Working group IV calls for papers addressing issues with regard to Public Administration Reform (PAR) in CEE and CIS countries. In this respect, reform is being defined as any restructuring of the administrative part of the organizations of the public sector. The focus of this WG lies on investigations concerning formation and administrative organizations and institutions,  the development and restructuring of intergovernmental relations, and organizational learning concerning (inter)governmental cooperation within the framework of  EU integration, European Neighborhood Policy, and external and regional cooperation with the states in Central Asia.

The conclusions of the WGIV meetings in 2009 and 2010 concluded also that in order to build a more in-depth theory on PAR we need more information about what is actually going on at the local, regional and national levels. Therefore, we primarily seek papers that are based on monitoring actual reforms in Public Administration (as defined above), and where the investigation was conducted using the comparative method. They should address questions such as, but not limited to: what kinds of reforms take place public administration in the countries of CEE and Central Asia? What are plans in regard to PAR in these regions; what types of policies directed towards reform are actually implemented and with what results? A selection of these papers will be used for a special issue of the NISPAcee journal.

Secondly, papers will be accepted with regard to

·                     Theoretical overviews on PAR

·                     Interesting case studies in PAR in CEE countries

·                     Interesting case studies in PAR in CIS countries

·                     Longitudinal research in Public administrative reform in CEE and/or CIS

·                     The impact of the common legacy of CEE and CIS countries on PAR

A selection of these papers will be considered for the proceedings of the conference.