Theme: Global Strategies, Local Realities: Bridging Renewal and Resilience Through Comparative Lenses

About the Symposium
In conjunction with the theme of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Annual Conference "Building a Bridge to Renewal and Resilience," the SICA Fred Riggs Symposium Committee invites scholars, practitioners, and students to submit paper proposals for the 2026 Symposium. The symposium brings together experts worldwide to critically discuss key issues facing comparative public administration.

Program Format
The symposium will be structured as a full-day event scheduled for Friday, March 20, featuring multiple concurrent panel sessions throughout the day. The program will include keynote sessions featuring distinguished scholars and practitioners, interactive discussion forums, and networking opportunities. Each session will incorporate dedicated time for audience engagement and Q&A to foster meaningful dialogue among participants.

Featured Topics
We welcome proposals that analyze civil service systems, governance structures, frameworks, or cultures in a comparative manner. Such can address, but are not limited to, the following areas:

 

• Strategies for renewal and resilience;

• Ethical approaches to studying renewal and resilience;

• Digital transformation (including AI) in public sector renewal and resilience;

• Leadership for renewal and resilience in the public sector;

• Leveraging trust to navigate challenges and build resilience;

• Human resource management strategies facing disruption and transformation;

• Changing roles of emergency and disaster management;

• Finance and budgeting for accountable continuity of operations;

• Global policy strategies to meet local realities;

• Climate change and adaptation for resilience;

• Public affairs education through agile and resilient pedagogies;

• Civil society and cross-sectoral collaboration;

• Challenges in democratic governance in community resilience for renewal.

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Special Features

• Presentation of papers eligible for the SICA Garcia-Zamor Best Paper Award

• Opportunities for publication in a special journal issue

 

Important Information for Participants

• The symposium will follow ASPA's one-presentation-per-person policy

• All presenters must register for the ASPA Annual Conference

• Presentation slots will include time for direct Q&A and audience engagement

 

Registration
Registration information will be available through the ASPA website. Early registration is encouraged as space may be limited.

Contact Information
For questions or additional information, please contact: Cristina Stanica, PhD, Symposium Chair Northeastern University

Symposium Committee

The 2025 Fred Riggs Symposium is organized by a distinguished committee of scholars from various institutions, ensuring diverse perspectives and rigorous academic standards.

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1. Cristina Stanica, Symposium Chair

2. Aroon Manoharan, SICA Chair

3. Jungwon Yeo

4. Ricardo Bello-Gomez

5. Benjamin Dille

6. Charlene Roach

7. Angela Paez

8. Juan David Gutiérrez