Conference Agenda

South African democracy took a place after 1994 end of apartheid era. Party politics took a different turn after elections of African National Congress (ANC) led government in South Africa, and many other African countries that won independence in different parts of Africa are not exceptional. The democratic crisis in each country in developing third world countries is associated with an economic crisis that triggers migration to contribute corruption and criminal activities in receiving countries. But how leadership of a country governs its country, make laws in parliament and their decision making of policies have can impact lives of its citizens positively or negatively. The study seeks to address governance and leadership crisis in managing public sector in South Africa with the aim to curb corruption and strengthen laws that will benefits the masses. The study applied qualitative methodology. This study applied secondary data collection. The study has obtained data from government websites and international organizations’ reports, Civil societies publications, books, articles, newspapers, and government documents. The paper finds that bad economic policies, laws that are not implemented, and international factors contribute to decline of democracy in South Africa. The crisis of governance is triggered by mismanagement of public resources by political leadership and will still thrive due to National Government of Unity where politicians make laws to benefits their own parties. Tenders benefit few individuals and contribute to unemployment. Political elites and private sector collude to promote corruption through tender system and Middlemen agencies. The paper concludes that political leaders are now being infiltrated in South Africa by immigrants who have senior positions in government some are deployed in public sector and make laws that benefits themselves and their people from respective countries. The study recommends that Members of Parliaments salaries to be paid by their own parties, End cadre deployment and deploy only qualified citizens who qualifies disregard political affiliation, end tender system, and put the under Public Works to create employment and remove middlemen on electricity billing.

This study explores the pivotal role of collaborative leadership in fostering innovation within government agencies and public service organizations. In an era marked by increasing complexity and heightened public expectations, the public sector faces significant challenges in developing and implementing innovative solutions to pressing societal issues. Through a narrative review of literature from 2014 to 2024, this research identifies key collaborative leadership competencies essential for driving innovation. The study also examines barriers to collaborative innovation and proposes strategies to overcome these challenges. The findings underscore the importance of adaptive and inclusive leadership in navigating the complexities of public sector innovation, emphasizing the need for leaders to create environments that encourage experimentation, risk-taking, and collective problem-solving. By addressing these barriers and cultivating collaborative leadership skills, public sector organizations can unlock their potential for innovation, leading to more effective and responsive public service delivery. This research contributes to both academic and practical understandings of how collaborative leadership can drive meaningful innovation in the public sector, offering insights for future research and leadership development initiatives.

This paper explores the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence, particularly Generative AI (GAI), in shaping the education of digital competencies within public administration, with a focus on strengthening democratic resilience and preparing for the future. It argues that in the age of AI, teaching digital governance requires a fundamental reinvention of public administration curricula to ensure that future public managers and policymakers are equipped not only with technological literacy but also with the strategic capacity to govern emerging technologies in ways that uphold democratic values and generate public value. By addressing both theoretical and empirical dimensions, the study contributes to a transatlantic dialogue on how public institutions can adapt their educational frameworks to meet the challenges of digital transformation. A comprehensive literature review informs the development of a theoretical framework that identifies key challenges in the AI era. The analysis also examines how strategic leadership and organizational reform in graduate public affairs programs can foster the competencies needed to navigate technological change while reinforcing democratic governance.

In its research design, the paper is divided into two interconnected parts. Firstly, a thorough literature review will be conducted to establish a theoretical framework regarding the necessary learning and curriculum reforms to address the challenges of public administration education in the era of AI. Subsequently, documents on AI policy in teaching and learning and the curriculum, issued by top graduate public affairs programs in the US, will be collected and analyzed. The focus on the US/UK programs in the study is justified by the global profile of their student body and their mission of training and educating policy leaders. These documents will be coded and analyzed to investigate whether there is a gap between theory and practice in reforming public administration education for the AI era. The study will also reflect on the mission and vision of public administration education in the digital age in which public managers and policymakers will play a key role in digital transformation with these leading transformative technologies, along with its implications.

Graduate public affairs programs at US/UK universities are ranked by the US News & World Report and QS respectively. The top 10 programs of the US/UK in both rankings are included in the study. We will examine AI policies, which encompass various aspects of GAI usage, and assess the teaching curriculum, both core and elective, of these programs. This assessment will enable the identification of any gaps, including the lack of comprehensive curriculum reforms in teaching digital governance. Given the significance of AI in governance and the future of human society, including national competitiveness, these findings have serious implications for both the digital competencies of public managers and policymakers and the quality of governance. They highlight the need for new directions and reforms in public administration education that promote the integration of AI into the curriculum while fostering the development of essential skills and capacities, not only to facilitate human-AI collaboration but also to promote and manage the use of AI across all major policy areas.