Engaged research, while often overlooked, is critical to public administration and public service around the world due to its impact on communities and policymaking. While the use of public and stakeholder engagement in public administration practice is increasingly routine, it is far less common among public administration researchers. At the same time, it is clear that those using engaged and applied approaches can solve real-world problems for and with communities, agencies, NGOs, and other partners. Engaged research can be designed to integrate the knowledge of researchers and those outside of academia, drawing on crucial contextual knowledge. Collaboration between academics and external partners helps to ensure that research questions are relevant, addressing the most current issues and producing research that can be implemented. Partnerships can also offer valuable access to data and research subjects that add to the quality of the research.

Overall, it is clear that research that is connected with policymaking can help to improve quality of life and bridge academic and practitioner communities in public administration. Engaged research is regarded by some as more difficult and less rigorous, yet there are established methods and practices in engaged research that are on par with those associated with other research approaches. Fortunately, engaged research practices are becoming more widespread. As engaged research is published, it advances theoretical, methodological, and practical impacts. Further, many doctoral students and early career scholars’ area seeking support for using engaged research practices.

Acknowledging these current conditions, we aim to engage scholars from Europe and the US to explore opportunities to further advance engaged research. The session will feature members of the American Society of Public Administration’s ad hoc committee on engaged research, sharing insights on the challenges and opportunities associated with engaged research. Further, speakers will share insights from a recent literature review of published engaged research – highlighting both exemplary approaches to writing about engaged research and insights about how to conduct research in this manner. They will also share strategies for engagement that can be used at each phase of the research process. Finally, the panel will identify opportunities for Transatlantic cooperation between EGPA and ASPA to further elevate engaged research approaches. We seek a high level of audience input and will utilize engaged techniques to support dialogue among those in attendance.