Call for papers/Topics

Full Articles/ Reviews/ Shorts Papers/ Abstracts are welcomed in the following research fields:

1. Foundational Theories and Models of Governance

These core topics establish how public administration evolved from strict, rule-bound systems into agile, modern networks.

• Classical Administrative Theory

  • Bureaucratic Model (Max Weber’s characteristics of hierarchy, division of labor, and formal rules)

  • Scientific Management (Taylorism and efficiency in the public sector)

  • Administrative Management Theory (Gulick's POSDCORB: Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, Coordinating, Reporting, Budgeting)

• The Evolution of Public Management

  • New Public Management (NPM): Introducing market-driven, private-sector practices into public agencies

  • New Public Service (NPS): Focusing on citizens, democracy, and public value rather than just efficiency

  • Digital Era Governance (DEG): How internet-based and data-driven systems restructure state functions

• Interrelated Concepts in Theory

  • The Politics-Administration Dichotomy (The theoretical separation between political lawmakers and neutral administrators)

  • Public Value Creation (How administrators balance political mandates with actual societal good)

2. Civil Service Structure, Personnel, and Human Resource Management

This theme focuses on the "civil service" itself—the systems, rules, and individuals who staff the machinery of government.

• Civil Service Systems

  • Merit-Based vs. Spoils Systems (Objective qualifications versus political patronage/appointments)

  • Career Systems (Closed, lifetime advancement tracks) vs. Position Systems (Open competitive hiring for specific roles)

  • The Role of Civil Service Commissions (Independent oversight bodies that protect neutrality)

• Strategic Public Human Resource Management (HRM)

  • Recruitment, selection, and retention in the face of private-sector competition

  • Performance appraisal frameworks and civil service pay structures

  • Collective bargaining, public-sector unions, and labor relations

• Interrelated Workforce Issues

  • Representative Bureaucracy (Ensuring civil service demographics mirror the general public to build trust)

  • The Neutrality-Responsiveness Dilemma (How civil servants remain politically neutral while executing the highly political agendas of elected leaders)

3. Public Policy Formulation, Implementation, and Evaluation

Public administration is the primary engine through which public policies are converted from abstract laws into real-world programs.

• The Policy Cycle

  • Agenda Setting and Problem Definition (How issues get the attention of administrators and politicians)

  • Policy Formulation and Design (Drafting regulations, operational guidelines, and legal frameworks)

  • Policy Implementation (The mechanics of executing programs on the ground)

• Evaluation and Analysis

  • Program Evaluation Métriques (Assessing efficiency, effectiveness, and equity)

  • Policy Instrumentation (Choosing between direct delivery, subsidies, taxes, or behavioral nudges)

• Interrelated Policy Realities

  • Street-Level Bureaucracy (How frontline workers, like police officers or social workers, rewrite policy through daily discretion)

  • Regulatory Capture (When public administrative agencies become co-opted by the private industries they are supposed to regulate)

4. Public Budgeting, Finance, and Fiscal Administration

Money dictates capability. This area covers how resources are extracted, allocated, and audited within the public sphere.

• Budgetary Frameworks

  • Line-Item Budgeting (Focusing strictly on inputs and control)

  • Performance-Based and Outcome Budgeting (Tying funding directly to agency performance metrics)

  • Zero-Based Budgeting (Justifying all expenses from scratch every fiscal cycle)

• Revenue and Financial Oversight

  • Public revenue generation (Taxation, user fees, public debt management, and sovereign funds)

  • Government auditing (Supreme audit institutions, compliance reviews, and financial accountability)

• Interrelated Financial Realities

  • Fiscal Decentralization (How funds are split between central, state, and local governments)

  • Intergovernmental Grants (The political and administrative strings attached to centralized funding)

5. Public Sector Ethics, Accountability, and Law

Because public administration wields the coercive power of the state, it requires deep checks, balances, and ethical anchors.

• Administrative Law

  • Delegated Legislation (When legislatures give civil servants the power to write specific rules and regulations)

  • Judicial Review of Administrative Actions (How courts prevent bureaucratic overreach or abuse of discretion)

  • Principles of Natural Justice and Procedural Fairness

• Accountability Mechanisms

  • Internal Oversight (Inspectors General, internal compliance divisions, and whistleblower protections)

  • External Oversight (Legislative committees, Ombudsman offices, and media scrutiny)

• Interrelated Ethical Dilemmas

  • Administrative Discretion vs. Democratic Accountability (Balancing a civil servant’s need to make quick decisions with the public's right to control them)

  • Combating Administrative Corruption (Designing systemic walls against bribery, nepotism, and cronyism)

6. E-Governance, Digital Transformation, and Public Innovation

Modern public administration relies heavily on technology to meet citizen expectations in the 21st century.

• Digital Government Infrastructure

  • E-Government Maturity Models (Transitioning from informational websites to transactional portals)

  • Interoperability Frameworks (Enabling different government agencies to safely share citizen data)

  • Data Privacy, Cybersecurity, and Identity Management (e.g., National ID registries)

• Emerging Technologies in Administration

  • Algorithmic decision-making and Artificial Intelligence in public service delivery

  • Smart Cities and IoT (Internet of Things) infrastructure management

• Interrelated Socio-Technical Challenges

  • The Digital Divide (Ensuring technology-driven public services do not exclude marginalized or offline populations)

  • Agile Public Innovation (Balancing the risk-averse nature of the civil service with the iterative, high-risk nature of tech adoption)