Call for Proposals

The University of Hawai’i at Mānoa is pleased to open the call for proposals for the 2021 Public Management Research Conference (PMRC), sponsored by the Public Management Research Association (PMRA). The conference will be held June 23-26, 2021, in Honolulu, Hawai’i. At this time, we are planning a hybrid conference, with a smaller in-person conference supplementing the virtual conference (location TBD). The University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, in hosting the conference, aims to promote diversity, inclusion, and equity in the increasing global and cross-cultural study of public management. During these times of a resounding call for racial justice, addressing climate change, and a global pandemic, comparative and global perspectives are important to include as these issues and solutions are both local and global.

PMRA furthers research on public organizations and their management by organizing and sponsoring the annual PMRC, as well as other conferences and symposia, stimulating research through other print and electronic platforms, advancing professional and academic opportunities, and serving as a voice for the public management research community (pmranet.org). PMRA owns The Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory (JPART), one of the field’s premier journals, and the new journal Perspectives on Public Management & Governance.

 

Submission Instructions

Hawai’i PMRC 2021 is using EasyChair, an online conference management system, for all proposals this year. To submit any type of proposal, log into EasyChair at https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=pmrc2021.

Once you have an active account and logon, please select “make a new submission” and then select one of the four available track options (e.g., Individual Paper Proposals, Panel Proposals, Pre-Conference Workshops, or Doctoral Posters). Under “Author Information”, please list ALL authors for each proposal regardless of whether they are the corresponding author or not. This will help facilitate assignment with our blind reviewers. Under “Title and Abstract”, please type in (or cut and paste) your full proposal directly into the Abstract box (please do not upload your proposal under “Files”). There should be no names or other identifying information in the Abstract box (with the exception of a Pre-Conference Workshop proposal). Again, this will help facilitate the double-blind review process. If you are submitting a Panel Proposal, there are additional steps that need to be followed which are identified on the next page.

 

Individual Paper Proposals.

The program committee welcomes paper proposals of 400 words or less. Proposed papers should feature high-quality theoretical, qualitative, or quantitative research.

• Empirical paper proposals will be evaluated based on the significance and quality of the research question, design, methods, data, and implications.

• Theoretical paper proposals will be evaluated based on the extent to which the proposal provides insight into a compelling public management subject, identifies foundational assumptions and key concepts, and results in meaningful critiques of accepted theory, asserts guiding propositions or testable hypotheses, or develops helpful conceptual frameworks and research agendas.

 

Panel Proposals. The program committee encourages the submission of complete panels consisting of four individual papers and a chair. Panel submissions should bring together complementary papers that tackle compelling research questions or subjects of study in public management.

• Step 1: Panel proposals should include a panel title and description (400 words or less), as well as four individual paper proposals (400 words or less each).

• Step 2: Each paper in the panel should also be submitted separately (referencing the panel submission # in the Abstract box) to determine whether the proposal meets the criteria for individual paper submissions. Individual panel papers should still be submitted under the “Panel Proposals” track.

• Panel chairs are encouraged to incorporate diverse participants in panels, whether in gender, race, institution, rank or method.

• The program committee may alter panels to remove individual papers that do not meet review criteria or to add an individual paper submission that fits well with the panel, particularly if dropouts occur. The program committee plans to do so sparingly.

 

Pre-Conference Workshops. The conference will feature a limited number of pre-conference sessions and workshops to be held on June 23, 2021, the day before the start of the full PMRC. These sessions are meant to be engaged learning opportunities, and we encourage workshop proposals on any topic that has significant potential for advancing public management research and impact. Sessions/workshops will typically be planned as half day or full day. Proposals for pre-conference sessions and workshops must be submitted through the online system and include the following information: 1) Title, 2) Statement of objectives and importance to the field, 3) Detail on the length and format of the session, 4) Names and affiliations of session organizers and leaders, 5) Ideal number of participants. The proposals should not exceed 1,000 words in length.

 

Doctoral Student Poster Sessions. A doctoral student poster session will be presented at one or more of the PMRC receptions, depending on the number of accepted poster proposals. Poster proposals should be no more than 400 words and articulate the research question being asked, the theoretical significance of the research question, the research method used to address the questions, and any preliminary findings and implications.

Additional Information. All proposals will be evaluated using a double-blind peer review process with a review team of up to fifty faculty members providing recommendations to the program committee. Individuals will be limited to two paper acceptances and may present only once (no exceptions).

All proposals must be submitted no later than midnight on November 2, 2020, Hawaii Standard Time. Notifications of proposal acceptance or rejection will be sent by January 31, 2021. If a proposal is accepted, the presenter must register for the conference in order to participate.

If you have any other questions, comments, concerns or technical support requests regarding conference submissions, please contact pmrc2021@easychair.org.

————–

Key Dates

Open: September 1, 2020 (Now)

Submission Deadline: November 2, 2020

Proposal Decision Date: January 31, 2021