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Call for Papers 

(Extended to January 24, 2011)

Improving the Quality of Public Services

A Multinational Conference

University – Higher School of Economics
University of Maryland School of Public Policy
Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management

Conference date: June 27-29, 2011

Location: University - Higher School of Economics

Moscow, Russia

The main web page for the conference is:
http://www.umdcipe.org/conferences/moscow/moscowmain.html

Public desire for better services from government is universal, but the approaches taken to improve public services, and the outcomes achieved, vary dramatically from country to country.  Researchers and practitioners around the world have learned much about the factors that influence efficiency, effectiveness, equity, and responsiveness in public service design and delivery across different contexts.  Lessons emerging from developing and transition countries have potential to shed new light on longstanding questions about public service performance.

In an effort to consolidate these lessons, the Higher School of Economics (HSE), the Russian Federation Ministry of Economic Development, and the University of Maryland School of Public Policy (UMD), in collaboration with the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM), will hold a conference in Moscow June 27-29, 2011.  The conference is designed to attract a worldwide audience, including academics and professionals from universities, think tanks, government agencies, the private sector, civil society, and beyond.

Papers are solicited on all aspects of public policy and public management associated with improving the quality of public services at the local, sub-national, national, and regional levels.  Cross-national and comparative papers are encouraged, as are papers that explore the exigencies of public administration in the Russian Federation while advancing concrete proposals to improve public services for Russian citizens.  Papers will be presented in topic-oriented panels with presenters and discussants.

Program co-chairs:

Prof. Alexey Barabashev
Dean, School of Public Administration, University–Higher School of Economics (HSE)

Prof. Douglas J. Besharov
School of Public Policy, University of Maryland (UMD)
Chair, International Activities Committee, Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management
Co-editor, International Policy Exchange Series, Oxford University Press

Program committee
Kenneth Apfel, School of Public Policy, UMD
Karen Baehler, School of Public Affairs, American University
Andrey Klimenko, Vice-rector, HSE
Maureen Pirog, Indiana University; Editor, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management
Jeffrey Straussman, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, State University of    New York (Albany)
Lev Yakobson, First Vice-Rector, HSE
Sergey Parkhomenko, School of Public Administration, HSE

The conference agenda is broad. Possible topics for papers include, but are not limited to the following:

• Reinventing public service design and delivery
• Measuring performance (using administrative and other data)
• Governance, leadership, and financing
• Roles of formal and informal institutions, especially in developing and transition countries
• Transparency, integrity, and anti-corruption initiatives
• Collaboration across agencies, sectors, and federal systems
• E-government
• Citizen and community engagement
• Globalization and the role of international organizations
• Lessons from experiments: Contracting out, public-private partnerships, quasi-markets, specialized agencies, etc.
• Beyond policy and public management fads:  What works under varying conditions?    

Abstract submissions: Please click here to submit an abstract online through the APPAM website.

Deadline: The deadline for abstract submissions is January 24, 2011. (Extended)

Language: Please note that English will be the official language of the conference. Abstracts, papers, and presentations are expected to be delivered in English, but papers and abstracts may be submitted in Russian as well as in English.

Schedule:

Registration is now available; click here to register through the APPAM website.

Early registration will close on April 4, 2011. Regular registration will close on May 23, 2011. After this date, registration will be available on-site at the conference.

Persons in low-income countries: You may be eligible for a waiver of the registration fee. Please contact Ms. Elena Guseletova at eguseletova@hse.ru for more information.

Side trips: For more information on side trips or personal excursion tours being planned please see the conference website at: http://www.umdcipe.org/conferences/moscow/moscowmain.html

Hotel accommodations: HSE is coordinating hotel accommodations in Moscow for the conference. To learn more and to make reservations, please click here.

Post-conference publication: Papers from the conference will be considered for publication in the Oxford University Press Series on "Comparative Policy Analysis." Information about the series is available at: http://www.umdcipe.org/international_policy_exchange_series/aboutseries.html

Contact information: For more information about the conference, please visit the conference website:

http://www.umdcipe.org/conferences/moscow/moscowmain.html

Contact Person: 

For inquires about paper proposals, opportunities to support the conference, registration, or administrative matters
Ms. Elena Guseletova
Head of International Office
School of Public Administration, HSE 
20 Myasnitskaya Street, office 605
e-mail: eguseletova@hse.ru

Tel: +7 495 628 96 09