
• Rutgers 39th Teaching Public Administration Conference—Call for Papers
• PAR Update
• New on PA TIMES Online
• New on the ASPA Blog
• Career Resources

Annual Conference: The Countdown is On!

ASPA's 2016 Annual Conference, taking place March 18-22 in Seattle, is just weeks away and more than 1,100 practitioners, academics, researchers and students are registered to be there! If your name isn’t on the list yet, make sure you register soon, as the registration rate will go up on March 5, 2016, from $539 to $639 (member rates; visit the website to see nonmember and one-day registration rates).

Newly added to the list of activities taking place is a Wine Tasting, hosted by the Evergreen Chapter. If you are in Seattle Thursday night, March 17, and would like to sample everything local Washington wines have to offer, join your fellow attendees for an evening at the Columbia Tower Club and sample some of the best wines in the country. RSVP to the chapter directly and visit the ASPA Annual Conference website for more information.

Just a few of the other highlights waiting for you in Seattle include:

• Symposia and hands-on workshops throughout Friday, which will enable you to learn from your peers and gain extra skills, knowledge and expertise, as well as a glimpse into new research in the field.
  
  
• Plenary speakers including Ron Sims (former deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development), Thad Allen (executive vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton and the 23rd commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard), John DiIulio (Frederic Fox leadership professor of politics, religion and civil society at the University of Pennsylvania), Fran Berry (Reubin O’D Askew eminent scholar and Frank Sherwood professor of public administration, Askew School of Public Administration and Policy, Florida State University) and Emilio T. Gonzalez (director and CEO of the Miami-Dade Aviation Department).
  
  
• A Welcome Reception at the Museum of History and Industry, which is just a short walk or ride away from the host hotel. Featuring exhibits that prominently display the unique history of the Seattle region, this location will serve as a special venue in which you can cap off your first day at the Annual Conference and network with your peers.
  
  
• Awards events such as the Gloria Hobson Nordin Social Equity Luncheon and the SWPA National Awards Breakfast (ticketed events), during which you will have the opportunity to honor excellence within public administration.
  
  
• More than 150 panels and workshops taking place throughout the five-day event—where the learning takes place! More than 700 individuals have spent the past several months preparing presentations to showcase lessons learned, case studies, data and research within public administration to help further excellence within the field. Make the most of the hours of education available to you from our panelists.

There are just a few weeks left to make your plans! Hotel and travel details are on the ASPA Annual Conference website. Register now and we’ll look forward to seeing you in Seattle!

Contact registrar Pat Yearwood for assistance with your registration.

PAR Authors Cited within President's 2017 Budget

In further recognition of the tremendous refereed research Public Administration Review (PAR) publishes throughout the year, President Obama's 2017 budget, released earlier this month, referenced research conducted by Donald Moynihan and Alexander Kroll: "Performance Management Routines that Work? An Early Assessment of the GPRA Modernization Act." The abstract is posted online and the article is due out in the March/April edition.

This is one of a number of recent high-profile citations PAR has received, showcasing the publication's standard for excellence.

Questions or comments? Contact PAR Logistical Editor Elise Boruvka.

Webinars, BookTalks and Student Series on the Horizon

ASPA's professional development webinars continue in the next few weeks. Averaging 75 attendees per webinar and free to ASPA members, these e-learning opportunities provide you with valuable insights and information at your fingertips. Here's a quick look at upcoming opportunities. Make sure you register today for the topics of most interest, and visit our website to take a look at all upcoming webinars and BookTalks.


Professional Development: The Sherlock Holmes Approach to Government (in conjunction with CAP)
Feb. 25, 1 p.m.
Presenters: Gary VanLandingham, Director, Pew Charitable Trusts' Results First Initiative
Toby Barker, Mississippi State Representative, House District 102
Richard Green (Moderator), Board Member, ASPA's Center for Accountability and Performance

As state and local governments have been operating with limited resources, the job of most policymakers boils down to making tough choices. Using rigorous evidence to help make these decisions can help reach better results by funding programs that are proven. How does so-called "evidence-based policymaking" work? The panel for this webinar will delve into these questions and more.




BookTalk: The Craft of Public Administration
March 3, 1 p.m.
Presenters: Dr. John Rouse, Professor, Ball State University
Dr. C. Kenneth Meyer, Drake University

The Craft of Public Administration is not just a textbook; it is a concise, current, down-to-earth text that introduces readers to the dynamics of the public sector. The 11th edition is due to be released shortly and authors John Rouse and C. Kenneth Meyer will provide BookTalk participants with one of the first looks at this newest version.

Interested in Joining a New ASPA Section?

NIGP: The Institute for Public Procurement is working together with ASPA to start a new Section geared toward procurement specialists. An organizing meeting will take place at ASPA's Annual Conference on Friday, March 18, from 10 a.m.- Noon. Please join us at the Seattle Westin to participate in an open discussion around formation and details to organize and launch the new Section. Contact ASPA Chief of Program Operations Lisa Sidletsky with any questions. We hope you'll make plans to join this discussion!

If you're not able to be in Seattle but are interested in the new Section, let us know! Contact Lisa for more information and to make sure you're on the list to receive future information about this group.

Contribute to PA Times Online


PA Times Online, the online supplement to ASPA’s quarterly magazine, publishes new articles, data and research twice every week. In recent weeks, we have published articles that have looked at disaster management, city planning, tax incentives, public health disasters and more. We hope you enjoy reading the twice-weekly digest of articles recently published and, even more importantly, may consider submitting your own article for publication!

For those considering doing so, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• The editorial calendar is posted online here. Take a look and pick an upcoming topic that fits within your professional expertise. Should you wish to publish an article that does not fit within the editorial calendar, contact us to discuss its suitability for publication.
• Make sure you edit and proofread your final submission! ASPA’s editorial staff review each published article and edit for grammar, tone and consistency, but do not rewrite submissions. We will only accept articles that are ready for publication.
• By submitting an article, you are engaging in the broader public administration conversation. Articles that are posted to the PA Times website are read, ranked by readers and receive comments. We have an engaged readership interested in conversing with our authors. Get excited about being involved in that dialogue—and participate in it.

We maintain a rolling calendar of authors who provide articles on a regular basis throughout the year, but we are always looking for new voices. If you’d like to be one of them, contact us and we will be happy to work with you! Students and new professionals, this is a great avenue by which to build your CV. Contact us for more information.

Got Old PA Times Issues? We Need Them!

As you may have seen in recent months, Rutgers University at Newark has completed its extraordinary task of digitizing and posting an historical archive of PA Times magazines and newsletters to the PA Gateway, but we need your help!

The editions currently posted go back to 1988, with a number of gaps in the collection in the earlier years. Rutgers-Newark is seeking those editions, especially those published in 1998 or prior.

If you have collected editions of PA Times throughout the years and have copies you can provide to complete this project, let us know! Contact PA Times managing editor Karen Garrett and she can work with you to donate these valuable historical contributions. The archives thank you!

FDA Fellowship Applications Due March 1

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is accepting applications for its Tobacco Regulatory Science Fellowships in the Center for Tobacco Products' (CTP) Office of Management. During this one-year, paid fellowship, CTP Fellows actively participate in the tobacco regulatory process. Candidates with an MPA, MPP or MBA are encouraged to apply. Fellows are awarded up to $95,000 based on salary history. The application process closes March 1. To find out more, visit the FDA Tobacco Regulatory Science Fellowship website.

2016 EGPA Annual Conference Call for Papers

The European Group for Public Administration (EGPA), in close collaboration with Utrecht University, is organizing the 2016 EGPA Annual Conference to be held from Aug. 24-26, 2016, in Utrecht, The Netherlands, to be preceded by the Ph.D. Symposium on Aug. 22-23. Calls for papers for the Ph.D. Symposium are now available.

The EGPA Conference is open to practitioners, academics and young researchers. You are invited to submit an abstract for proposal on topics addressed by the different study groups and seminars. Proposals and abstracts should be submitted and uploaded through the EGPA website.

2016 Transatlantic Dialogue Announces Call for Papers

The 12th Transatlantic Dialogue, to be held June 8-11, 2016, in Ghent, Belgium, is accepting proposals for papers and abstracts. The conference theme is: “How to Increase the Legitimacy of Government in Times of Crisis.” Click here to learn more.

ABFM 28th Annual Research Conference—Call for Proposals

The Association for Budgeting and Financial Management invites you to submit a paper or panel proposal for its annual research conference. This year’s conference will be held Oct. 6-8 in Seattle. Though papers have traditionally focused on U.S. state and local government budgeting and financial management, we welcome papers on federal budgeting, as well as papers with an international or comparative perspective. We encourage both practitioners and academics to submit proposals. All paper and panel proposals are due by April 15, 2016. Click here to submit a paper proposal; click here to submit a panel proposal. Proposals will be reviewed and competitively selected. Please submit questions to the conference committee. Click here to download this information as PDF.

21st Small Cities Conference—Call for Proposals

The 2016 Small Cities Conference, Criminal Justice in the Small City, will be held at Winona State University, Oct. 19-20, 2016. The event is co-organized by the Winona State University Department of Sociology and The Center for the Small City at UW-Stevens Point and will discuss key issues in criminal justice for small cities. Conference organizers are now accepting proposals for presentations by researchers, social workers, law enforcement and corrections personnel, government officials and staff, interested citizens and students. Presenters can give research presentations, present best practices, discuss their experiences, present a case study, lead a workshop session, be a discussant or contributor of a panel or participate in a roundtable. All proposals are due May 31, 2016. Contact conference coordinators Nicole Civettini, Bob Wolensky or Ed Miller with questions.

Rutgers 39th Teaching Public Administration Conference—Call for Papers

The 39th Annual Teaching Public Administration Conference (TPAC), May 24-25, 2016, will provide a forum for demonstrating and discussing teaching opportunities and strategies, building awareness of the contemporary environments related to public administration education and collaborating on career development strategies. The goal of the conference is to promote and sustain professionalism in public service among both academics and practitioners. Good practices in the field necessitate achieving a balance in theory and practice in the development and delivery of public administration curricula and in programs that foster students' career development. The forum is designed for public administration practitioners, educators and students. Relevant proposals from all disciplines are welcome. Proposals will be accepted through Friday, April 15, 2016, and presentations are due by Monday, May 15, 2016. Please submit your proposal for review by the program committee to Lois Warner. Conference presenters are invited to submit full papers for peer review by the ASPA Section on Public Administration Education for the Best Paper Award. Papers will be reviewed by the Conference Program Committee until July 1, 2016.

PAR Update


PAR Podcast
Regulatory Transformation: Lessons from Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

This episode features Daniel Esty (Yale University) discussing his article titled "Regulatory Transformation: Lessons from Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection." This article is currently available on Early View and will be published in Public Administration Review Issue 76 Volume 3. Link to PAR Podcast

Evidence in Public Administration
Kimberley R. Isett, Brian W. Head and Gary VanLandingham, Editors
Governing Small-Town America Today: The Promise and Dilemma of Dense Networks

Thomas J. Catlaw (Arizona State University) and Margaret Stout (West Virginia University) examine the governance of small towns in the United States. Small towns have received little attention in the public administration literature to date, yet one in 10 Americans still lives in one, representing roughly 75 percent of all municipalities in the United States and some 33 million people. Small towns are characterized as dense, multiplex networks that lend unique dynamics to local politics. However, they face significant social, economic, technological and demographic trends that compromise towns' prevailing frame of reference, fracture their networks and alter the traditional setting of small-town governance. In the face of these issues, "thicker," more active ways of engaging the public are needed to reknit community bonds and build civic capacity. Service learning for master of public administration students is proposed as a way to develop the emotional intelligence necessary to make sense of the complex social dynamics of small towns and facilitate the hard work of building enabling relationships. Link to PAR Early View

Research Articles
The Motivational Effects of Mission Matching: A Lab-Experimental Test of a Moderated Mediation Model

Scholarly literature finds positive motivational effects of matching workers and missions. However, the psychological mechanisms behind this matching effect have not been explored. Jason Smith (Syracuse University) develops and tests a moderated mediation model of mission matching in which meaningfulness serves as an intervening mechanism that explains the association between mission matching and effort. He also considers how individual differences in prosocial motivation influence the intervening role of meaningfulness. Using a real-effort laboratory experiment with monetary incentives, the article shows that matched subjects exert more effort than mismatched subjects, that this effect is mediated by increases in meaningfulness, that prosociality moderates the effect of a match on meaningfulness and that the indirect effect of a match on effort through increases in meaningfulness varies as a function of prosociality. These results contribute to a more nuanced understanding of mission matching and suggest that matching may be particularly important for certain types of workers. Link to PAR Early View

Understanding the Implications of Government Ties for Nonprofit Operations and Functions

Xueyong Zhan (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong) and Shui-Yan Tang (University of Southern California) explore the implications of nonprofit leaders' government ties for nonprofit operations and functions. Based on 81 survey questionnaires completed by civic environmental NGOs (eNGOs) in China and interviews with executives from 33 eNGOs, the authors examine the personal backgrounds of eNGO leaders and find that most Chinese civic eNGOs are connected with the government in one or more of three ways: political ties, service organization ties or personal ties. Personal ties, or good guanxi with government officials, are positively associated with a higher level of funding stability and a more developed management system. Environmental NGOs with leaders who are current government officials or legislative body members are more likely to be engaged in policy advocacy. Service organization ties facilitate eNGOs' efforts to be engaged in legal services and to scale up to work on environmental issues at the national level. Moreover, an eNGO's policy advocacy engagement is associated with its ties with the nonprofit community. Link to PAR Early View

The Politics of Higher Education: University President Ideology and External Networking

While the importance of networking is increasingly recognized by practitioners and scholars alike, little is known about why significant variance is observed in how often and with whom organizational leaders network. Further, while we know that political ideology plays a critical role in shaping decisionmaking within public organizations, current models of networking have largely failed to consider the importance of ideology in driving networking efforts. Using data from a 2012 survey of U.S. university presidents and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, Thomas Rabovsky and Amanda Rutherford (Indiana University, Bloomington) explore the role that president ideology plays in shaping networking behavior with political principals. Findings suggest that the effect of ideology on external networking efforts is moderated by state policymaker ideology. Link to PAR Early View

Managing for Legitimacy: Agency Governance in Its "Deep" Constitutional Context

Recent literature on bureaucratic structure has gone further than studying discretions given to bureaucrats in policymaking and much attention is now paid to understanding how bureaucratic agencies are managed. Muiris MacCarthaigh (Queen's University Belfast, United Kingdom), Martin Painter (City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong) and Wai-Hang Yee (The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong) propose that the way in which executive governments manage their agencies varies according to their constitutional setting and that this relationship is driven by considerations of the executive's governing legitimacy. Inspired by Charles Tilly (1984), the authors compare patterns of agency governance in Hong Kong and Ireland, in particular, configurations of assigned decisionmaking autonomies and control mechanisms. This comparison shows that in governing their agencies, the elected government of Ireland's parliamentary democracy pays more attention to input (i.e., democratic) legitimacy, while the executive government of Hong Kong's administrative state favors output (i.e., performance) legitimacy. These different forms of autonomy and control mechanism reflect different constitutional models of how political executives acquire and sustain their governing legitimacy Link to PAR Early View

New on PA Times Online

New on the ASPA Blog


Looking for interesting commentary on news events and contemporary issues? Check out the ASPA Blog, which features a collection of authors writing on everyday life from the eyes of a public manager, student or young professional.

Featured recently on the Blog:

Can Public Administrators Dispel American Fear of Government?

The More it Stays the Same

Career Resources


Find your next career opportunity at publicservicecareers.org. This online job board is the perfect resource for making a career change or landing your first job in the public sector. It lists dozens of positions in academia, government and the nonprofit sector. Below are examples of current listings.

Assistant Professor in Public Sector Management – The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Senior Officer, Research, Retirement Savings – The Pew Charitable Trusts, Washington, DC

Analyst in Social Policy (Social Security) – Congressional Research Service, Washington, DC