Mar 31
I was a speaker in the discussion series on the future of democratic governance, at the School of Public Affairs and Administration, University of Kansas, on February 15, 2024. News story here. Title of my talk: The challenge to democracy: Is American public administration ready? The talk can viewed on YouTube here:
I’ll give a talk on human rights and public administration at Buffalo State University on March 1. Details here.
The US Council on Higher Education Accreditation will consider NASPAA’s application for reaccreditation at a public meeting in Washington on March 11, 2024. My submission regarding NASPAA’s application is here. My view: “NASPAA should not be re-accredited unless it: stops representing itself as a global organization and standard-setter, or establishes a system for representation in decision-making appropriate for a global organization; and expresses its commitment to academic freedom and human rights, and shows how it will apply these core values consistently in accreditation and other activities.”
The Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Administration has published a short commentary, “Improving adaptability in democratic systems,” that is drawn from my forthcoming book, The Adaptable Country. The commentary can be read here. | More information about the book here.
My forthcoming book from McGill-Queen’s University Press, The Adaptable Country, is discussed in this new article by Kathryn May in Policy Options magazine:
Nov 28
My book The Adaptable Country: How Canada Can Survive the Twenty-First Century, is now available from McGill-Queen’s University Press, in the Canadian Essentials series edited by Professor Daniel Béland. The cover design is by David Drummond.
Order on Amazon (United States)
Order on Amazon (Canada)
Download frontmatter and preface here.
From the publisher: Adaptability is the overlooked key to Canada’s survival in turbulent times. Shifting geopolitics, regional conflicts, climate change, and technology shocks: these are just some of the factors that will make the twenty-first century dangerous for Canada. Adaptability, the capacity to anticipate and manage dangers, is essential for the country to survive and thrive. But Canada is not as adaptable as it once was.
Read moreThe following commentary is from a roundtable about the relationship between public administration and human rights published in Perspectives in Public Management and Governance in November 2023. Access the roundtable here.
Three Frontiers, Three Barriers
Alasdair Roberts
What is the point of public administration? What larger good are we trying to accomplish, as scholars and practitioners in this field? We do not talk about these questions as much as we should. In the United States especially, the field of public administration has shifted its focus away from macro-level questions about the role of the state. One result is that we lack a shared vocabulary—an inventory of concepts—that allows us to talk about these larger goals.
Read more
I enjoyed speaking with Anotida Chikumbu about my book, Superstates: Empires of the Twenty-First Century. Watch the twenty-minute conversation on YouTube.
Oct 21
For reference, some of the older sources mentioned in my October 30, 2024 op-ed in the Montreal Gazette:
“gouging out your eyes”: Calgary Herald, 26 February 1992, A6.
“shooting itself in the head”: Proceedings of the House of Commons Committee on Bill C-63, June 10, 1992.
“important to the country’s prosperity”: Ottawa Citizen, 27 February 1992, 5.
I enjoyed speaking with Owen Bennett-Jones for his “The Future Of” podcast, about my book Superstates: Empires of the Twenty-First Century. The interview is available here.
Alasdair S. Roberts 
