On this page, you will find a brief description of every panel. If you would like to see a more detailed description of the themes of each panel and the papers that are welcomed, please refer to our website.

1. Administrative Ethics & Good Governance
This panel aims to feature work on normative questions of good governance, widely understood. This includes (1) research on the application of ethical principles to moral questions of public policy and the fulfillment of public office, (2) research on public values and conflict, integrity and anti-corruption and historical work on public sector reform and (3) research that engages in meta-theoretical analyses about the disciplinary and methodological commitments of administrative ethics as practiced today.

2. Algorithms & Digital Government
The work of government has completely digitised, including operations, service provisioning, and public policy. This panel aims to explore and investigate the role, use and effects of digital and algorithmic systems in the public sector.The panel welcomes empirical and theoretical papers, and is open to more normative and reflective work. It especially welcomes interdisciplinary contributions and transdisciplinary work. On the basis of a set of diverse contributions, we aim to engage in an academic debate on the state of the art of government use of AI, digital systems and data, as well as government responses to digital innovations.

3. Behavioural Public Administration
Behavioral public administration aims to integrate psychological research into the study of public administration (Grimmelikhuijsen et al. 2017). Theoretically, public administration scholars have started to borrow and extend theories from psychology and micro-economics. This panel focuses on using psychological insights within public administration to understand the attitudes and behaviors of individual citizens, civil servants, and elected officials. Methodologically, we invite all methodological approaches that aim to increase our understanding of the relationship between psychology and public administration. We also welcome innovative methods such as diary studies, machine learning, and eye tracking.

4. CIPA: Furthering critical and interpretive research in public administration
The aim of this recurring panel is to provide a home for critical and/or interpretive studies in public administration. Critical and interpretive scholars may find each other in an ambition to explore, at a fundamental level, the way in which actors ‘construct the world through acting on beliefs they also construct’ (Bevir & Rhodes, 2010, p. 73). The panel welcomes quality papers that explicitly apply a critical or interpretive approach, as well as reflexive papers about what ‘interpretive’ or ‘critical’ public administration research means or should mean.

5. Continuity and Change in EU Governance
The EU is under ever-increasing pressure to solve complex transnational societal problems, such as climate change and biodiversity loss, the refugee crisis and the war in Ukraine. Simultaneously, effective collective problem-solving is complicated by the upsurge of Eurosceptics and populism and the strong politicization of EU governance at the national level. This contestation hampers effective collective action at the EU level. The EU is therefore confronted by a pressing governance paradox: it must tackle profound challenges while scope for collective action is limited. This paradox has important ramifications for the institutional setup, functioning and outputs of EU governance.

6. Democratic Innovation and Citizen Participation
In light of dissatisfaction with the functioning of the democratic political system, many countries have developed innovative ways to let citizens participate in the political process. These include national, regional and local citizen assemblies, referendums, participatory budgeting, e-democracy platforms, right to challenge procedures, and all kinds of combination of these. In this panel, we aim to bring together scholarship from various fields and subfields that study such democratic innovations and citizen participation. The papers may be empirical studies that use any quantitative of qualitative methodology or theoretical accounts of the rationale and potential of further facilitating participation and deliberation.

7. Diversity, Representation, and Inclusion in Public Sector Organizations
The panel, part of the NIG colloquium “Diversity, Representation, and Inclusion,” focuses on the need for public organizations to be inclusive and representative, ensuring equal access to services for all. The panel invites papers on three themes: a) how organizations address issues of diversity, representation, and inclusion; b) the interplay between these issues and societal and technological changes; and c) the impacts of (managing) diversity, representation, and inclusion at various analytical levels (macro, meso, micro). The panel is open to scholars at all stages of their career and welcomes all types of research designs.

8. Doing PA Differently? The Role and Critique of Arts- and Design-based Practices in Public Administration / (Re)considering Design in Public Administration
Disclaimer: Panel 8 and 13 were merged together. Here, you will find the original short descriptions that were part of the panel descriptions.

Doing PA Differently? The Role and Critique of Arts- and Design-based Practices in Public Administration
Public administration scholars and policymakers increasingly use arts- and design-based practices to address complex societal challenges. These practices can challenge established routines and promote new ways of thinking, but their integration into public administration faces challenges. Arts-based practices can disrupt and offer new institutional arrangements and design-based practices might encourage innovation and participatory policymaking. However, these approaches are often seen as experimental and process-oriented, which might clash with traditional public administration methods. Additionally, there is a risk of these practices being instrumentalized, undermining their critical potential. This panel explores the collaborations between policymakers, researchers, artists, and designers, focusing on their practical applications, values, and potential pitfalls.

(Re)considering Design in Public Administration
Design is a crucial task for public organizations as they create institutions, strategies, policies, and services to improve society. However, most of this design work is currently approached in an analytical and technocratic manner, which neglects the complexity of societal issues and citizen needs. In response, design approaches such as design thinking, service design, social design, and systemic design have gained interest in public organizations. These approaches are more explorative, experimental, creative, and collaborative. Combining these rational-instrumental and creative-purposive logics has potential but also presents challenges. This panel aims to explore the synergy between these design logics and the necessary changes to realize it.

9. Innovation in Low Carbon Energy Transition Governance: Demonstration, Learning, Scaling, and Mainstreaming
Low carbon energy transition may be classified in terms of ‘wicked’ or at least ‘poorly structured’ problems. Current governance arrangements and organisation of the Dutch energy sector and other economic sectors are not adequate for transitioning towards reaching the 2050 goal. As traditional institutions are considered ineffective and failing to address tensions regarding conflicting public values there is a need for (re-)design of current frameworks, which also calls for innovation in governance and policy. This can be done by organising experiments with novel governance arrangements and policies, learn from them and program ways to scale good practice.

10. Legitimacy of Public Organisations During Societal Changes
This panel focuses on the legitimacy of public organisations amidst societal changes, including (but not exclusive to) (1) political polarization, (2) digitalization and (3) crises. These changes challenge the legitimacy of public organisations and put bureaucratic problem-solving capacity to a critical test. Legitimacy is crucial for organisational survival, as well as for people’s willingness to accept rules and decisions. This panel invites contributions that focus on how societal changes affect the legitimacy of public organisations and/or how public organisations react and respond to these challenges to secure their legitimacy.

11. Managing and Leading Employees in Public Organizations
Managing and leading employees has been considered one of the most important aspects of the management of public organizations. Even though public leadership-, public management- and HRM scholars have been interested in the question of how to manage employees in public organizations, there is still a lot to gain when it comes to integrating these streams of literature. Therefore, our proposed panel welcomes research on public management, public leadership, and HRM directed towards managing and influencing employees in public organizations.

12. Political Economy of the Green Transition
The workshop establishes a conversation between scholars of political economy and public administration to address questions related to the green transition. The overlap in their research agendas provides fertile ground for a productive exchange of scholarly insights between these two fields. Papers will focus on how governments manage the green transition at the national, supranational, and local levels, how they mediate between domestic interests and stakeholders, and how they navigate the tensions between long-established legacies and the need for policy change. Our geographic focus is global, allowing participants to present work on different countries, regions, or continents.

13. Robust & Time Sensitive Governance: Dealing With Uncertainty
Today’s governmental context is characterized by all sorts of geopolitical tensions, new technological developments (AI especially), grand sustainability challenges and increasing climate extremes. Huge uncertainties about these developments should not lead to a postponement of difficult decisions about sustainability transitions and improve the preparedness of governments towards future crises. This panel aims to further explore what enables governments to deal with uncertainty in the face of turbulence to better prepare for future shocks and climate extremes and when and why governments do not deal with uncertainty at all. The panel will contribute to evidence-based policy making, time-sensitive and robust governance.

14. Solving Societal Issues Through Networks, Collaborations and Partnerships
Solving societal issues and providing services through networks is often propagated, but for networks to deliver results, sufficient governance capacity is required and the right conditions at the institutional, network, and actor level need to be present. The central questions dealt with in this panel are to what extent collaboration in networks delivers results, which governance capacity is necessary, and to what extent governments, public and private organizations possess that capacity sufficiently to function in and manage network portfolios to achieve impact. Join us for an interesting discussion and bring your work to the table!

15. Street-level Bureaucracy of the 21st Century
Street-level professionals, such as social workers, police officers, inspectors, nurses, or teachers, often determine what, how and to whom public services are delivered while operating in uncertain and complex environments. They (must) make these decisions while facing limited resources and juxtaposing different (and often conflicting) values. Their work environments simultaneously encompass ongoing developments such as digitalization, citizen co-production, regulatory pressure, and responsive lawmaking that can put conflictual demands on street-level bureaucrats. This panel focuses on understanding the impact of those environments on decision-making of street-level professionals as well as the impact it has on how citizen-clients are evaluated and treated.

16. The Governance of Anti-discrimination: Insights Into Institutions, Policies and Networks
Anti-discrimination has re-emerged into the heart of governance at various levels, including the local level as well as the national and European level. Also, we see a clear connection between anti-discrimination governance and the rebuilding of trust in (government, political) institutions. In this workshop, our primary focus will be on policies, institutions and actor networks in the field of anti-discrimination governance. We especially welcome papers based on recent empirical research in the Low Countries, or based on comparative data in a European context.

17. The Multiple Levels of Public and Political Leadership
We invite scholars to submit papers for the PUPOL Colloquium of NIG, focusing on the multilevel aspects of public and political leadership. Addressing the complexities of societal issues requires interdisciplinary approaches and an understanding of leadership's various layers, contexts, and interactions. We welcome research from diverse disciplines exploring formal and informal, hierarchical and shared leadership within political arenas, societies, and organizations. Contributions should aim to enrich the dialogue on leadership science and practice, offering empirical and conceptual insights. Join us in advancing the understanding of leadership's role in tackling today’s societal challenges.

18. The New Role of Citizens in Multi-level Democracies
Citizen participation has been put forward as a way to address weaknesses in democratic-representative democratic systems. However, making citizen participation work has proven a challenge, at each single level of governance. These challenges are further compounded when citizen participation is part of complex, multilevel political processes that involve decisions and actors at multiple levels of governance. This panel explores the practices and challenges of, as well as the opportunities for, citizen participation in multilevel governance systems, both within and beyond national states.

19. Urban Governance in Times of Densification and Polarization
Cities are promoting higher densification to address mobility, environmental, and quality of life challenges, inspired by concepts like the 15-minute city. However, densification has also led to increased polarization, including socio-economic inequalities and political fragmentation. This panel explores urban governance amid densification and polarization, addressing issues such as housing, public infrastructure, citizen participation and social equity. Contributions are sought from academics, practitioners, and thinkers, including traditional research, practical case studies, and visionary essays. Organized by the Urban Governance Research Network, the panel aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of these issues, welcoming diverse international perspectives.

20. Democracy versus autocracy? Democracy challenges in Central and Eastern Europe, EU accession countries and EU's wider eastern neighbourhood
This panel addresses the drivers, opportunities for and blockages against democratic reforms in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), EU accession countries and EU's wider eastern neighbourhood. We take stock of developments in democracy-building and democracy protection, and identify, analyse and explain behavioural, institutional and structural blockages to democratic reform, and the conditions under which they can be overcome. A particular emphasis is placed on reforms linked to the recently reinvigorated enlargement process to the Western Balkan countries, and the accession process of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia to the EU.