Dear colleagues,

It is our great pleasure - in the name of the Organisers - to invite you to the 2017 NISPAcee Annual Conference in Kazan, jointly organised by NISPAcee and Kazan Federal University. In addition to a broad variety of topics covered by our working groups, the main conference theme is focusing on Innovation Governance in the Public Sector. Innovation is becoming the keyword in public sector reform: it is seen as a solution for austerity, user-led demand for better services, coordination problems, increasing effectiveness and broader societal challenges. In many cases, these processes are led by new technologies entering the public sector.

Post-industrial public administration which focuses first of all on innovations and people is the reason for the change in the paradigm of state and municipal management. We are entering a period of "smart states”, the main values of which are people and technologies, targeted at modern requirements. This is a period of formation of new management questions and approaches based on, first of all, innovations and technologies of effective process management in a fast developing environment. Smart technologies are being developed, as well as digital government, direct democracy, and crowdsourcing etc. In the course of establishing a brand new technological mode of life education, health care, scientific development, and development of the IT sphere are becoming the main competitive advantages. Moreover, state support in the creative development of people, protection of the environment and high standards of living, anticipating development of the key industrial and technical systems are important key elements of the brand new technological mode. These factors are the basic ones for presenting new requirements, both for innovative systems of public and state administration in general and, for people working in these spheres because effective and continuous enhancement of the state and public administration system are now in great demand. Those employed in these systems should always be ahead of all the processes happening in society.

In our view, the main conference theme is so relevant for all countries worldwide that it cannot remain indifferent to the most qualified and experienced specialists, public administration sphere of professionals and those who take the first steps in this field. We are encouraging you to participate with papers and presentations dealing with the announced conference topics. In addition, we are also inviting you to enjoy the beauty and history of the conference location and the hospitality of the local organiser.

The exhibition "Innovation in the Public Sector”, organised in the framework of the conference, will enable close contact with modern-day technology and increase the practical value of the conference.

We are looking forward to meeting you in Kazan.