Dec 10
I will give a lecture at the University of Bonn on December 13, as part of an interdisciplinary lecture series on “The Modern State” organized by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. Details here. Powerpoint for this presentation here. Watch the presentation here.
On September 4-7 I’ll give three talks at the School of Economics, Administration and Public Policy at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies:
On September 4, I’ll give a public lecture about my forthcoming book, Superstates: Empires of the Twenty-First Century. Title for the talk: “Superstates: What Empires Teach Us About Running Large Countries.” PPT slides for that talk here.
On September 7, I’ll talk to PhD students about my 2020 book Strategies for Governing. PPT slides for that talk are here.
On the same day, I’ll talk to SEAPP students about my 2018 book, Can Government Do Anything Right? PPT slides for that talk here.
While in Doha I also participated in a book launch at the HBKU College of Public Policy. Story here.
I’ll be the opening plenary speaker at the 2022 conference of the Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration, in Victoria on May 25. Title of my talk: “The case for scholarly nationalism in public administration.” Program here. Slides here.
On May 7 at 7AM EDT, I’ll be the keynote speaker for the first seminar of the new South Asia Network for Public Administration. I’ll talk about my book Strategies for Governing. Powerpoint for the presentation here. Zoom details here.
In The Print, Sanjeev Chopra draws on my book Strategies for Governing to discuss geopolitics in South Asia. Read the article.
I’ll visit the School of Policy Studies at Queen’s University on November 25 to talk to MPA810, Introduction to Public Administration. Topic: Strategies, paradigms and the machinery of government.
Teaching Public Administration has published a review by Jim Perry of my book Strategies for Governing (Cornell University Press). Perry says: “This is a thought-provoking book, one that deserves the attention of everyone in the field of public administration. It comes at an important time, early in what Roberts calls a ‘dangerous century’ and others have termed an ‘era of estrangement.’ I hope the ideas in the book help change the way we think about public administration, re-establishing a macro approach to complement the current dominance of the public management approach.” Read the review.
Political Science Quarterly has published a review by Iuliia Shybalkina of Strategies for Governing. Shybalkina writes: “The argument’s timeliness is uncanny . . . Roberts’ book is a real bottomless well of research ideas ready to be pursued by scholars, especially junior ones. The book would also be useful for directors of graduate programs in PA interested in equipping students with the mindset and tools to address the big picture.” Read the full review.
Strategies for Governing: Reinventing Public Administration for a Dangerous Century has received the 2021 book award from the Section on Public Administration Research of the American Society for Public Administration. The Committee’s statement: “This book challenges researchers and practitioners in the field to contemplate how we can ‘recover the fundamentals of government,’ and addresses the urgent and fundamental issues we are facing today. The book takes a thoughtful interdisciplinary approach, drawing on public administration history and theory, administrative process development in political science, fragile states research in international relations, and institutional design, presenting an expansive view of the capacities and new directions for public administration as a field of research, teaching, and practice. The nomination letter by ASPA Past President Chester Newland notes this distinctive quality of the book and emphasizes that in light of the ‘currently urgent realities of the field, the analysis is certain to be a lasting contribution.'” More comments and reviews on the book here.
My new commentary, “how to bridge east and west,” is now available (open access) from the Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration.
Alasdair S. Roberts 
