Annual Conference

Call for Proposals for the 2018 Public Management Research Conference

The PMRA furthers research on public organizations and their management by organizing and sponsoring an annual Public Management Research Conference 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). The PMRA owns The Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory (JPART), one of the field’s premier journals. It also recently initiated a new journal Perspectives on Public Management & Governance. The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore will host the 2018 PMRA Conference, May 31 – June 2, 2018.

The 2018 PMRA Conference Program Committee consists of Committee Chair Zeger van der Wal (National University of Singapore), Co-Chair Eduardo Araral (National University of Singapore), Tina Nabatchi (Syracuse University), Stephanie Moulton (Ohio State University), Kilkon Ko (Seoul National University), Joris van der Voet (Leiden University), Janine O’Flynn (Melbourne University), and Chung-An Chen (Nanyang Technological University). All information about the conference can be found at www.pmrc2018.com.

INDIVIDUAL PAPER PROPOSALS

The program committee welcomes proposals featuring high quality theoretical, qualitative, or quantitative research. We welcome submissions on a variety of themes including performance management, leadership, innovation, co-production, collaborative governance, strategic HRM, public service delivery, public-private partnerships, capacity building, decentralization and federalism, values, ethics and accountability, good governance, Eastern and Western models of public administration, and multi-level governance, among others.

Empirical proposals will be evaluated based on the significance and quality of the research question, design, methods, data, and implications. The program committee also welcomes theoretical proposals. Theoretical 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 testable hypotheses.

FULL 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. The panel organizer will formally make the submission on behalf of the full panel. The panel organizer will also provide information on the overall theme of the panel and indicate how each of the proposed papers connects to the panel’s theme. The panel submission should include information on the panel chair. Each of the papers in the panel will be evaluated separately on whether the piece meets the criteria for individual paper submissions. The program committee may drop or add papers to proposed panels.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

All proposals will be evaluated using a double-blind peer review process with the program committee serving as the evaluators. Participants will be able to choose to submit a paper or panel. Paper proposals should be no more than 400 words. 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). A person may submit no more than two proposals (including both single-authored and co-authored papers). Individuals will be limited to two acceptances.

The online submission system will be available September 1, 2017. All proposals must be submitted no later than November 15, 2017. Notifications of proposal acceptance or rejection will be sent by February 1, 2018. If a proposal is accepted, the presenter must register for the conference in order to participate. Those interested in serving as panel chairs should email Zeger van der Wal: sppzvdw@nus.edu.sg.

PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS

The conference will feature a limited number of pre-conference sessions and workshops to be held on May 30, 2018. These sessions are meant to be very 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 scholarly importance
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 1000 words in length. Submissions for pre-conference workshops are due on December 15, 2017 and decisions will be made in March 2017.

SUBMISSION

Online submissions may be made through http://www.pmrc2018.com/ until November 15, 2017. Any questions regarding the proposal submission process may be directed to Zeger van der Wal at pmrc2018@nus.edu.sg. We look forward to your submission!

Previous Conference Hosts