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August 14, 2019
ASPANet.org | PA TIMES.org | Donate to ASPA
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In This Issue:
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August President's Video Highlights Summer Successes, Upcoming Fall Programs
ASPA President Paul Danczyk released his August video last week, calling special attention to the South Florida Chapter's year-long planning event from July, as well as upcoming regional events—and of course the 2020 Annual Conference.
"ASPA's South Florida Chapter recently held a Chapter retreat to plan for its upcoming year of activities," he notes. "Special appreciation to Melissa Dynan, Isidoro Lopez, Glenn Joseph, Angela Miller and the rest of the Chapter's leadership board for their forward-looking approach. We can't wait to see what is in store this fall!"
Other highlights in the video include updates about his visits to several ASPA Chapters, upcoming ASPA webinars, appreciation toward ASPA partner organizations and regional conference alerts. Paul also discusses the recently released Call for Proposals for the 2020 conference (see the article below for more information) and some new initiatives related to it.
If you haven't yet listened to the video, check it out! At just under five minutes long, it's the perfect way to catch up on ASPA highlights when you are between projects, on your way to the office or on your way home tonight!
Related Links:
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ASPA Launches 2020 Conference Call for Proposals
ASPA has launched its 2020 Annual Conference proposal submission process! Taking place April 3-7 in Anaheim, California, the 2020 conference will center around the theme: 2020 Vision for Politics, Policy and Administration and feature more than 160 panels across six topical tracks. All proposals are due by October 4, 2019.
ASPA's 2020 Annual Conference will engage and empower scholars, administrators, nonprofit leaders and public service professionals across the field through thoughtful dialogue, information sharing and respectful debate on a 2020 Vision for Politics, Policy and Administration. As this year's theme implies, 20:20 vision is a perfect state. Often, however, that vision is tempered by realities and dynamics frequently outside our control. Yet when we emphasize and model efficiency, effectiveness, economy, equity, ethics and empowerment—along with ASPA's core values and the foundations of public service—we get closer to realizing that vision.
The 2020 conference will delve into this theme by acknowledging our imperfect past, understanding current challenges and identifying innovations and paths toward a 20:20 future. Six concentrations will guide our time together: finance; global public administration; governance; infrastructure; leadership and management; and social equity. Detailed track descriptions are below, including sub-categories to guide your submissions. Those intending to submit a proposal should review each description and think carefully about where your proposal fits best. Many topics featured in prior conferences—human resources, public safety, emergency management, public administration theory, legal and ethical frameworks, the environment and technology—are as important to this dialogue as ever and are incorporated within this year's tracks.
Proposals must pay special attention to efficiency, effectiveness, economy, equity, ethics and empowerment, and the role they play in the research or practice you intend to discuss. They are our cornerstone. Our research is not complete without considering their effects. Our practice is not balanced if they are not fundamental to our programs.
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? What problems go unanticipated and end up being costly oversights? What new models have arisen in recent years that warrant further explanation for widespread use?
We invite practices and research aimed at providing mechanisms for public administrators to better understand budgeting, fund public programs, anticipate challenges and address current needs on a shoestring.
Global Public Administration: The globe may be large, but the public administration world is more inextricably linked than ever before and getting smaller by the day. 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, including public policy approaches, management, collaboration, administrative features and more. Where do we experience similarities? Where can our differences increase fruitful collaboration? How can we apply each for the betterment of all?
This track addresses public administration from a global perspective. What is working well beyond borders and across oceans? Where do common struggles provide for opportunities to work together to solve them?
Governance: Managing public resources and public affairs efficiently, effectively, equitably, economically and ethically is the foundation of good governance. To not balance these requirements—to ignore our responsibilities as stewards within the public square—is to set up future public servants for failure. And yet frequently governance challenges and wicked problems prevent engaging all levels of government and other key stakeholders. Ethical failures, the breakdown of the rule of law, deficiencies within public programs, financial mismanagement and administrative confusion all lead to cracks in our foundation.
When good governance takes the lead and civic participation is invited, however, we all thrive. Governance is more than people or programs independent of each other. It is what happens when they intersect, are executed well and serve the public to their best abilities. It is a thing of beauty and there are plenty of examples of it that are begging to be showcased. We invite panel submissions that seek out such examples across all forms of public service—government entities, nonprofits, NGOs and more.
Infrastructure: We need the public and our policymakers to focus on the short- and long-term goals of public infrastructure. Numerous challenges and threats exist: crumbling roads, rails and bridges; inefficient transportation systems; unsustainable energy systems; underdeveloped and inadequate cyber infrastructure; and horrific delays in response to natural disasters and crises. Worse yet, public funding is and will remain inadequate to the needs at hand.
Bringing our infrastructure into 20:20 vision not only will involve fixing our current issues but also include providing for the infrastructure of the future, none of which can be addressed solely at the state or local level. National leadership is a must. How can public administration best manage an ever-complex intergovernmental system, incorporate needed public-private partnerships and keep equity as an equal partner in the discussion? What comes next in this struggling paradox of needs? We invite innovative research and on-the-ground practices to answer these questions, ideally in ways that are transferable across governmental entities.
Leadership and Management: Despite an increasing role for current technology—such as artificial intelligence—in government, people remain our greatest resource. More, public and nonprofit management cannot and will not be successful without them. We must empower our employees with the skills they need to work for and lead organizations, including dealing with dissenting viewpoints and opinions, no matter the source. Motivating the team we have, inspiring new members to join our organizations, encouraging (and maybe requiring) continuing education and training, empowering career advancement, helping those who are struggling and enabling feedback at all levels of our organizations are all pieces of this very complicated puzzle.
This track will look at questions related to leadership and management such as workforce management, professional development, team building and leadership, motivation and more from both research and practitioner perspectives.
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.
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.
Remember: the deadline is October 4! Start planning your proposal now!
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E-Learning Takes You to the Next Level
ASPA's e-learning opportunities are ongoing throughout the year. Averaging 75 attendees per live event and free for anyone to participate, these events 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.
ASPA will be featuring content looking at finance throughout August. As noted at the top of this newsletter, check out ASPA President Paul Danczyk's August video, which provides more details about this month's theme! Click on the graphic below to view the video.
Click above to load the video in your web browser.
BookTalk: Ethics in Fiscal Administration
August 15 | 1 p.m. ET
Presenters:
Rob Dotson, Moderator, City Manager, Enoch City, Utah
Angela Pool-Funai, Assistant Professor, Political Science and Director, MPA Program, Southern Utah University
In this BookTalk, author Angela Pool-Funai integrates ethics into the public administration curriculum by weaving ethical dilemmas into the financial management and budgeting process of the public and nonprofit sectors. Critics of the public sector often use the analogy that government should be run more like a business. Issues such as profitability versus social value preclude the public sector from becoming a mirror image of the private sector; however, ethical decisionmaking in fiscal administration is an important concern across sectors. Using examples drawn from the public and nonprofit arenas, Ethics in Fiscal Administration: An Introduction will help prepare future budget managers and other public administrators for the important work of upholding the public financial trust.
From the Archives: Fiscal Administration
For those studying public budgeting, this is a go-to resource you need on your bookshelf! Use this book to run the numbers and learn about the complexities of public budgeting before you have to deal with them in real life. Members can find this BookTalk archived on our website here.
Video of the Month—Reprise
While we know it's Finance Month for ASPA, July's e-learning video of the month, looking at infrastructure, was released late in the month, so we're reprising it here to make sure you have a chance to check it out. Looking at the state of our country's hard infrastructure—roads, bridges, highways, transit systems and more—this discussion, from the 2019 Annual Conference, speaks to the challenges our infrastructure faces, including funding that could address them. Find this video on our website here.
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Focus on Membership: ASPA President Visits Local Chapters
Paul Danczyk spent several days at the beginning of August touring through the western region of the country, visiting ASPA Chapters in Denver, Salt Lake City and Seattle. Chapters hosted events to showcase their local Chapter needs and successes, while also hearing about ASPA's plans at the national level.
As reported by Seattle's Evergreen Chapter, its "Conversation with ASPA National President Paul Danczyk" concluded his round of visits with 16 members attending their lunch. The event was held at the Pacific Tower, where the Panorama Room provided sweeping views of Seattle, Elliott Bay and the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges.
Chapter President Tricia Diamond welcomed Paul, who shared information about current ASPA initiatives, his interest in ongoing communication with members, the 2020 Annual Conference in Anaheim and the value of ASPA membership. The group then engaged in a robust conversation about careers in public administration, mentor programs, collaboration with organizations of similar interests and more.
If your Chapter is interested in having Paul attend an upcoming meeting via teleconference or Zoom, please contact ASPA staff to arrange some time with him.
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Build ASPA's Future, Answer the Call—By This Friday!
For 80 years, ASPA has relied on the active participation and commitment of you—our members—to support our mission of advancing excellence in public service. Please join in building ASPA's future by nominating talented individuals for our leadership positions.
This year, ASPA members will elect a president-elect (who will serve our first two-year presidency), five district representatives, an international director and student representative—all of whom will serve on the National Council, our governing board. Please consider yourself and/or a fellow member for one or more leadership position and submit your nomination by this Friday, August 16.
What skills do you need? Candidates should have a variety of leadership skills, including a strategic understanding of the public administration field—spanning practice and scholarship—to position the Society for continued programmatic and financial growth. We welcome those with a commitment to building a positive organizational culture, participating in ASPA's development activities and modeling care, loyalty and obedience to our Society.
Terms of service vary by leadership position, but those nominated should be prepared to serve at least three years on the Council (except those running for Student Representative). This year, ASPA members will elect their first two-year president, who will assume office in 2021 following a one-year term as president-elect, based on changes to ASPA's bylaws overwhelmingly approved into action in 2017.
Nominations must be submitted by August 16, 2019. Contact ASPA's Phillip Carlisle for more information.
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Public Administration Review Impact Factor Increases; Remains Atop Google Scholar Rankings
It's metric season! In recent weeks, both Clarivate Analytic and Google Scholar have released their most recent listings, ranking journals across all categories. Public Administration Review (PAR), owned by ASPA, continues to dominate its categories.
PAR's five-year Journal Impact Factor (JIF) has increased to 5.765 in 2018 and its Google Scholar h5 has held steady at 51. International Public Management Journal and Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory remain the other top journals alongside PAR in the JIF listings; Public Management Review and Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory hold top spots in Google Scholar.
"We are extremely excited by this news," said Jeremy Hall who, with R. Paul Battaglio, serve as PAR's editors-in-chief. "It is a testament to all the hard work on the part of PAR authors in producing cutting edge research and to the many PAR reviewers and editorial team members who volunteer countless hours of time to the journal. We look forward to increasing these scores next year."
The JIF, the gold standard in journal publishing, measures citations in a given JIF year (2018 in this case) to papers published in the prior two years (2017 and 2016). Annual increases in citations during the impact factor year lead to an increased score. While criticisms abound related to how JIF gets used, it is widely regarded as a guide for how much exposure a journal will give an author. The higher the JIF for a journal, the more acknowledgement authors are receiving for their research.
By this standard, the journals listed at the top of each category are the ones that will help researchers get the most "publicity" for their work. PAR's continued JIF increases mean that not only is it the best journal within its subject matter, but also that it is staying exemplary and continuing to publish excellent research (and that the scholars within its pages are continuing to be honored for their work).
Click here for more information about the 2018 Journal Citation Reports.
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PA TIMES Magazine Summer Edition is Released
The Summer 2019 edition of PA TIMES Magazine has been posted to the ASPA website. Make sure you download your copy, looking at the intersection of public finance and infrastructure challenges, which includes new digital features such as links to external websites, video features (look for the red play buttons) and more!
Continuing our work to profile excellence within the discipline, this edition features a half-dozen public servants at the state, federal and local level:
- Laura Allen (Town of New Berlin, Maryland)
- Carolyn Francis-Royer (City of Taramac, Florida)
- Shayne Kavanagh (Government Finance Officers Association)
- Rosaleen Nogle (City of Buffalo, New York)
- Camille Stewart (Google)
- Derrell Turner (U.S. Department of Transportation)
Also included in this edition is coverage of ASPA Chapter events related to this spring's Public Service Recognition Week, as well as our 2019 Annual Conference and unique looks at public finance through the work of the Federal City Council and Detroit’s "Grand Bargain."
This edition is packed with content. Download your copy today and catch up on the latest in public administration. (Hard copies have been mailed to those who receive magazine editions in print.)
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Recently Released: Volcker Alliance Report Looks at Rainy Day Funds
In keeping with ASPA's August theme looking at public finance, we are highlighting a recent report from the Volcker Alliance, authored by Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene, that discusses rainy day fund strategies.
As the summary describes, rainy day funds totaled $62.4 billion in 2019 and are U.S. states' savings accounts. They are vital fiscal tools that help governments cope with natural disasters and can help them avoid crushing spending cuts when economies falter and revenues nosedive. In this working paper, the Volcker Alliance examines the reserve fund policies and practices of all 50 states, based on the findings and data underlying its 2017 and 2018 Truth and Integrity in State Budgeting reports.
This paper builds on the Alliance's grading of state reserve funds and identifying of best practices as well as subsequent research. It discusses why rainy day funds are crucial, offers states detailed guidelines to bolster their policies for withdrawals, replenishments, and linking reserves and revenue volatility. It also offers 10 rainy day fund policy improvements that states can adopt to better protect themselves against economic, fiscal and natural disasters.
Click here to access the full report.
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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 the past few weeks. If you have not seen these yet, make sure you read them now!
Infrastructure
Public Finance
Public Service/Governance/Leadership
Social Equity
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2019 Transatlantic Dialogue Call for Papers Expires Tomorrow
The 2019 Transatlantic Dialogue, sponsored by ASPA and EGPA and co-hosted by Rutgers University—Newark School of Public Affairs and Administration and Baruch College, City University of New York, will be taking place October 20-22 at Baruch. The theme will be, "Restoring the Administrative State: Trust, Engagement, Security and Identity."
While focused on United States/European Union relations and the comparative issues within that set of relationships, this year's Dialogue will be doing a deeper dive on cooperative perspectives that can shed light on mutual challenges in an era of declining institutional trust.
The event will feature five workshops: government performance, citizen engagement, public communication, digital and physical security, and demographic change.
All proposals are due by August 15. Click here for more information.
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Welcome New ASPA Members!
Click here to view the most recent new ASPA members!
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Transnational Administration Book Series Launched
A new book series about transnational administration and global policy was launched last month through Bristol University Press; co-editors are Kim Moloney, Murdoch University, Australia; Michael W. Bauer, German University of Administrative Science and European University Institute, Italy; and Meng-Hsuan Chou, NTU Singapore. Editors are seeking book proposals focusing on one or more of the following: global (public) policy, transnational administration, international public administration, regional/international organizations, global administrative law, international administrative law, and/or the transnationalization of other global governance actors including NGOs, corporations, think tanks, foundations, transnational public-private partnerships, cities and so on. This series is open myriad topic, sector, country/region, disciplinary and methodological perspectives. The 'tie' among most proposals will be an understanding that regional and global governance creates global (public) policy, and/or a discussion that such policy is administered by and for various actors. Click here for more information.
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AAPAM Hosts Executive Course on Diversity
The African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM), in collaboration with the Uganda Management Institute (UMI), will be hosting an executive course, "Leveraging workplace diversity for enhanced service delivery in the 21st century Africa," August 27-29 at the Uganda Management Institute, Kampala, Uganda. Changes in workforce composition, coupled with a rapidly changing work environment, continue to create workplaces and organizations that are notably different from those of a decade ago. The course will cover topics related to managing generational diversity in the workforce, including case studies. The course is designed for executive directors; directors of public, private and nongovernmental organizations; international organizations; senior managers in local government agencies; and more, who will share their experiences and expertise for effective public service delivery in Africa. Click here for more information.
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Call for Papers: Public Money and Management Theme on "Developing Civil Servants"
Building, developing and retaining an impartial, efficient and effective civil service to work for parliaments is a major problem in many countries, particularly since austerity management was introduced following the global financial crisis. This Public Money and Management (PMM) theme, also the subject of PMM Live! 2019, which will be held in the House of Lords on November 7, will present a collection of articles on the latest thinking on how to achieve transparency and fairness in government and not just create a paid service that can "speak truth unto power" but also one that is capable of managing major projects, commissioning services and demonstrating creativity and enterprise. Submissions of debate articles, new development articles and full papers are invited (see the PMM website or ask Michaela Lavender for author notes). Articles can include all aspects of civil service development, for example: recruitment, retention, training, secondments, appraisals and career management. Submissions are due by August 30 to PMM's managing editor, Michaela Lavender.
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Special Symposium Call for Papers: JPMSP
A special symposium of the Journal of Public Management and Social Policy seeks papers from scholars, practitioners and students that identify and illuminate the origins, obstacles, opportunities and successful outcomes to achieving social equity. The symposium focuses on social equity and draws upon the three subthemes of the 18th Annual Social Equity Leadership Conference. In particular, this special issue seeks papers that identify policies and practices of government, nonprofit organizations and the private sector resulting in social inequities; measure and assess social equity across policy domains; and provide case studies, from local to global, that highlight paths taken and lessons learned from successful efforts to mitigate social inequity. Abstracts are due by August 30, 2019 and should be no longer than 200 words, clearly identifying under which subtheme they fall. Please forward all abstracts to Brian N. Williams (symposium editor) and Charles E. Menifield.
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2019 SECoPA This September
The 2019 Southeast Conference for Public Administration (SECoPA) will take place September 5-7 in Baton Rouge. This year's theme will be, "Advancing Public Administration Research and Practice in a Time of Instability and Change." Since 1969, SECoPA has been the gathering place of ideas for public service practitioners, researchers and students in its 10-state region. The conference offers attendees the opportunity to engage in scholarly discourse, discover the latest innovations, share ideas from practitioners in the field and network with other public service administrators across the region. Click here for more information.
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2019 EGPA in Belfast This September
The 2019 EGPA Conference will take place September 11-13, 2019 in Belfast, to be preceded by the EGPA Symposium for PhD Students and young researchers, which takes place September 9-10. This year's theme looks at "Public Administration Across Borders." Click here for more information.
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2019 MPAC/TPAC Takes Place This September
The 2019 Midwest Public Affairs Conference (MPAC) and ASPA's Section on Public Administration Education's 2019 Teaching Public Administration Conference (TPAC) will be held jointly in Indianapolis, September 19-20, 2019. Hosted by Indiana University's School of Public and Environmental Affairs, the conference will celebrate the diversity of public administration theory, praxis and pedagogy in a time of social change and upheaval. Click here for more information about MPAC; and here for more information about TPAC.
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ABFM Annual Conference in DC This Fall
The Association for Budgeting and Financial Management's (ABFM) 2019 Annual Conference, "Line Item" will take place this September 26-28 in Washington, DC. Registration and hotel reservations are now open. Its call for nominations for its 2019 awards program is open until June 30. Awards include the Aaron B. Wildavsky award, the Kenneth S. Howard award, the Paul Posner Pracademic award and the Mike Curro Student Paper award. Contact awards committee chair Wenli Yan for more information. Click here to register.
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NAPA Fall Meeting This November
NAPA's 2019 Academy Fall Meeting will be hosted at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, November 7-8. At this year's Fall Meeting, the Academy will be unveiling its Grand Challenges in Public Administration. At the 2018 Fall Meeting, the Academy began a year-long, interdisciplinary and intersectoral effort to identify these challenges and position the Academy to lead future efforts to respond to the challenges identified. Join us this November as NAPA identifies its Grand Challenges in Public Administration and strategizes and mobilizes the field to find solutions. Click here for more information.
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2019 NECoPA This November in Brooklyn
NECoPA will host its 10th anniversary conference at LIU-Brooklyn this November 8-10 in Brooklyn, NY. Public governance is now tasked with building more inclusive societies for sustainable development that ensures social justice for all and requires public institutions to be both effective and accountable. Governance for sustainability means governance for a future that reflects values inherent to public service, leading with innovation in public administration. As the 2019 NECoPA convenes with a public service just as under pressure as it was 10 years ago, the event seeks to address innovative ways in which public administrators can tackle wicked problems during fiscal stress and turbulent governance. Interested in sponsoring part of this event? Contact Gina Scutelnicu for details. Click here for more information.
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COMPA Call for Papers in the Field
The Conference of Minority Public Administrators (COMPA) will hold its 2020 Annual Conference in Atlanta, February 26-20, 2020, looking at the theme, "2020 VISION: Refocusing, Reforming, and Restoring Public Service Values and Governance." This year's conference theme is a call to action for public service leaders to embody and exemplify ASPA's core four values; accountability and performance, professionalism, ethics and social equity in our service to the profession and to the citizenry. The theme highlights the courageous work of those who, despite the political, social and economic climax, are using their voice, research and efforts to positively affect and make a significant difference in their respective spheres of influence, communities and the nation. Twelve tracks provide a framework for the conference. The conference program committee welcomes proposals for high-quality conceptual papers, qualitative and quantitative empirical research papers, and policy- and practice-oriented papers, as well as complete panel submissions consisting of no more than four papers. Panel submissions should bring together complementary papers that address similar research questions or topics and provide information on the overall theme of the panel to indicate how each of the proposed papers connects to the panel's theme. Proposals from individuals at all stages of their careers are welcome. Proposals and poster presentations by graduate students are particularly encouraged. The deadline for submission of proposals is December 14, 2019. Email your proposals to [email protected]. Click here for more information.
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PAR Update
Now on Early View:
Viewpoint Articles:
From Working Class to Middle Class
Maria P. Aristigueta and Pablo I. McConnie-Saad
Revitalize the Public Service, Revitalize the Middle Class
Heather Getha-Taylor
What Gets Measured, Gets Done: Understanding and Addressing Middle‐Class Challenges
Todd L. Ely, Geoffrey Propheter, Rich Jones and Scott Wasserman
Rethinking Academic Entrepreneurship: University Governance and the Emergence of the Academic Enterprise
Michael M. Crow, Kyle Whitmanand Derrick M. Anderson
A Viewpoint on Research for Social Business Entrepreneurship
Sameeksha Desai and John E. Tyler III
Research Articles:
The Expat Gap: Are Local‐Born Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries at a Disadvantage When Seeking Grant Funding?
Saurabh A. Lall, Li-Wei Chen and Abigayle Davidson
Organizational Process, Rulemaking Pace, and the Shadow of Judicial Review
Christopher Carrigan and Russell W. Mills
Perceptual Bias and Public Programs: The Case of the United States and Hospital Care
Kenneth J. Meier, Austin P. Johnson and Seung-Ho An
Setting the Regulatory Agenda: Statutory Deadlines, Delay, and Responsiveness
Anthony M. Bertelli and Kathleen M. Doherty
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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 active sites at Public Integrity and ASPA.
Call for Papers Expires Tomorrow, August 15:
Race, Racism and Administrative Paralysis: Using Critical Race Theory for a Race-Conscious Public Administration
While ever present in U.S. society and across public institutions, discussions of race and racism are rarely explicit in public administration scholarship and praxis. When these topics are a part of dialogue, individuals often avoid them so as not to appear as though they are exemplifying racial stereotypes or racist behaviors. Further, race neutral or color-blind policies that while, on the surface, do not consider race, result in disparate outcomes, mostly for people of color.
The inability to act or deciding to opt out of examining issues of race, racism and disparity, ultimately paralyzes public and nonprofit administrators in the implementation and management of policy. The consequence has led to intergenerational inequity that persists for people of color because policies and administrative decisions never address root cause issues.
While Frederickson discussed the concept of social equity in public administration, the field has yet to pursue equity with as much vigor as it does economy, effectiveness and efficiency. Almost fifty years after Frederickson, Gooden introduced race as a "nervous" area of government where public institutions lack an ability to recognize the ways in which racism permeates organizational structures and informs policy. The lack of the full adoption of social equity and the avoidance of race and racism anecdotally suggests that, across the field, public and nonprofit administrators and scholars suffer from racial paralysis. This is also true in the classroom, where there is difficulty in talking about and facilitating conversations about race. Racial paralysis, in the classroom context, impedes students' opportunity to develop a race-conscious perspective, thus slowing the needle of progression in society.
Understanding the historical context of U.S. society and accepting the role race has played in informing attitudes, behaviors and actions is fundamental to addressing persistent racial inequities and intergenerational disparities. Critical race theory (CRT) is a theoretical framework that allows scholars to examine issues (e.g. legal, educational, institutional, societal) with a clear understanding of the ways in which racism acts as a form of oppression for Black people in the United States.
This special symposium seeks papers that offer considerations for examining the incorporation of critical race theory in the study and practice of public administration. Through a CRT lens, authors are asked to consider the presence of racial paralysis in the various components of public and nonprofit administration. Empirical or theoretical manuscripts may focus on CRT, in its entirety or any combination of the theory's five key tenets: history, race, voice/lived experience, interpretation, and praxis, as a framework to discuss how racial paralysis has shaped public administration.
Authors should submit a one-page proposal to guest editors Tia Sherèe Gaynor or Brandi Blessett no later August 15, 2019. Authors invited to submit a full manuscript will be contacted by September 15, 2019. An invitation to submit a full manuscript does not guarantee publication. Full papers should be submitted though Editorial Manager by February 15, 2020 and will be subject to double-blind review. Final manuscripts should NOT be emailed to the editors.
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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 finance. Send your contributions to us at any time; the deadline is rolling. Contact us for more information.
Check out our recent articles and columns:
Opportunity Zones Are Knocking. Who Will Open the Door in Your Town?
By Larry Spring
Why Mastering Budgets Can Advance Your Career
By Michael Ford
Infrastructure: A Basis for 360 Degree Resiliency?
By Daniel Bauer
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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.
Senior Assistant to the County Manager – Mecklenburg County, Charlotte, NC
Executive Director – Singapore Management University, School of Social Sciences, Singapore
Director, Center for Intelligence and Security Studies – University of Mississippi
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