Large Forces | Alasdair S. Roberts

Nov 4

NASPAA/APPAM panel on relationship between political science and public administration

I’ll be participating in a NASPAA/APPAM panel on “the evolving relationship between political science and public administration” in Albuquerque, NM on November 6. The panel will be chaired by Steven Rathgeb Smith, APSA Executive Director. More details here. I’ll draw on the argument from my monograph Large Forces: What’s Missing in Public Administration. The core ideas from the monograph are summarized in this oped published in PA Times last spring.

Jul 10

How railroads changed American government

My review of The Great Railroad Revolution by Christian Wolmar has just been published on Early View for Public Administration Review. I focus on the way in which this technological shock shaped American government. “The current fashion is to emphasize the ways in which ideology and institutional inertia constrain the governmental response to such shocks. But Wolmar tells a different story. In the long run, The Great Railroad Revolution suggests, the governmental response to this innovation was pragmatic, hard-headed, and flexible.” A draft of the review is also posted on SSRN.

Jun 5

Large Forces monograph updated

I’ve made some final adjustments to my Large Forces monograph. Get it here or on my SSRN page.

May 17

Presentation at IPSA conference in Montreal in July

I will be presenting my Large Forces paper at the IPSA conference in Montreal on July 22. Details on the session. This is one of the sessions organized by IPSA’s Structure and Organization of Government Committee, which is also the academic sponsor of Governance.

May 7

What’s missing in public administration? The big picture

The following comment was published in the print edition of ASPA’s PA Times in May 2015. Download the PDF.

It is a sad truth that the field of American public administration does not enjoy the respect among the public that it did two generations ago. This is partly a self-inflicted wound. Scholars in public administration have made choices that have undercut the public’s interest in the work they do. Read more

Apr 3

Talk on “Large Forces” at IRSPM conference in Ottawa

I’ll be giving a presentation on my Large Forces monograph at the research conference of the International Research Society for Public Management in Ottawa on April 11.

Mar 29

Talk on “Large Forces” at Florida International University

I’ll be giving a presentation about my Large Forces monograph at the Department of Public Administration, Florida International University on Monday March 31. The Powerpoint for the presentation can be downloaded here.

Mar 14

Talk on “Large Forces” at Rutgers Newark

I’ll be giving a presentation on my “Large Forces” monograph at the research colloquium of the School of Public Affairs and Administration, Rutgers-Newark, on March 27. Details here. The Powerpoint for the talk can be downloaded here.

Feb 22

Migration: The real challenges

Dharavi slum, Mumbai. Image from WikiMedia.

I’ve just finished a review of Exodus: How Migration Is Changing Our World by Paul Collier. The review is posted on SSRN here. It will be published in Public Administration Review.

Jan 13

“Large Forces” to be presented at ASPA conference in March

I’ll be discussing my Large Forces paper at the annual conference of the American Society for Public Administration in Washington on Friday, March 14. The panel is “The evolving relationship between political science and public administration.” Program details here. The paper can be obtained here.

Professor of Public Policy, University of Massachusetts Amherst

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