Cosponsors/联合发起单位

• China-Arab Network of Schools of Public Policy and Administration (CANSPPA)/中阿公共政策与管理学院网络

• International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS)/国际行政科学学会 
  Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) /全球公共管理院校联盟
  Middle East and North Africa Public Administration Research Network (MENAPAR) /中东北非公共管理研究网络

Host /主办方

• Institute for Global Public Policy, Fudan University/复旦大学全球公共政策研究院

Back-To-Back Conference/背靠背会议

• IIAS 2026 Conference in Seoul, South Korea (Nov 17-20 2026)/国际行政科学学会2026年首尔年会（2026年11月17-20日） 
  

Conference Theme: Public Administration and Policy in the Age of Global Governance

The deepening of globalization has fundamentally reshaped the landscape of public administration and policy. We have entered an era of global governance, characterized by a central paradox: the need to supply global public goods effectively in the absence of a global government. This new reality presents profound challenges and unprecedented opportunities for both the theory and practice of public administration.

Traditional models of public administration and policy, largely developed within the framework of the nation-state, are increasingly strained by transnational issues such as climate change, pandemics, digital regulation, migration, biodiversity, and financial instability. How can we design and implement policies that transcend borders? What new institutional forms, collaborative networks, and governance mechanisms are required to manage collective action problems on a global scale? How can we ensure accountability, equity, and effectiveness in a polycentric governance system composed of traditional, nontraditional, and even nonhuman actors?

This conference aims to explore these critical questions. We invite scholars and practitioners to examine how public administration and policy are evolving in response to the demands of global governance. We are particularly interested in how different administrative traditions and reform experiences can contribute to a more robust and nuanced understanding of these global challenges and appropriate governance interventions. The emergence of diverse regulatory standards, the role of international organizations, the rise of transnational policy networks, and the potential for policy learning and transfer across different contexts are all central to this inquiry.

Special Focus: Bridging China and Arab, Bridging Global South and North

China and the Arab world, as vital components of the Global South, are rapidly modernizing their domestic public governance while simultaneously becoming integral parts of the global governance architecture. Their experiences, challenges, and innovations are crucial for shaping the future of global public policy. China-Arab Network of Schools of Public Policy and Administration (CANSPPA) serves as a key bridge between the Chinese and Arab public administration scholarly communities, fostering mutual exchange and cooperation. Meanwhile, CANSPPA serves as a key platform of exchange and cooperation between the Global South and the North, highlighted by its cooperation with global PA/PP associations such as IIAS and NASPAA. This conference seeks to build on this foundation by bringing together global scholars to advance our collective understanding of the trends and challenges facing public administration and policy in the age of global governance.

Call for Submissions

We welcome submissions of original research papers and panel proposals that address the conference theme. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Theoretical frameworks for understanding public management in a polycentric world.

• Comparative studies on administrative and policy issues across countries and regions.

• International organizations and transnational networks in policy formulation and implementation.

• Challenges and solutions in PA/PP areas such as health, education, climate and environment, digitalization and AI, international development, and public services from local, regional, and global governance perspectives.

• The interplay between domestic public administration and global policy regimes.

• Capacity building for global governance in the public sector.

• Global governance for accountability, transparency, equity, and inclusion.

• The role of South-South and triangular cooperation in public policy.

• Public administration education and training for a globalized era.

Themed Roundtables

The conference will host a series of roundtables aiming at community building, including:

Roundtable for public administration and policy associations.

Roundtable for academic journal editors.

Roundtable for MPA/MPP program directors.

Panel for MPA/MPP students.

CANSPPA member meeting and new member recruitment.

Others proposed by conference participants.

Submission Guidelines

We invite proposals for individual papers or pre-formed panels (comprising 3-5 papers).

Abstracts for individual papers should be no more than 300 words and include the paper’s title, research question, methodology, and main arguments. For practitioners, the abstract shall include speech title, major issues and arguments

Panel proposals should include a panel title, a brief description of the panel’s rationale (up to 250 words), and abstracts for each paper (following the individual paper guidelines).

All submissions must include the name(s), institutional affiliation(s), and contact information of the presenter(s).  

Roundtable proposals: if you plan to attend above themed roundtables as speakers, please provide basic information about your speeches/discussions.

Visa Issue: If participants may apply for Chinese visa, please indicate it and provide detailed personal information in your proposal including: Full name in your passport, Nationality, Passport Number, Gender, Date of Birth, and Place of Birth. The conference organizer will put such information in the invitation letter once online payment is made.  

Important Dates

• Proposal Submission Deadline: Sep 30, 2026 (Online application system will be open in May)

• Notification of Acceptance: By Oct 15, 2026 (on a first-come, first-served basis)

• Full Paper Submission: Nov 10, 2026

• Conference Dates: November 22-23, 2026

Publication Opportunities

High-quality papers presented at the conference are invited for submission to Global Public Policy and Governance (GPPG), the official journal of CANSPPA, and to International Review of Administrative Sciences (IRAS), the official journal of IIAS. Authors may indicate their publication interests in the proposal submitted to the conference. Publication decisions will follow regular review policies of the journal.

Best Paper Awards

The international scientific committee of the conference will select 2-3 papers submitted to the conference for Best Paper Awards, and will recommend these papers to above partnership journals of the conference for fast track review and publication.

Authors shall submit full papers by OCT 30, 2026 to be qualified for consideration for Best Paper Awards.

Registration Fee

Regular Registration: $100 USD

Participants from CANSPPA Member Institutions: $80 USD

(Find the list of CANSPPA members at: CANSPPA Members)

Back-to-back Conference Discount: The CANSPPA annual conference takes place right after the IIAS 2026 annual conference, which is hosted in Konkuk University in Seoul, South Korea during Nov 17-20. Participants to the CANSPPA conference can pay a discounted conference registration fee (USD 80) if they are also attendees to the IIAS conference. (IIAS 2026 Conference).    

Participants from Low-Income Economies and Lower-Middle Income Economies: Free of charge (Find the list the World Bank classification)

Students: Free of charge

Applicants shall pay registration fee online by Oct 30, 2026. Delayed payment will lead to the revocation of conference registration.

Venue and Participation

The conference will be held at the campus of Fudan University. It is the responsibility of participants to arrange their travel and local hotel. The conference will provide tea breaks and conference meals.

Contact

For any inquiries regarding the conference, please contact the organizing committee at: CANSPPA@fudan.edu.cn

We look forward to welcoming you to Shanghai for a stimulating and productive dialogue on the future of public administration and policy in our interconnected world.

Steering Committee (in alphabetical order)

Mohamad Alkadry, Immediate Past President of NASPAA

Yijia Jing, President of CANSPPA

Sofiane Sahraoui, Director General of IIAS

International Scientific Committee (in alphabetical order)

Ghadah Alarifi, CAPSARC School of Public Policy

Hamid Ali, Doha Institute

Alexey Barabarshev, Higher School of Economics

Heungsuk Choi, Korea University

Shahjahan Bhuiyan, American University in Cairo

Timothy Forsyth, LSE

Richard Freeman, Harvard University

Minna de Gerven, University of Helsinki

Dan Guttman, National Academy of Public Administration

Robin Haunschild, Max Planck Society

Alfred Ho, CITY University of Hong Kong

Weixing Hu, University of Macau

Daniel Kubler, University of Zurich

Jenny Lewis, University of Melbourne

Christiane Liermann, German-Italian Centre for European Dialogue

Karl Lofgren, Victoria University in Wellington

Warren Mabee, Queen’s University

Jose Puppim de Oliveira, FGV  

Walid Salameh, Association of Arab Universities

Jue Wang, Nanyang Technological University

Jinming Yan, Renmin University of China

Xufeng Zhu, Tsinghua University

About Conference Cosponsors and Hosts

CANSPPA

The China-Arab Network for Schools of Public Policy and Administration (CANSPPA) is a non-profit academic alliance initiated by the Institute for Global Public Policy at Fudan University, with support from the Secretariat of the League of Arab States and the Association of Arab Universities. Its members include schools of public policy and administration and other relevant academic institutions from China and Arab countries. The Network aims to promote knowledge sharing, policy coordination, and joint talent development between China and the Arab world, and between the Global South and North. It strives to foster innovative higher education and research cooperation, gradually evolving into an open South-South dialogue mechanism focused on shared challenges such as economic transformation, environmental and climate governance, technological innovation, poverty reduction, and sustainable development. Web: CANSPPA

IIAS

The International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) is an international non-profit organization with scientific purposes. IIAS is a federation of member states, national sections and academic research centres jointly elaborating public governance solutions to the policy challenges of the day. The Institute aims to organize high impact events targeting and involving both public service and academia, produce and disseminate relevant knowledge on public governance, enable collaborative and strategic projects with members and partners, accredit both academic and professional training programs in line with standards of best practices in public management, and produce and promote comprehensive content on public governance research and practice to different audiences. Web: IIAS

NASPAA

The Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) is the global standard in public service education. It is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership association with over 300 institutional member schools at U.S. and non-U.S. universities that award degrees in public administration, public policy, public affairs, non-profit and related fields. It is the recognized global accreditor of master's degree programs in these fields. NASPAA’s twofold mission is to ensure excellence in education and training for public service and to promote the ideal of public service. Web: NASPAA

MENAPAR

The Middle East and North Africa Public Administration Research (MENAPAR) is an NGO registered in Brussels, with its Secretariat in Bahrain and serving the MENA region. It is a joint effort of the Bahrain Institute of Public Administration (BIPA) and UNDP-Bahrain with approximately 60 members currently. MENAPAR in its intrinsic nature is a model of South-South cooperation for knowledge creation and exchanges that occur among member's organizations and individuals from government and civil society.  

IGPP

The Fudan Institute for Global Public Policy (IGPP) is dedicated to research and education in global public policy and governance. IGPP studies public administration and policy issues at local, national, international and global levels highlighting the influences from globalization. Through interdisciplinary research and innovative international cooperation, IGPP aims to train for China and the world young talents with visions, capabilities, and sense of responsibilities of global governance, and provide academic research and policy advice for China and other global actors. IGPP hosts the LSE-Fudan Research Centre for Global Public Policy and the Fudan-Arab Research Centre for Global Development and Governance, the international journal Global Public Policy and Governance, and the China-Arab Network of Schools of Public Policy and Administration, striving to build itself as an open and excellent global public policy school. Web: IGPP