Call for Proposals

2023 CONFERENCE THEME:

Unmasking the Complexities of Identity, Place, and Space:

The Public Administrators’ Challenge

Identity, place, and space are embedded in practically all aspects of everyday life. Accordingly, public administrators are challenged with understanding and managing public life from these complex lenses. Identity distinguishes the character or personality of an individual established by their own psychological view of who they are. While identity (race, ethnicity, gender, beliefs, etc.) may be self-defined, others’ definitions and categorizations can often take precedence. In the same way, place is a portion of space available for or being used by someone, while space is broader and reflects the dimensions of height, depth, and width within which all things exist and move. This year’s theme reflects the realities of the nation and the world amid these human-made constructions that we must all co-exist and navigate through.

The complicated and sometimes obscure nature of public sector problems calls for an unmasking and deep dive into new governance arrangements and structures that encourage cross-sector collaboration in decision-making. The complexities of identity, place, and space place great responsibility on public administrators at the local, state, and federal levels to be broad-minded and innovative when addressing concerns of the varied segments of the population.

The 2023 conference theme of “Unmasking the Complexities of Identity, Place, and Space: The Public Administrators’ Challenge” thereby serves as a call to all public servants— scholars, public and nonprofit practitioners, and community advocates and stakeholders—who seek to unmask, study, and engage in rich discussions around complex problems concerning identity, place, and space. The conference program committee thereby welcomes research and praxis from different backgrounds and methodological orientations, current updates to traditional models and frameworks, and other relevant emergent perspectives on all issues pertinent to public service. Proposals should be related to the conference theme and sub-themes as noted below:

Conference Tracks:

Track 1: Social Equity and Justice

Track 2: Urban Planning & Development

Track 3: Disparities (Healthcare, Housing, Education, Employment)

Track 4: Public Policy & Management

Track 5: Public Budgeting, Finance, and Procurement

Track 6: Citizen Participation, Engagement, and Empowerment

Track 7: Law & Criminal Justice

Track 8: Nonprofits Management & Leadership

Track 9: Education & Higher Education Administration

Track 10: Emergency & Crisis Management

Track 11: Local Government, Leadership, and Ethics

Track 12: Big Data, Emerging Technology, and Artificial Intelligence

Track 13: Pan-Africanism, Diaspora Affairs, and Internationalism

Track 14: Comparative Public Administration

Track 15: Global Health, Systems, and Policy

Track 16: Business and Economic Development

Track 17: Professional Development for Students & Young Professionals

Track 18: Adaptive Capacity, Resiliency, and Sustainability
Track 19: Cooperation, Coalitions, and Collaboration

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

In addition to individual paper proposals, the committee encourages the submission of complete panels consisting of no more than four papers. Panel submissions should bring together complementary papers that address similar research questions or topics. Panel proposals should provide information on the overall theme of the panel and 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 by graduate students are particularly encouraged. The deadline for submission of proposals is Friday, December 16, 2022. Proposals will be evaluated by the conference program committee, and proposers will be notified of the committee’s decisions via email. Proposals will ONLY be accepted via this online form. Abstract should not exceed 400 words.

Conference participants are encouraged to submit their full conference papers for entry into the Best Paper Award Competition.

STUDENT "Poster" Session

NOTE: Given the virtual format of the Conference, poster presentations should be prepared as slides.

Scholars are encouraged to participate in the student "poster" presentation session to share research and interact with conference attendees while competing for a $500 Best Poster Prize. For the virtual conference, actual posters are substituted with a regular presentation format (e.g., PowerPoint or the like). Poster sessions are especially useful for student scholars who would like feedback on their research. A poster presentation allows a presenter to provide a visual summary of their research and/or innovation to be displayed for sharing with conference delegates. This session will serve as a pre-conference event to be held on Wednesday. A poster should be self-contained and self-explanatory, allowing different viewers to proceed on their own while providing the author an opportunity to supplement or discuss particular points raised in inquiry.

Posters will be selected for presentation by the Poster Session Co-Chairs in a double-blind peer-review process. Abstracts submitted for consideration of a Poster Presentation should use the following criteria:

Identification of relevant conference theme(s) to which submitted.
Brief title that is long enough to indicate clearly the nature of the study.
Abstract must not exceed 400 words or it will not enter the review process. Abstracts should state briefly and clearly the purpose, methods, results, and conclusions/discussions of the work.

Poster session proposals must be submitted by Friday, December 16, 2022. Poster session proposals will ONLY be accepted via this online form.

Call for Proposals

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

STUDENT "Poster" Session

NOTE: Given the virtual format of the Conference, poster presentations should be prepared as slides.

Special Symposium Edition