2017 Annual Conference

http://aapa.asia

Astana, Kazakhstan on 13-14 April, 2017

Call for Papers

The Asian Association for Public Administration (AAPA), the Regional Hub of Civil Service in Astana (www.regionalhub.org), and the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan (www.pa-academy.kz) will host the AAPA annual conference. It will be held in Astana, Kazakhstan from April 13 (Thursday) to 14 (Friday), 2017.

1. Conference Main Theme and Sub-Themes

The main theme of this conference is: New Challenges for Public Administration and Governance in Asia: Harnessing Opportunities within the Context of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Its sub-themes include: (1) the sustainable future of public administration and public governance in Asia; (2) challenges of local governance for meeting SDGs; (3) excellence in public management and challenges of performance and delivery; (4) public administration in the digital age (digital competencies, e-governance and ICT human capacity development, open digital dividend, and the like); (5) global competitiveness and public administration, and implications for education and science; (6) multi-stakeholder cooperation for inclusive and innovative public services; and (7) building partnership for civil service excellence focusing on SDGs 16 and 17 (ACSH Session).

Well-constructed and successful public administration and governance systems are the platform for the development and prosperity of any country. Most Asian countries are therefore searching for optimal solutions to modernize public administration in order to address new challenges. The 2017 AAPA Conference will look for cutting-edge solutions through the prism of internationally agreed SDGs. Accordingly, prospective participants are invited to submit papers with up-to-date research and approaches for connecting public administration and governance reform within the context of SDGs. The working language of the conference is English.

2. Deadlines for Abstracts and Full Papers

Abstracts (no more than 500 words in English) for all papers should be sent as an email attachment to aapa2017.kazakhstan@gmail.com no later than October 31, 2016 (submission closed).

Abstracts should not be more than one-page long, single-spaced, but all should include the following information: (1) author(s) name, title or position, institutional affiliation, and official address;(2) contact details (email and work phone) of corresponding author(s); (3) presentation paper title and its sub-theme category; and (4) the presentation paper abstract (no more than 500 words in English).

After an anonymous evaluation, an official acceptance letter will be sent no later than November 30, 2016 to the authors whose abstracts have been accepted. After acceptance, full papers must be sent as an email attachment to aapa2017.kazakhstan@gmail.com no later than February 20, 2017.

3. Consideration for the Best Paper and Practice Awards

Among the papers presented at the conference, the Best Paper Awards (Best Graduate Student Paper Award for “graduate students”; Best Conference Paper Award for “scholars and researchers”; and Best Practice Award for “innovative practitioners” in the "local" government) will be awarded by the AAPA President based on the evaluation of the Award Committee composed of the members of the AAPA Board of Directors. To be considered for the Best Paper Awards, the full paper must be submitted to the conference organizer by February 20, 2017 and he/she must deliver the paper on site along with his/her own AAPA annual membership fee payment. For more details of the Best Paper and Practice Awards, please visit the AAPA website (meetings -- best paper and practice awards) at /contents/bbspage/xbd/board.php?bo_table=m2_db4&wr_id=1.

4. Registration - please fill in the registration form as attached above and send it to the local organizing committee as soon as possible

Every participant must pay the registration fee. There are two categories of the registration fee: (1) US$100 for students; and (2) US$150 for non-students. AAPA is an individual-membership-based organization and the registration fee mentioned above includes a US$50 AAPA annual membership fee. The conference organizers will provide presenters with meals during the conference. All participants are responsible for their own international/local airfares, accommodation, and other travel costs. In other words, travel-related costs will NOT be assisted by the conference organizers or AAPA.

5. Venue and Hotels

This conference will be held in Astana, Kazakhstan. Detailed information for the conference venue and local hotels will be posted in the AAPA website (http://aapa.asia) in due course. The main conference venue is Astana Marriott Hotel in Astana: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/tsemc-astana-marriott-hotel/ (Please contact the local organizing committee for more details about the conference room rate and other reasonable local hotels). 

Air Astana (KC) is the principal airline and the flag carrier of the Republic of Kazakhstan, based in Almaty, Kazakhstan and it operates scheduled domestic and international services on 64 routes from its main hub, Almaty International Airport, and from its secondary hub, Astana International Airport.

6. Due Dates

Abstract Submission to aapa2017.kazakhstan@gmail.com: October 31, 2016 (Closed) 

Authors Notification (Acceptance letter): November 30, 2016 

Final Paper Submission: February 20, 2017 (particularly, in order to be considered for possible best awards, he/she must submit a complete full paper to the Local Organizing Committee by February 20, 2017)

Hotel Check-in and Registration: April 12, 2017

Conference Dates: April 13-14, 2017

7. Contact Persons for Logistics and Conference-Related Matters

For logistics and conference venue, please contact: Mr. Olzhas Bayanov, Administrative and Finance Assistant, Regional Hub of Civil Service in Astana, e-mail olzhas.bayanov@undp.org  

For conference-related matters, please contact: Ms. Zhanar Kul-Mukhammed, Capacity Development Specialist, Regional Hub of Civil Service in Astana, e-mail zhanar.kul-mukhammed@undp.org

8. Conference Schedule and Program -- please see the detailed conference program (PDF file attached above)

The following is a brief time framework of the 2017 annual conference.

April 12 (Wednesday): participants’ arrival from overseas and check-in hotels

April 13 (Thursday): Opening ceremony and concurrent sessions; as well as welcome reception in the evening

April 14 (Friday): concurrent sessions

April 14 (early Friday afternoon): general assembly and closing ceremony after lunch

April 14 (late Friday afternoon): excursion (city tour) after the closing ceremony

9. Others

For any AAPA policies and membership-related general matters, please contact: 

Professor Pan Suk Kim (AAPA President) or Dr. Tae In (Ry) Park (AAPA Executive Secretary at aapa@yonsei.ac.kr. Phone: +82-10-4706-0219, Fax: +82-33-763-4324

Website of the Asian Association for Public Administration (AAPA): http://aapa.asia  

News coverage:

- Bnews in Kazakhstan on January 20, 2017: Astana Regional Hub strengthens partnership with AAPA  

http://bnews.kz/en/redesign/news/astana_regional_hub_strengthens_partnership_with_aapa

- Astana Times on January 25, 2017:  Asian Public Administration Association, Regional Hub of Civil Service Mull Cooperation

https://astanatimes.com/2017/01/asian-public-administration-association-kazakhstan-regional-hub-of-civic-service-mull-cooperation/

-Eurasian National University on October 18, 2016: The 2017 Annual Conference of the Asian Association for Public Administration (AAPA) in Astana

http://www.enu.kz/en/info/announcements/45685/