Public Administration & Practice

Public administration research needs to result in relevant and research-based advice. Like other disciplines such as management research, public administration has two key principles: knowledge and utility. Whether it is carried out by public research institutes operating at arm's length of government or by external and independent public universities, public administration research is/or should be an integral part of policy advisory systems.

Whilst the degree of proximity between public administration and research varies according to national traditions and the administrative elites training systems, in liberal democracies, evidence-based public decision making remains a key constituent of legitimacy and acceptability by citizens.

Recent wicked and global disruptions like the Covid-19 crisis or the acceleration of global warming have made policymakers more likely to claim that their policies and actions are based on science, and, "for sure" preference for research is becoming a distinguishing feature in the face of illiberal leaders. On the academic side, even though the rigor vs relevance is debate is perennial, the scale of the challenges that lie ahead raises the question of what role we, as researchers, can play within and for society. In other words, what we do is also inspired by the mission to create and preserve public value and good governance.

We invite contributions on examples and cases of practice-oriented research, on engaging practice in research projects, on developing relations between practice and research and relevant joint knowledge creation, to enable them to continuously work towards the best possible public sectors and policies. Stories of both successes and failures in implementing these collaborations are equally valuable in highlighting areas for improvement, which we will discuss together during the workshop.

• Compare how different countries organise "science-for-policy" arrangements
• Showcase best practices or diverse institutional forms through which similar problems are addressed
• Effects of new technologies such as AI on science-policy interfaces
• Institutional designs that help bridge the gap between knowledge demand and supply
• What governance arrangements or norms help ensure that knowledge supports decision-making

• Individual paper submissions
• Poster submissions