Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with abstracts and downloads if available).
Please note that all times are shown in the time zone of the conference. The current conference time is: 14th Aug 2025, 03:47:06am BST
Session Chair: Anne DRUMAUX, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) Session Chair: Prof. Åge JOHNSEN, Oslo Metropolitan University Session Chair: Dr. Paul Christopher JOYCE, University of Birmingham
Moderator
: Prof. Francesco LONGO, Bocconi University
"Big strategic issues"
Presentations
The crisis of design in American government
Alasdair Scott ROBERTS
University of Massachusetts Amherst, United States of America
The American political system confronts two distinct crises. The first is the crisis of the moment, stemming from President Trump's controversial actions since January 2025. The second is the deeper crisis of design, relating to flaws in the system's architecture that predate Trump and will persist beyond his presidency. In the long run, the crisis of design is more consequential. Over-centralization within the system has contributed to four pathologies: overload, gridlock, societal polarization, and programmatic inefficiency and sclerosis. A better-designed system would be one in which authority was devolved and central institutions reconfigured. Systemic reform would be hard to accomplish, because of constitutional constraints and a culture of anti-governmentalism. Still, major reform is essential. History demonstrates that large and complex political systems are fragile. They are particularly prone to collapse under turbulent conditions, like those facing the American system in coming decades.
The Role of Strategic Capacity and Leaders in the Delivery of Public Administration Reforms by Member States of the EU
Paul Christopher JOYCE
University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
This paper examines the relationship between strategic capacity, political and administrative leadership, and the successful implementation of public administration reforms in EU member states. Public administration reforms matter for a variety of reasons, including the enhancement of government effectiveness and the quality of government services and regulatory activity. However, we know from recent research into reforms in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) by de Vries and Nemec (2025) that the extent to which governments possess strategic and implementation capacities matters but also that their extent varies significantly across the CEE countries that joined the EU. This study extends the study of de Vries and Nemec (2025) to the whole of the EU. It begins by exploring the theoretical underpinnings of strategic capacity and leadership. It then uses secondary data published in 2021, uses comparative case study methods, and assesses the implications for theory and practice. The paper's key aim, as already stated, will be to investigate the relationship between strategic capacity and leadership in reform success of failure. This will entail the paper looking at strategic reform planning and the work of political leaders (authorising and resourcing) and administrative leaders (policy advice and implementation). In addition, an attempt will be made to identify the trajectory of increases in strategic capacity (long-term or rapid increases in critical junctures). Comparisons of countries will include some comparisons of country clusters. The clusters are still to be clarified (e.g., Denmark. Germany, Sweden, etc. versus Bulgaria, Greece, Romania etc). Possible practical implications include how leaders can increase strategic capacity for reform: for example through leaders' strategic actions with respect to institutional factors, and through leaders' adeptly mobilising external support by the EU,
