Organizers:    

Chinese Society for Public Administration    

American Society for Public Administration    

School of Public Administration and Policy, Renmin University of China    

School of Public Affairs and Administration, Rutgers University    

Supporting Journals:    

Chinese Public Administration (in Chinese)    

Public Administration and Policy Review (in Chinese)    

Public Performance & Management Review    

Chinese Public Administration Review    

Theme: Public Governance in the Post-Pandemic Era    

The 10th Sino-U.S. International Conference on Public Administration was previously scheduled to be held from June 19th to June 21st, 2020, but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be held in a hybrid mode at Renmin University of China (RUC) from September 24th to September 26th, 2021. The previous nine conferences were held in China and the U.S. The 2021 conference theme is: “Public Governance in the Post-Pandemic Era.”    

Background:    

The global pandemic of COVID-19 has brought unprecedented challenges in demographic, technological, economic, ecological, and political aspects to governments around the world, which must improve capacity and legitimacy in public governance and administration. Meanwhile, governments across the world must rethink how to address tremendous problems in post-pandemic governance, which include but are not limited to: How to effectively control the pandemic? How to balance pandemic control and economic growth? How to evaluate the effectiveness of pandemic control strategies across countries? How to be prepared for the next pandemic? How to leverage disruptive technologies such as big data analytics and artificial intelligence? Such critical questions require governments to transform their forms and modes of public governance.    

Public sectors in the U.S. and other countries/regions have been developing new governance frameworks to cope with the challenges of COVID-19 and other complex problems. New governance practices emerged at both national and local levels; new theoretical and analytical frameworks have been proposed in different areas of public administration and policy research. Since 2013, China has vowed to modernize its public governance system and capacity. The recently ushered 14th Five-Year Plan and the Vision 2035 require China to deepen its reforms to build a more effective governance regime. China’s central and local governments have implemented many administrative reforms to streamline business processes and improve public service performance.    

This conference focuses on the challenges and opportunities of public governance in the post-pandemic era, as well as how to reform institutions, build capacity, and improve the effectiveness of public governance around the world. The conference sincerely invites scholars from around the world to submit proposals for panels or papers. The overarching questions to address in this conference are:    

What should be the characteristics and patterns of public governance in the post-pandemic era? What are the paths to a more innovative and effective public governance?    

Conference Tracks:    

Papers and panels should fall within, but are not limited to, the following tracks:    

• What should be the characteristics of public governance in the post-pandemic era?

• What characterizes government organization and administration in the post-pandemic era?

• How does the pandemic promote the transformation of public governance?

• How do emerging technologies empower and challenge public governance in the post-pandemic era?

• How to build a world-class business environment?

• What are the impacts of public governance on public value creation?

• How do NGOs participate in and improve public governance?

• How can intergovernmental collaboration and good governance be promoted?

• How to promote learning and diffusion of public governance innovations?

• How do cultural traditions affect the models and effectiveness of public governance?

• How can we build a more equitable and inclusive governance?

A comparative perspective is particularly welcome.    

Conference Mode and Language:    

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference will be held in a hybrid mode. Given the time difference between countries, the Beijing-time morning sessions will be held online via Zoom so that international scholars outside Asia can participate. The Beijing-time afternoon sessions will mainly convene participants from mainland China or those who can travel to Beijing at the time.    

While papers may be written either in English or Chinese, presentations in the morning sessions must be made in English. Presentations in the Chinese sessions may be made in Chinese.    

Important Deadlines:    

July 30, 2021: One-two page paper abstract    

August 8, 2021: Notification of paper acceptance and official invitation letter    

August 20, 2021: Participation and accommodation confirmation    

September 10, 2021: Full papers due    

September 15, 2021: Participants’ confirmation on arrival time    

Abstract and Full Paper Requirement:    

Abstract requirement: Please include article title, research question, methodology, 3-5 keywords, authors’ name, institution, professional title, and contact information (phone and email address). 1-2 pages, double-spaced, and 12-point font.    

Full paper requirement: The paper should be theoretically sound and practically significant with rigorous methodology. APA reference format is suggested.    

Conference Dates:    

September 24, 2021: Registration and Pre-Conference Workshops    

September 25-26, 2021: Conference Sessions    

Additional Activities:    

A Deans’ Forum on challenges of public affairs education    

An Editors’ Forum on publishing in top international journals    

A preconference workshop for junior scholars    

Registration Fees:    

The registration fee is RMB 1,000 for participants from mainland China; it is waived for oversea participants who will only attend the online sessions. The organizer will cover the meals and conference materials in Beijing during the conference, and the domestic participants are responsible for their own travel and accommodation.    

Proposals & Questions:    

Proposals and Questions regarding the conference can be sent/submitted to:    

Ms. CAO and Ms. LI    

School of Public Administration and Policy    

Renmin University of China    

TEL.: 86 10 8250 2103; 62512119    

FAX: 86 10 6251 6240    

EMAIL: internationalspap@ruc.edu.cn