The 16^th NISPAcee Annual Conference invites papers discussing Public Policy, especially in relation to Public Administration, in the regions of Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia and the Caucasus. The floor is open for theoretical and practical approaches, case studies and general analyses.

Public Policy has been and continues to be a key issue for the countries for democratic transition. When NISPAcee was founded, even local professionals usually did not have well-founded conceptions of public policy as a science and practical approach. Traditionally, the system of Public Administration transmitted political command to society; the operation of the government consisted of rigid administration, rather than the effective and efficient management of policies. In this situation, NISPAcee took on the mission of introducing and developing policy science to Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia and the Caucasus. Participants of the NISPAcee annual conferences offered significant contributions in the various aspects of Public Policy. It has now become clear that the understanding of Public Policy, the capacity for designing and implementing effective policies, the competencies of managing, coordinating and evaluating Public Policy are the most important requirements for good governance and a key condition for the sustainable development of our countries.

Papers for the main conference theme will discuss:
- the development of the policy instruments as outcomes of the reform of public administration,

- the typical strengths and weaknesses of public policy in Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus,

- types of policies according to philosophy, management and instruments,

- the development of policy-making capacities of the administrative systems,

- inter-relations between the phases of the policy process and the management abilities of public administration,

- the impact of the quality of the public administration on public policy,

- relations between change management in government and policy coordination,

- learning, transfer, and lesson-drawing in the policy process and its consequences for public administration,

- the relations between the policy actors and public administration,

- the impact of administrative reforms on the policy-making process, and vice versa,

- the role of civil society in public policy,

- feedback on the efficiency and effectiveness of policies to the policy actors,

- relations between public policy and the results- and performance-driven administration,

- the role of public administration in the different phases of the policy process,

- politics in and of the policy process.