July 25, 2018

   
ASPA Website | PA TIMES.org


In This Issue:

ASPA 2019 Annual Conference Call for Proposals Announced

ASPA is pleased to announce that its 2019 Annual Conference proposal submission process is now open! Taking place March 8-12 in Washington, DC, the 2019 conference, which will be centered around the theme, "A Call for Action: Advancing Public Service," will feature more than 160 panels across five topical tracks.

Public finance. Infrastructure. Social Equity. Public Service. Among public administration's most significant 21st century challenges, these four issues transcend geographic boundaries, sectors and levels of government. They impact the lives of citizens every minute of every day. They are researched, discussed and applied by our members in our public, private and nonprofit institutions.

ASPA's 2019 Annual Conference is a Call to Action on these issues, as well as global public administration. We who are dedicated to the public good must answer the call—those who deliver services amid distrust in government institutions and dwindling resources; academics and scholars who connect theory to practice; non- and for-profit organizations that operate in a world that blurs the distinction between "public" and "private;" and a new generation of professionals who define public service much differently from their predecessors.

Advancing public service—effectively, efficiently and equitably, with a focus on the citizen—requires an unprecedented level of understanding and cooperation. Through the lenses of public finance, infrastructure, social equity, public service and global public administration, the 2019 Annual Conference will highlight innovative scholarship and tested on-the-ground practices that definitively advance public service in the United States and beyond.

The 2019 Annual Conference will provide a focused approach to showcase exemplary scholarship and practice in the field. Many of the topics featured in prior ASPA conferences—including human resources, public management, ethics and integrity, public safety, emergency management, public administration theory, the environment and technology—are as important to this dialogue as ever. They are incorporated in this year's five tracks.

Public Finance
No matter the public program or service, government must be able to pay for it. Operating in an environment where uncertainty is the norm, predictability can be finance's best friend. What tools can finance and budget offices use to identify and address problems before they happen, make fiscally responsible decisions and operate effectively? We invite practices and research aimed at providing ways for administrators to better understand budgeting, fund public programs, anticipate challenges and address current needs on a shoestring. Public administrators can understand and master finance; this track will show them how.

Infrastructure
In the United States and beyond, public infrastructure faces an uphill battle. Examples include crumbling bricks-and-mortar bridges and highways, crowded transportation systems, underdeveloped cyber infrastructure and waterways fraught with health and transportation concerns. Addressing the infrastructure challenge is not about bringing aging systems up to prior standards; it is about foreseeing an infrastructure for the future. How will we pay for it, especially given unpredictable funding streams? How will we manage it with an ever-complex intergovernmental system and reliance on public-private partnerships? We invite innovative research and on-the-ground practices to answer these questions, ideally in ways that are transferable across governmental entities. The stakes have never been higher.

Social Equity
Equity, or the lack of it, underpins government's most important work. Not only should public servants be treated in an equitable fashion, but also the services they provide must be equitable for society to truly advance. Infrastructure must be equitable to enable success for our most under-served populations. Government budgeting and finance must be equitable to enable public works to serve all people. Nations must think globally to ensure their domestic audiences are well served in geo-political contexts. And, we must understand ways to measure the success and impact of equity in public programs. We invite panels and submissions that provide research to shape our understanding of these issues and on-the-ground programs that showcase government for all, done well and equitably.

Public Service
Public service is a bold and noble profession, but one too often subject to demoralizing commentary and pejorative characterization. In the meantime, the rules and practices under which civil servants operate—from recruitment to retention, engagement to training—are drawing heightened attention with an eye toward putting best practices and reform into action. We invite panel submissions that highlight what is working—and working well—across all levels of government, as well as the non-profit sector and those dedicated to the public good.

Global Public Administration
The globe may be large, but the public administration world is more inextricably linked than ever before. Actions in nation-states can directly, often quickly, affect policy and administration in others. As important, one nation's experiences can inform others, providing best practices that bridge the geographic divide and can be applied in a global context. This track addresses public administration from an international perspective. What is working well beyond borders and across oceans? Where do common struggles provide for opportunities to work together to solve them?

More track information, including sample topic areas, can be found on our website. View our Presenters Guidelines here to learn more details that will help you shape a perfect proposal. Conference details including hotel information, a registration form and other resources will be announced in the coming weeks.

The deadline for all proposals is Sept. 14, 2018. Start planning your proposal now!

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ELGL and OpenGov Release Diversity Dashboard

Engaging Local Government Leaders (ELGL), an organization dedicated to connecting the brightest minds in local government, and OpenGov, a cloud-based software company, recently released a new resource that measures diversity within local government leadership. This is one of the first nationwide dashboards showing diversity among local government leaders across all sectors, with a mission of measuring diversity so as to improve it across all categories.

The dashboard, based off a grassroots survey fielded digitally earlier this year, reviews diversity from a variety of perspectives including gender, race, age and veteran status of local government leaders. Collecting data points from more than 2,000 local government leaders, the results already offer some new insights about today's local government workforce. For instance, more than half of the government leaders who responded to the survey are ages 55 or older.

You can find the dashboard online here. The survey is still open as ELGL continues to compile data and sort through government leaders' comments.

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KeepingCurrent, BookTalks and Student Series on the Horizon

ASPA's webinars are ongoing throughout the year. Averaging 75 attendees per event and free to participate, these e-learning opportunities provide you with valuable insights and information at your fingertips. Visit our website to stay informed about all upcoming webinars including KeepingCurrent, BookTalks and the Student and New Professionals Series.


Improving Program Accountability and Performance
July 26 | 2 p.m.
Presenters:
Amanda Bartlett, Office of Performance Evaluations, Idaho State Legislature
Senator Abby Lee, Idaho State Legislature
Lance McCleve, Office of Performance Evaluations, Idaho State Legislature
Rakesh Mohan, Office of Performance Evaluations, Idaho State Legislature
Bryon Welch, Office of Performance Evaluations, Idaho State Legislature

In this interactive webinar, evaluators and a state legislator will share their experience in making improvements to a large multi-jurisdictional state program. Success was only possible through thoughtfully engaging policymakers and stakeholders. Learn more about what they did and how they did it so you can implement similar changes within your sector. Just a few resources you can use as we discus this subject include:




BookTalk: What She Said: How Jane Addams Informs Public Administration
Aug. 30 | 1 p.m.
Presenters:
Patricia Shields, Texas State University
Mary Guy, Moderator, University of Colorado Denver

This BookTalk introduces the remarkable Jane Addams as a pioneer of public administration and so much more. It uses Addams's story to make the case that public administration should re-imagine its past by incorporating more diverse voices and ideas. Pat Shields's Jane Addams: Progressive Pioneer of Peace, Philosophy, Sociology, Social Work and Public Administration demonstrates how the life and works of Jane Addams was lost and is being recovered in a variety of interrelated fields.




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Focus on Membership: Last Chance to Update Your Profile!

By now you have received as many as four requests from us to update your ASPA profile with contact details and demographic data. If you have not yet done so (as is the case for many of our members), please make sure to do so by the July 31 deadline.

Providing the data is simple! Just visit our online survey and answer the questions. It should take you less than five minutes. You also can visit your profile on our website (Membership, My Profile) and update the data there—tomorrow, next month or next year!

Why should you provide us with this data? Simple: So you can stay connected to ASPA in the ways that are best for you! Your contact information helps you get your member benefits; your demographic data provides details about who you are and the services you may need; and your communications preferences opt you in and out of ASPA emails. The more information you provide, the better you control your membership.

More than 1,600 of your fellow members have updated their profile data—a 27 percent success rate. Complete your survey by July 31!



Questions? Contact us and we will be happy to help!

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Now Accepting Leadership Nominations

ASPA relies heavily on our members and committed volunteers to be actively engaged with our Society, grow our membership and advance our mission in the field—especially those who serve on the National Council.

Now is your chance to nominate individuals who are passionate about strengthening our organization and have a track record of effective leadership to serve on ASPA's National Council. We are looking for individuals who are practitioners or scholars in the discipline; committed to public service; informed about budgeting processes; and knowledgeable about the most critical issues impacting the field.

Far from a name-only role, ASPA looks to its leaders to promote programming, build support and cultivate ASPA's image in front of a variety of audiences. A list of Council member responsibilities and other details is on our website.

Take this opportunity now to nominate yourself or a colleague to serve as either District Representative (represents one of ASPA’s five districts) or Student Representative (represents the leaders of the future) and further demonstrate your commitment to public service.

All nominations are due Aug. 10. Visit our online form for more details and to submit a nomination.

Nominations will be accepted from any individual who has been a member for at least 12 months; those from Chapter and Section officers are especially encouraged. Contact ASPA strategic relations manager Garret Bonosky for more information.

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2018 International Young Scholars Workshop Provides Scholarly Exchange for Young Researchers

ASPA is pleased to announce the 15 doctoral students, graduates and new professors it has selected as the 2018 class of young scholars who will attend and participate in the 7th International Young Scholars Workshop in Michoacán, Mexico on Aug. 12-16.

This year’s workshop will be hosted in partnership with the Centro de Cooperación Regional para la Educación de Adultos en América Latina y El Caribe (CREFAL) and in cooperation with the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE).

The members of the 2018 class of Young Scholars are:

  • Atal Ahmadzai (Rutgers University)
  • Everardo Chiapa Aguillon (Centro de Investigacion y Docencia Economicas (CIDE))
  • Ana-Maria Dimand (Florida International University)
  • Ying Jiang (Arizona State University)
  • Juniper Katz (University of Colorado Denver)
  • Jose Manuel Heredia Gonzalez (Centro de Investigacion y Docencia Economicas (CIDE))
  • Jennifer Martinez (Portland State University)
  • Dhara Minesh Amin (Virginia Commonwealth University)
  • Alex Osei-Kojo (University of Colorado Denver)
  • Ijoo Park (Korea University)
  • Abdul Samad (Florida International University)
  • Nathan Teklemariam (Virginia Commonwealth University)
  • Shilpa Viswanath (Rutgers University)
  • Yiwei Yu (Nanjing University, China; Indiana University)
  • Hong Zhang (Lanzhou University, China; Indiana University)

"This year's class of young scholars represent the future of public policy and administration scholarship, grounded in rigorous, tested research and applicable to academicians and practitioners alike," ASPA Executive Director Bill Shields said. "This experience will provide them with the opportunity to broaden their networks and elevate public administration scholarship."


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A Case Study in Innovative Procurement

If you are a city manager or procurement officer, take a look at this interesting case study of how Louisville has gotten strategic about its procurement efforts.

Through innovation funding from What Works Cities and technical assistance from Harvard Kennedy School's Government Performance Lab, Louisville transformed its procurement process to a more strategic effort to prioritize critical contracts and effectively structure, evaluate and manage them. The results? A higher standard in what the city delivers to its residents and a cross-functional platform for delivering on mayoral promises.

Read Governing's article about this innovative technique here and see if there are lessons learned that can translate into your city's procurement management.

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Welcome New ASPA Members!
Click here to view the most recent new ASPA members!

 

2018 International Conference and Workshops on Participatory/Gender Responsive Budgeting Call for Abstracts

Taking place Nov. 14-16 around the theme, "Bridging the Gap Between Gender Responsive Budgeting and Participatory Budgeting," this year's International Conference and Workshops on Participatory/Gender Responsive Budgeting Nexus: African Context and Perspectives will take place in Eastern Cape, South Africa. Looking at seven sub-themes including public budgeting and gender nexus; sustainable development goals and gender budgeting; sustainable development goals and participatory budgeting; gender budgeting and taxation; gender budgeting and government expenditures; participatory budgeting outcomes; and gender responsive budgeting outcomes, this conference will focus on those who have historically been excluded from the budget process, especially women and the indigent. Abstracts are due for consideration by next Tuesday, July 31, 2018. Click here for more information.

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Professional Development through the Andrew Young School's Center for State and Local Finance

The Andrew Young School's Center for State and Local Finance invites you to register for a full year of executive education courses, beginning this summer. Class participants typically include chief financial officers, finance directors, budget and procurement staff, county administrators and others looking to hone their skills and advance their careers. The course schedule is as follows:

  • Governmental Leadership: Politics, Communication and Influence: Aug. 15-17, 2018 (Deadline Aug. 1)
  • Debt Management: Sept. 12-14, 2018 (Deadline Aug. 28)
  • Treasury and Investment Management: Nov. 7-9, 2018 (Deadline Oct. 24)
  • Forecasting (Special Session): Jan. 24-25, 2019 (Deadline Jan. 9, 2019)
  • Operating and Capital Budgeting: March 13-15, 2019 (Deadline Feb. 27, 2019)
  • Cost Analysis (Special Session): April 16-17, 2019 (Deadline April 2, 2019)
  • Retirement, Risk Management and Procurement: May 15-17, 2019 (Deadline May 1, 2019)

Fees for the two-days courses are $350; three-day courses are $500; four-day courses are $700. Click here to learn more about the executive education program and to register.

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2018 NECOPA Call for Proposals

The 2018 NECOPA will take place Nov. 2-4 at the University of Baltimore. Its theme will be, "Blind Spots in Public Administration: Looking Inward to Improve Responses to Changing Landscapes." We all have intellectual blind spots: those issues or topics where our view is obstructed from seeing clearly. In these spaces, we are literally blind to what is happening and, as a result, unable to gather information to change our point of view. What intellectual blind spots exist for public administration and our broader system of governance? On what topics is our view obstructed? Where are voices hushed or silenced and whose voices are they? This conference aims to consider these questions in an attempt to uncover, explore and address these blinds spots. The deadline for priority proposal consideration is next Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2018. Submit paper or poster proposals (250 word limit) or fully formed panel proposals (400 word limit) here. Click here for more information.

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2018 International Conference on Public Administration Call for Papers

Co-hosted by ASPA, Syracuse University's Maxwell School and University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, this year's International Conference on Public Administration will take please in Chengdu, China, Nov. 30 - Dec. 2. The theme for the event will be, "Improving Agility of Government Organizations." Themes and sub-topics will include "smart government" and lessons learned; promising practices in detecting and responding to changing risks and opportunities; balancing costs vs. benefits of improved agility; agility in upgrading delivery of public services; where agility works best; agile acquisition of IT systems; and public private partnerships: do they make government more or less agile? The conference committees will select and recommend the best papers for publication in one of the industry's premier journals including Public Administration Review, Chinese Public Administration and Chinese Public Administration Review. All abstracts are due for consideration by Aug. 15, 2018. Click here for more information.

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2018 Teaching Public Administration Conference

As national governments around the world continue their efforts to ameliorate the impacts of global shifts in migration; inequalities between rich and poor countries; collapse of global financial markets; and an ongoing lack of trust in politicians, they are also making decisions on how to organize and structure representative democratic institutions fit for the 21st century. The complexity of 'wicked issues' not only are demanding greater levels of public spending in an era of financial constraints, but also are forcing public servants and politicians to situate innovation and enterprise as core governmental activities. This year's Teaching Public Administration Conference (TPAC) joins the UK Public Administration Committee of the Joint University Council Annual Conference at Northumbria University, Sept. 10-12, to discuss these significant topics. Click here for more information.

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2018 SECoPA This September

The Alabama Chapter will be hosting the 2018 Southeastern Conference for Public Administration, Sept. 20-23 in Birmingham, Ala. The conference offers attendees the opportunity to engage in scholarly discourse, discover the latest innovations in the field, share ideas from practitioners in the field and network with other public service administrators across the region. This year's event will be centered around the theme, "Reimagining Public Service in the Age of Innovation" and will take place at the Birmingham Sheraton Downtown. Click here for more information.

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World Conference on Remedies to Racial and Economic Inequality Takes Place This September

Scheduled for Sept. 26-29 in Brazil, this conference will encompass disparities in public health, education, civic engagement, socioeconomic standing and representation. Subtopics include: longer term consequences of persistent poverty and inequality in access to quality health care among low income, racial and ethnic minority group members; comparative analysis of the effectiveness of alternative policy interventions designed to reduce racial and ethnic economic inequality; problems of political corruption and uneven development; causes and consequences of inequalities in access to health care and alternative health care delivery systems; racial identity and the evolution of policies in higher education, public employment and government contracting and procurement; and innovative policies designed to remedy racial and ethnic economic inequality: baby bonds, universal employment, guaranteed minimum income plans. Click here for more information.

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Biden Challenge at University of Delaware Scheduled for September

This Sept. 27-28, the University of Delaware is hosting The Biden Challenge: How to Revitalize the Middle Class. Based on a challenge Vice President Biden issued last fall—What policy solutions do you propose to ensure America has a growing and thriving middle class, and that they continue to be relevant?—this event is built entirely for scholars and practitioners to provide policy solutions for the problems facing the middle class, which Vice President Biden may be able to put into action. Participants will engage in panels and idea exchanges on the future of employment and education, the role of innovation, budget priorities and infrastructure investments. Click here for more information and registration details.

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2018 ABFM Research Conference This October

The Association for Budgeting and Financial Management's annual research conference will be held Oct. 4-6 in Denver. Click here for more information.

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11th Annual Public Performance Conference This October

Taking place this Oct. 18-19, this year's Public Performance Conference is co-hosted by ASPA and Suffolk University, in partnership with ASPA's Section on Public Performance and Management. The conference will look at using data to improve the efficiency and efficacy of public services around the theme, "Turning Data into Action: What Every Public and Nonprofit Manager Needs to Know About Data-Driven Change." Expected tracks include innovative practices in public and nonprofit organizations; creating a culture of performance; open data and technology; local and county performance; state and federal performance; and engaging citizens. Click here for more information.

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AAPAM 39th Roundtable Conference Scheduled for November

The African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM) has announced its 39th Annual Roundtable Conference will take place in Gabarone, Botswana, Nov. 6-9. This year's theme will be, "Resourcefulness, Integration and Inclusivity; Fundamentals for the Transformation of Governance and Public Administration in Africa to achieve the Agenda 2063 and Sustainable Development Goals." If Africa aims to achieve the transformational goals stipulated in the Agenda 2063 and SDGs 2030, it is essential to tap into the vast resourcefulness of its people by deepening economic and political integration and embracing the imperative of inclusivity to ensure all African people are included in the transformation agenda. Emphasis on key areas such as innovation, resourcefulness, integration and inclusive growth will move Africa from its current marginalized state to a dynamic member of the international community. Click here for more information.

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Section on Democracy and Social Justice Call for Nominations

ASPA's Section on Democracy and Social Justice has opened its 2019 Best Book Award call for nominations, to be presented at ASPA's 2019 Annual Conference. Author(s) of the selected article will be honored during the Gloria Hobson Nordin Social Equity Award Luncheon. All nominations are due by Nov. 16, 2018. Click here for more information.

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PAR Update

Hot off the presses! The following are new articles on Early View.

Exploring the Role of Nonprofits in Public Service Provision: Moving from Coproduction to Cogovernance
Yuan (Daniel) Cheng

Framing Effects under Different Uses of Performance Information: An Experimental Study on Public Managers
Paolo Belardinelli, Nicola Belle, Mariafrancesca Sicilia and Ileana Steccolini

Political Embeddedness of Public Pension Governance: An Event History Analysis of Discount Rate Changes
Qiushi Wang and Jun Peng

How Do Socially Distinctive Newcomers Fare? Evidence from a Field Experiment
Simon Calmar Andersen and Donald P. Moynihan

Complex Contracting: Management Challenges and Solutions
Trevor L. Brown, Matthew Potoski and David M. Van Slyke

Prospect Theory Goes Public: Experimental Evidence on Cognitive Biases in Public Policy and Management Decisions
Nicola Belle, Paola Cantarelli and Paolo Belardinelli

Do White Law Enforcement Officers Target Minority Suspects?
Charles E. Menifield, Geiguen Shin and Logan Strother

Managerial Perspectives on Implicit Bias, Affirmative Action, and Merit
Meraiah Foley and Sue Williamson

More than Pathological Formalization: Understanding Organizational Structure and Red Tape
Wesley Kaufmann, Erin L. Borry and Leisha DeHart-Davis

Stereotypes in Context: How and When Do Street‐Level Bureaucrats Use Class Stereotypes?
Gitte Sommer Harrits

Viewpoint Article
Often Wrong, Never Uncertain: Lessons from 40 Years of State Revenue Forecasting
John L. Mikesell


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Public Integrity Update



For the latest news on Public Integrity's articles and topics getting international attention, join the Journal's Twitter page: https://twitter.com/PubIntegrity, or our other active sites at:

Websites:
Public Integrity
ASPA
LinkedIn
Facebook

Public Integrity welcomes your manuscripts on a variety of topics that match our mission.

Public Integrity is a double-blind, peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes original content manuscripts addressing ethical issues affecting society. The scope of ethical issues includes governments, NGOs, nonprofits, businesses, corruption, law, social equity, criminal justice, environment and human rights. It is the premier journal on ethical issues affecting the public, aiming to expand knowledge and the understanding of ethical issues globally.

Public Integrity is abstracted/indexed in SCOPUS, Thomson Reuters' Emerging Sources, ESCI, IBSS, OCLC, ArticleFirst, Ovid, Proquest, CSA Sociological Abstracts, Academic OneFile, EBSCOHost Online Databases International Political Science Abstracts Database, CSA Worldwide Political Science Abstracts, ASSIA: Applied Social Sciences Index & Abstracts, Current Contents: Social and Behavioral Sciences, IBZ: International Bibliography of Periodical Literature, Gale Cengage, A Matter of Fact, OCLC Electronic Collections Online, History and Life (ABC-Clio), CommunityWISE, Contemporary Women's Issues and PAIS International.

Submission criteria and contact information can be found at our website: http://www.tandfonline.com/MPIN.

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New on PA TIMES Online


Every Monday and Friday, ASPA publishes a curated collection of original content that covers public service, management and international affairs.

This quarter, we welcome submissions that focus on public administration education. Send your contributions to us at any time; the deadline is rolling. Contact us for more information.

Check out our recent articles and columns:

The Push for Higher Education: College Attrition Rates
By Caitlin Stein

What's So Special About Texas?
By Bob Brescia

Leading and Sharing as a Baldrige Award-Winning City
By Christine Schaefer


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PublicServiceCareers.org


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 service. It lists dozens of positions in academia, government and the nonprofit sector. Below are just a few current listings.

Clinical Faculty (UISC) – UNC Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School, Chapel Hill, NC

Tenure-Track, Assistant Professor in International Development and Economic Policy – Bush School of Government and Public Service, College Station, TX

Open Rank Faculty Position in Public Management and Policy Analysis – International University of Japan – Minami Uonuma, Japan


American Society for Public Administration
1730 Rhode Island Ave., NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036
     

Please send inquiries to Managing Editor Karen E. T. Garrett.