Keynote Speakers at NISPAcee Conferences
31th Conference in Belgrade, Serbia 2023
Topic: THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION ENABLED THROUGH EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
Paul Joyce is Publications Director of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) which is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. He is an Associate at INLOGOV, University of Birmingham and a Visiting Professor in Public Management at Leeds Beckett University. He has a PhD from London School of Economics and Political Science. His most recent book is "Strategic Management and Governance: Strategy Execution Around the World” which was published in June 2022 (by Routledge, New York).
His other recent books include "Strategic Management for Public Governance in Europe” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018, with Anne Drumaux); "Strategic Leadership in the Public Sector” (Routledge, 2017, 2nd edition); and "Strategic Management in the Public Sector” (Routledge, 2015). He edited a book, with Fabienne Maron and P S Reddy, entitled "Good Governance in a Global Pandemic” (2020, IIAS) which was published by the International Institute of Administrative Sciences with a view to contributing to the worldwide learning of lessons about how to handle the pandemic.
Gianluca Misuraca is founder and Vice President on Technology Diplomacy and International Relations of Inspiring Futures (IF), a global advisory consultancy in Strategic Foresight, Social Innovation and Digital Governance with headquarters in Lausanne and Seville.He is also an advisor to several International Organizations, and development institutions worldwide. Among his key assignments he is currently leading, on behalf of the European Commission’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) and DG CONNECT, the multi-year facility support initiative "International Outreach for human-centric Artificial Intelligence” (InTouchAI.eu) and the design of the Multilateralism and Digitalisation Strategy for the European Commission’s DG INTPA, as well as supporting the preparation of the Strategic Foresight Report on Green and Digital Transition 2050.
As part of his academic roles, Gianluca is the Executive Director of the Master on Artificial Intelligence in public services (AI4GOV) led by the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, a Senior Research Associate at the Department of Design of Politecnico di Milano and a Research Fellow at the Department of eGovernance and Administration of Danube University Krems in Austria. Furthermore, he is a Special Advisor on Digital Public Administration for the Centre for Digital Economy (CED) and on Democracy in the Digital Age for Re-Imagine Europa (RIE).
Previously, Gianluca was a Senior Scientist at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre where, from 2009 to 2020, leading research and policy support in the field of Digital Government Transformation, Social Innovation and Artificial Intelligence for the public sector as part of the AI Watch. His educational background is economics and business administration, with focus on the interface between ICTs and public sector innovation. He holds a Diploma of Specialisation in High Level Studies in EU Economics and Law, an Executive Master in eGovernance and a PhD in Management of Technology from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).
Nikola Čanak is a Professor of Applied Psychology and Communication, and of Leadership and Personnel Management. He is an expert for Development of the Methodology and Development of the Individual Learning Path (IPA 2019 – Strengthening Professional Capacities of Senior Civil Servants in Serbia.) He is also a Doctor of Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine Specialist. His professional activities involve work at the National Academy for Public Administration of Serbia – Member of the Permanent Program Commission for Training of the Trainers. He is an International Teacher and Personal Trainer (Business & Life Coach). He is also a Professor of Wellness, Physiology and Hygiene of Sports.His academic profile and professional history include: An academic work at the Universities of Stanford, Cornell and NYU (in the USA), the Universities of Aberdeen and London (UK), as well as in Belgrade and Novi Sad (Serbia); Professional work in the FBI (USA) and Scotland Yard (UK); Many prestigious professional, social and sports positions and functions. He has been twice awarded with the Fulbright Scholarship Award in science. He has more than 40 years of experience in lecturing, seminars, workshops and in-house trainings on four continents. Most recently: the long-term education of top managers and CIOs of company Reca (Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina), education and trainings for Municipalities of Kula and Žabalj and Zoominars for leading Serbian companies – clients of "Arena team building” (during the Covid-19 lock-down). He is an author of 11 books and dozens of CDs, DVDs and multimedia publications in the field of Applied Psychology, Motivation, Leadership, Sales, Negotiation, Time Management, and Stress Prevention ..., published at home country and abroad.
30th Conference in Bucharest, Romania 2022
Topic: Crises, Vulnerability and Resilience in Public Administration
Geert Bouckaert is Professor of Public Management at KU Leuven, Belgium. He is past president of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) and of the European Group for Public Administration (EGPA). His fields of research and teaching are Public Management, Public Sector reforms, Performance Management and Finance Management. Prof. Geert Bouckaert received seven Honorary Doctorates and other international awards in recognition of his scientific contributions in the field of Public Administration. One of his main publications, with Christopher Pollitt, is Public Management Reform, an International Comparison (Oxford, 2017, 4th Ed.).
Keynote speech: PA in times of crises: how to drive solutions? The public sector has been revamped significantly in the last forty years. Shifting to markets and networks were very prominent in these reforms. However, hierarchies remain important drivers to solve crises and to be resilient. A crucial question is how the public sector and a Whole-of-Government approach fits into our future societies. And also, how Public Administration, as an academic field, is contributing to keep and build trust and resilience. Public Administration should ensure functional service delivery, effective crises governance, and fruitful innovation strategies. We should think and act strategically for Public Administration to be part of the solution.
Dr Gregor Virant has been the Head of the SIGMA Programme since September 2019. He has more than 25 years' experience in the field of public governance, covering a combination of academic, executive, political and consultancy roles. From 2004 to 2008, Dr Virant was the Slovenian Minister for Public Administration where he launched and implemented major modernisation projects, including: reduction of the administrative burden and e-government. From 2011-2013 he served as Speaker of the Parliament, and from 2013-2014 as the Minister of the Interior. From 2009-2011 and from 2014 onwards, Dr Virant has held many private sector roles as a consultant and senior expert, providing advice and recommendations on a wide range of governance issues.
29th Conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2021
Topic: Citizens' Engagement and Empowerment - The Era of Collaborative Innovation in Governance
Jacob Torfing is an award-winning and decorated full professor in politics and institutions at Department of Social Sciences and Business, Roskilde University. He is the founder and director of the Roskilde School of Governance (previously known as the Centre for Democratic Network Governance). Recently, he was awarded the Danish degree of Doctor Scientiarum Administrationis.
He is a scientific expert in the fields of network governance, co-creation, climate change, public innovation, policy reform, institutional theory and discourse analysis. He has chaired the Danish Political Science Association (DPSA), been a long-term member of the Danish Social Science Research Council, and served at the Executive Committee of the European Consortium of Political Research (ECPR). He has published more than 30 books and 260 journal articles, book chapters and research communications that together have generated more than 14,000 Google Scholar citations (h-index 50).
Juraj Nemec is an expert and the university professor in the area of public management and public finance. He has comprehensive theoretical and practical experience with public administration reforms in the European Union and in the Central and Eastern Europe region particularly (via teaching, research and working on various advisory and consultancy projects with national and local governments in many countries of the region). In his recent research he also focuses on collaborative innovations in governance (projects LIPSE or SOLIDUS, for example). He is the current Immediate Past-President of NISPAcee, member of CEPA UN and Vice-President of IASIA. He is also the Project Director of the working group "Public Leaderships, Governance and Management” of the IASIA and serves as a co-chair of NISPAcee’s working group "Public Financial Management”. He has been editor-in-chief of the NISPAcee Journal of Public Administration and Policy since 2007, indexed in more than 30 databases including Elsevier – SCOPUS and Web of Science (Clarivate). He has published over 400 books and scientific articles in his field and has filled several academic posts.
28th Conference in Split, Croatia, 2020 - Cancelled
Topic:
Governance and citizens' rights in the era of Europeanization, globalization and digitalization
27th Conference in Prague, Czech Republic, 2019
Topic:
From Policy Design to Policy Practice
Martin Potůček, www.martinpotucek.cz. Professor at Charles University in Prague, guarantor of Master and doctoral programs of Public and Social Policy there. His research focuses on processes of policy formation and implementation in the Czech Republic, on the regulatory functions of the market, government, civic sector and media, on the European context and global dimension of policy making, and on the problems of Czech public administration, social policy, and pension reforms. He acted as an adviser to the Czech Ministers of Labour and Social Affairs (1998–2006) and to Czech Prime Ministers (2002–2004, 2014 – 2017). In one of his recent public engagements, he served as the Chairman of the Expert Committee on Pension Reform to the Czech government (2013 – 2017). Several of its reform proposals were recently accepted and embodied in laws.
President of the Network of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration in Central and Eastern Europe (NISPAcee), Bratislava, Slovakia (2000-2002). Holder of the Sri Chinmoy International Honour "Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart" (2003) and the NISPAcee Alena Brunovska Award (2004) for teaching excellence in public administration.
His last publication Public Policy. A Comprehensive Introduction. 2017. Prague: Karolinum Press is available (both in printed and electronic form) at www.press.uchicago.edu.
Geert Bouckaert is currently in his second mandate as President of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) (2013-2016 - 2019). He was the President of the European Group for Public Administration (EGPA) (2004-2010) and the Chair of the IIAS Programme and Research Advisory Committee (PRAC) (2010-2013).
He is Professor at the KU Leuven Public Governance Institute (Faculty of Social Sciences) of the KU Leuven, Belgium. From 1997 to 2012, he was the Director of its Public Management Institute (Instituut voor de Overheid- KU Leuven).
His fields of research and teaching are Public Management, Public Sector reforms, Performance Management and Finance Management.
He is also visiting Professor at the University of Potsdam (Germany). He launched also the EPPA (European Perspectives for Public Administration) strategic project, as the European version of the US Minnowbrook events (together with Prof. Werner Jann from Potsdam).
Prof. Geert Bouckaert received seven Honorary Doctorates and other international awards in recognition of his scientific contributions in the field of Public Administration. One of his main publications, with Christopher Pollitt, is Public Management Reform, an International Comparison (Oxford, 2017, 4th Ed.).
Topic:
Public Administration for Well-being and Growth
25th Conference in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation, 2017
Topic:
Innovation Governance in the Public Sector
Piret Tõnurist holds a PhD in in Public Administration with a specialization in technology governance, MA in technology governance and MSc in policy analysis. She is a research fellow at the Ragnar Nurkse School of Innovation and Governance in Tallinn University of Technology (TUT) and between 2016-2017 she works in the Observatory of Public Sector Innovation at the OECD on systems thinking and public sector innovation measurement. During the last three years she has coordinated research for TUT in the FP7 project "Learning from Innovation in Public Sector Environments” (LIPSE). Piret has worked on public sector innovation labs, co-production, digitization, machine-to-machine coordination, innovation policy management (incl. state owned companies), behavioral public administration and energy technologies. She is a co-chair of the European Group for Public Administration permanent study group "Behavioral Public Administration”. In addition, she has previously worked as a freelance consultant, consultant for the Parliament of Estonia and as a performance auditor (innovation and entrepreneurial policy) for the National Audit Office of Estonia.
24th Conference in Zagreb, Croatia, 2016
Topic:
Spreading Standards, Building Capacities: European Administrative Space in Progress
Herwig C. H. Hofmann is Professor of European and Transnational Public Law at the University of Luxembourg.He researches, teaches, publishes, and litigates in European and transnational constitutional, administrative, and regulatory law. A graduate of the Universities of Hamburg and Oxford, he formerly was lecturer in law at Trinity College in Dublin, and has been visiting professor and visiting scholar at various universities including Sciences Po in Paris, Columbia Law School in New York, the University of San Francisco Law School, and Chuo University in Tokyo.
He is co-founder and coordinator of the Research Network on European Administrative Law (ReNEUAL) and of various University institutes. Hofmann advises European Institutions as well as national governments, most recently the Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament on a draft EU administrative procedure regulation and, on the drafting of the new French code on administrative procedure as member of the ‘cercle d’experts’ of the French prime minister’s legislative service. Amongst his most influential publications is the 2011 book ‘Administrative Law and Policy of the European Union’ published by OUP and co-authored with A. Türk and G. Rowe.
23rd Conference in Tbilisi, Georgia, 2015
Topic:
Insourcing and/or outsourcing: How do they contribute to public administration reform?
Tony Bovaird is Emeritus Professor of Public Management and Policy at the Institute of Local Government Studies and Third Sector Research Centre, University of Birmingham, UK. His research covers strategic management of public services, outcome and performance measurement in public agencies, evaluation of public management and governance reforms, and user and community co-production of public services. He has carried out research for UK Research Councils, the European Commission, many UK government departments, the Scottish Government, Welsh Government, LGA, Audit Commission, National Audit Office, and many other public bodies in the UK and internationally. He is a member of the Scientific Board, German Research Institute for Public Administration and the Local Government Reference Panel of the UK National Audit Office. He is co-author (with Elke Loeffler) of Public Management and Governance (Routledge, 3rd edition, 2015).
22nd Conference in Budapest, Hungary, 2014
Topic:
Government vs. Governance in Central and Eastern Europe
From Pre-Weberianism to Neo-Weberianism?
Prof. Dr. András PATYI, Rector, National University of Public Service is a university professor of Public Law. He is the editor and main author of four university textbooks (Administrative Law), and has almost 100 scientific publications. After completing his legal studies (doctor iuris title) in 1993, he began working at the Hungarian Constitutional Court. After a decade of administrative experience as a senior ranking civil servant ("notary" of the 12th District Local Government in Budapest), he returned to the Constitutional Court as Chief Counsellor. He was appointed to the Supreme Court (now Curia) in 2009. He submitted his Ph.D. thesis in 2002 (The Judicial Review of Administration in Hungary), succeeded in the habilitation process (The title of his thesis was: Administration – Constitution – Courts), and became a university professor in 2011. From 1st January 2012 - ending his service as Justice at the Hungarian Supreme Court (now Curia) - he became the Rector of the National University of Public Service (NUPS). Since 30th September 2013 he has been the President of the Hungarian National Electoral Commission.
Professor Dr. Geert Bouckaert is teaching and researching at the Public Management Institute, of which he is the Director, of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, in Leuven, Belgium. He is specialised in public sector reform in general and financial management and performance measurement in the public sector in particular. He received his graduate degrees in Business Engineering, Political Sciences, and Philosophy, and earned his Ph.D. in Social Sciences from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. Currently, he is the immediate past President of the European Group of Public Administration (EGPA) and of the Flemish Association of Public Administration. He is a member of several international editorial boards.
Prof. Dirk Kaesler was Professor of Sociology at the University of Hamburg (1984-1995) and of Marburg (1995-2009). He has held visiting professorships at the University of Chicago, the University of Köln, the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, the Indiana University Bloomington, the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, the Humboldt-University Berlin, the University of München, the University of California-Berkeley, and the University of Graz. He served as President of the "Research Committee on the History of Sociology” of the "International Sociological Association” (1989-2002) and was a member of the Executive Council of the "German Sociological Society” (2002-2005). His main research interests cover theories of sociology, history of sociology and Max Weber-research. In all these fields he has published many books and numerous articles. [http://www.kaesler-soziologie.de]
21st Conference in Belgrade, Serbia, 2013
Topic:
Migration Impact Assessment: New Horizons
Peter Nijkamp is a Professor in Regional and Urban Economics and in Economic Geography at the VU University, Amsterdam. His main research interests cover quantitative plan evaluation, regional and urban modelling, multi-criteria analysis, transport systems analysis, mathematical systems modelling, technological innovation, entrepreneurship, environmental and resource management, and sustainable development. Over the past years he has focused his research, in particular, on new quantitative methods for policy analysis, as well as on spatial-behavioural analysis of economic agents. He has a broad expertise in the area of public policy, services planning, infrastructure management and environmental protection. In all these fields he has published many books and numerous articles.
20th Conference in Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia, 2012
Barbara Kudrycka, Minister of Science and Education, Poland. Prior to becoming the Minister, she represented Poland as a Deputy of the European Parliament. She served for many years in the Committee of Experts in Public Administration of UNDESA. She holds a full Professor degree and served, for many years, as Rector of Bialystok School of Public Administration, Poland. During her academic career she served on the NISPAcee Steering Committee from 2000 to 2006 and as the NISPAcee President from April 2002 until May 2004.
Topic:
Performance and Accountability in Times of Economic Crises
Geert Bouckaert is Professor of Public Management at the KU Leuven, Belgium. His research topics include public sector reform and performance in the public sector. He is past President of the European Group for Public Administration and currently Chair of the Scientific Committee of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences.
Topic:
Public Administration in Time of Crisis
Wolfgang Drechsler is Professor and Chair of Governance at Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia (TUT), and Vice Dean for International Relations of its Faculty of Social Sciences. He has served as Advisor to the President of Estonia, as Executive Secretary with the German Wissenschaftsrat during German Reunification and as an APSA Congressional Fellow, and as a Senior Legislative Analyst in the United States Congress. Wolfgang Drechsler has been a consultant to several international agencies, most recently to the EU, the OECD, the Council of Europe, SIGMA, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and the UNDP. He has worked, in various capacities, on the national development plans of Estonia, Peru, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Brazil, and Norway. He has received NISPAcee’s Alena Brunovska Award for Teaching Excellence and its Merit Award; the Estonian National Science Award, Social Science category; the Outstanding Alumnus Award from Bridgewater College; the Maarjamaa Rist, Estonia’s Order of Merit, and the German Federal Merit Cross. One of his current areas of interest is non-Western, especially Chinese and Islamic, Public Administration. He is also dealing with Public Administration, Technology, and Innovation with Web 2.0 Governance and with Public Management Reform.
17th Conference in Budva, Montenegro, 2009
Topic:
Bringing the State Back in One more Time: The Changing Role of State, Society and Markets in Governance
B. Guy Peters is Maurice Falk Professor of American Government at the University of Pittsburgh and Professor of Comparative Governance at Zeppelin University. He previously taught at Emory University, the University of Delaware and at Tulane University, and has had visiting appointments at a number of universities in Europe, Latin America and Australia. He has also worked as a consultant for the UNDP, World Bank, OECD, UNICEF and a number of national governments. Professor Peters has been active in NISPAcee for some years, including as co-Chair of Working Group 1. He has received the NISPACEE Lifetime Achievement Award.
Topic:
Europeanisation and Democratisation in ECE: Towards the Multilevel and Multiactor Governance
Attila Agh is a full Professor in the Political Science Department at the Budapest Corvinus University and the Director of the Research Centre "Together for Europe” at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. His major research interest is comparative democratisation and Europeanisation - summarised in the latest book, Eastern Enlargement and the Future of the EU27: EU foreign policy in a global world (2006). He was the main coordinator of the "Hungary 2015” strategic project (2005-2007). At present he is the project leader for the strategic preparation of the Hungarian EU presidency in 2011 in the Prime Minister’s Office and Hungarian Academy of Sciences and he has edited "The prospect of the team presidencies: Integrative balancing in the new member states" (2008).
16th Conference in Bratislava, Slovakia, 2008
Barbara Kudrycka, Minister of Science and Education, Poland. Prior to becoming the Minister she represented Poland as a Deputy of the European Parliament. She served for many years on the Committee of Experts in Public Administration of UNDESA. She holds a full Professor degree and served, for many years, as Rector of Bialystok School of Public Administration, Poland. During her academic carrier she served on the NISPAcee Steering Committee from 2000 to 2006 and as the NISPAcee President from April 2002 until May 2004.
15th Conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, 2007
Topic:
Values, Standards and Competences
Christopher Pollitt is BOF/ZAP Research Professor of Public Management at the Public Management Institute, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. Previously, he was Professor of Public Management at Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam (1999-2006). He is also Editor-in-Chief of the International Review of Administrative Sciences. Christopher is the author of more than 60 scientific articles and author or editor of more than a dozen scholarly books.
14th Conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2006
Derry Ormond, Advisor in Governance, Former Director of Governance and Public Management Programmes in OECD, Paris, France. Whilst at the OECD from 1962-98, he founded and directed the Organisation’s work on public management and governance from 1979 onwards. This included the creation of what is now the Committee on Public Governance, and Working Parties respectively of heads of prime ministers’ offices, national budget directors, administrative reform directors, and other related groupings. This became the leading intergovernmental forum on central management functions. In 1992, he oversaw the setting up of the joint EU/OECD SIGMA Programme, providing support for public administration to the newly independent central and eastern European countries.
13th Conference in Moscow, Russia, 2005
Barbara Kudrycka, Rector, Bialystok School of Public Administration, Poland, Member of the European Parliament.
12th Conference in Vilnius, Lithuania, 2004
Bob Bonwitt is the founder (1991) and Director of the Sigma Programme, which is a joint OECD/EU initiative, principally financed by the EU. It assists post-communist countries with their transition to a democratic, rule of law state with a market economy. It assists these countries to prepare for membership of the European Union. Sigma was one of the founding institutions that supported the creation of NISPAcee. Prior to Sigma, Bob was one of the founders, Deputy Director of the OECD’s Public Governance Directorate.
11th Conference in Bucharest, Romania, 2003
Topic:
Gearing Governments for Weaving the Future
Tony Verheijen, The World Bank, USA
Yehezkel Dror, Hebrew University, Israel
10th Conference in Cracow, Poland, 2002
Topic:
Renewing Public Leadership: The Context for Service Delivery Reform
Jak Jabes began his academic career at the University of Ottawa where, from between 1973-1993, he undertook research, which focused on organisational renewal, rewards in the work place, job motivation, public policy issues and surveys of managerial attitudes. His best-known work is a book, in partnership with David Zussman, entitled "The Vertical Solitude which describes management practices in the federal public service of Canada and compares them with those in the private sector". He has been Editor in Chief of Optimum: The Journal of Public Sector Management and also the Associate Editor of the International Review of Administrative Sciences, where he is currently on the Editorial Board. He is the author, co-author or editor of a dozen books and 60 book chapters, articles, papers and reports. His book entitled "Traité des Organisations" received special mention by Harvard l'Expansion for Best Books in Management published in France in 1982.
Geert Bouckaert is Professor of Public Management at the KU Leuven, Belgium. His research topics include public sector reform and performance in the public sector. He is past President of the European Group for Public Administration and currently Chair of the Scientific Committee of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences.
9th Conference
Topic:
Delivery of Public Services with Social Responsibility
Marek Debicki, University of Manitoba, Canada