Call for Papers 2010
The activity of this Working group aims to provide a structured forum on the dynamics of public administration reform in the CEE (incl. NMS experience) and Central Asia. Public Administrative Reform is described as any restructuring of the administrative part of the public sector in order to solve organizational and/or societal problems associated with this structure and intended as promoting a professional, merit-based and neutral civil service.

The Call  for Papers 2010 addresses one or more of the following questions:
1.What explains successful Public Administration Reform (in post-socialist countries)?
a. What are the factors that lead to the effectiveness of reform in Public Administration in post- socialist countries?
b. What relationships can be identified between the actors that assist in the development and functioning of the reform?

2. What effects are visible because of Public Administration Reform? Does it, for instance, lead to the development of democratic governance in post-socialist countries? If so, what mechanisms are in place and how do they function in order to achieve this goal?
Further refining and testing of theories of reform and of institutional transformations represent academic reasons for inquiry. Considering the increasing trend towards democratization and reform in various regions of the world, the lessons learned from the CEE transition would help in conducting these reform processes. At the regional level, the activities of the proposed Working Group could provide an opportunity for academics and practitioners to meet, reflect upon, and discuss their experiences in a structured fashion.

This WG aims to provide the framework for structured reflection on and discussion about the dynamic of the PAR process through interaction between academics, practitioners and consultants involved in studying and conducting this process. The theoretical aim of the working group is to develop knowledge in the form of theories, models and evidence based research about factors influencing the success of PAR and the impact of PAR. It intends also to be a forum in which knowledge transfers with regard to PA reform become possible. This is especially important, because some of the ‘stans’ (Uzbekistan et cetera) are now in a similar position as the CEE countries were in the 1990s. We think the former could learn a lot from the experiences from the latter. Furthermore, the working group intends to publish books/proceedings and assist in publishing scholarly articles about public sector reforms in CEE-countries and CA-countries.

Based on the 2009 conference the organizers plan to publish a book on factors of success and failure in public administrative reform in CEE and CA countries. A format for such a book was discussed in Budva in 2009. Part of the working group sessions in Warsaw will be devoted to discussing first versions of chapters for that project. If you want to participate in this project, please contact the organizers for further information.

You may see the accepted  presentations scheduled
in the Preliminary Conference Programme