Hebrew University hosts successful conference
The IPSA Research Committee on Structure and Organization of Government held its annual conference, hosted by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, on January 5-7. The theme was: “what makes administrative agencies tick?” The conference benefited from a very large number of paper submissions, which allowed the organizers to be selective in ensuring high quality and coherent panels. Around forty participants presented their on-going work on interrelated themes such as agency autonomy, the changing dynamics of political control, agency competition and survival, bureaucratic expertise, bureaucratic reputation, blame avoidance and the consequences of management reforms. Delegates were fortunate to have two leading public administration scholars – Daniel Carpenter of Harvard University and Donald Moynihan of the University of Wisconsin-Madison – as keynote speakers. The event took place in a lovely venue, overlooking the walls of the old city of Jerusalem. Altogether, this conference was a unique intellectual and social event. Professors Sharon Gilad and Moshe Maor were principal organizers of the conference.
