Conference Agenda

The US federal government is experiencing dramatic challenges to both management and its political institutions. These proposed or implemented changes raise basic, fundamental questions not only for the US, but for public administration as a discipline and a profession. Some of the most pressing issues are human resource management issues including the relevance of the merit system; appropriate staffing levels; the ability to attract and retain qualified people in highly skilled positions; and appropriate termination policies.

Several highly contentious policy issues being debated -- such as immigration, taxation, and health care -- raise basic questions about the separation of powers and federalism. Together, these issues raise fundamental questions about both the capacity of agencies to provide essential public services and the future of American government.

The American Society of Public Administration (ASPA) is the US leader in advancing excellence in public service and in promoting discourse on public management policies. This summer, ASPA will be issuing a series of statements about management issues in the federal government. This presentation will detail these statements and set them in the larger context of the American system. It will provide a view of the future of American public administration and the response to these challenges. The broader implications for Europe will be discussed.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed and exacerbated social, economic, and health inequities, particularly for vulnerable populations, while challenging the adaptive capacity of local governments and civil society organizations (CSOs) to respond effectively (Marmot et al., 2020). Local government agencies and CSOs navigated this complex socio-political environment, requiring a robust adaptive capacity to ensure both organizational resilience and democratic performance, such as the equitable and inclusive provision of services. This study expands an adaptive capacity framework (Prysmakova & Pysmenna, 2024), centered on organizational slack as shaped by cultural values (learning, responsiveness, motivation, innovation) and structural factors (multiplexity, flexibility, loose coupling, redundancy), by examining 55 government and nonprofit organizations across four countries: the UK, US, Canada, and Poland. Drawing on organizational theories (Staber & Sydow, 2002), sociological perspectives (Erni, 2019), and democratic governance principles (Bryer & Prysmakova, 2018), the study explores cultural and structural factors that shape government and civil society organizations’ ability to mobilize resources and adapt to challenges, thereby supporting democratic values within public administration.

Through in-depth semi-structured interviews with organizational leaders, supported by inductive coding and content analysis, we identify emergent subcategories of adaptive capacity. This study emphasizes the concept of evolutionary resilience, which prioritizes transformation over mere survival through double-loop learning and intentional questioning of organizational norms (Davoudi et al., 2013; Argyris, 1977). It explores how internal cultural characteristics, such as shared vision and openness to new ideas (Strichman et al., 2008), and external structural properties, like multiplexity and bridging organizations (Armitage & Plummer, 2010), enable organizations to balance resource allocation and democratic legitimacy quests (Moore, 1995). This research contributes to public administration theory by advancing the understanding of adaptive capacity as a driver of evolutionary resilience and to practice by providing local government and civil society leaders with strategies to foster inclusivity and adaptability, ensuring public administrations are better equipped to promote wellbeing and represent future generations in crisis response.

This paper examines the evolving dynamics of North-South interstate relations through the lens of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a regional bloc formed by Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. Traditionally shaped by postcolonial dependency and Western-led security interventions, the relationship between Sahelian states and their Northern counterparts is undergoing a strategic reset. The formation of the AES marks a decisive move toward regional self-determination, security autonomy, and a rejection of neo-colonial influence, particularly from former colonial powers like France. Pan-Africanism has been used as a theoretical framework. The paper utilises document analysis, including newspapers and other media reports. Different agreements and the dissolution of long-standing agreements and partnerships were instrumental in analysing current affairs. By fostering South-South cooperation and exploring alternative global partnerships, the AES seeks to reconfigure geopolitical alignments and assert a new model of sovereignty in the Global South. This case study highlights the implications of this shift for international relations, development policy, and the future of regional integration in Africa.