Minnowbrook Conference-III

Minnowbrook Conference - III

This conference took place during September, 2008. It was chaired by Rosemary O’Leary. It was conducted in two phases. The first phase was a pre-conference phase. In this conference, the young and emerging scholars of public administration were asked to contribute a five page critique of public administration. Almost 56 proposals were accepted and considered. In this conference, a single formal critique of public administration was not being able to be developed rather a dozen of areas of concern in public administration were identified such as

1.      The Academic-Practitioner Relationship

2.      Democratic Performance Management

3.      Performance measurement

4.      Globalization and International Perspective

5.      Administrative ethics and values

6.      Information technology and management

7.      Methodology and inter-disciplinary perspective

The second phase was conducted in a round table format. It was a get-together of senior scholars. The scholars were divided into various groups based on their areas of concern. Simultaneously, a number of issues relating to public administration were discussed. Finally, three major areas of emphasis were identified. They are

1.      It emphasized on Comparative Studies. In this conference, it was acknowledged that because of impact of LPG and IT, no system could be meaningfully studied in isolation. The systems across the world are interconnected.

2.      It emphasized on Action Research and Methodological Pluralism. In this conference, there was an agreement that for the study of Public Administration to be meaningful, it is required that the teachings in Public Administration should include the teachings on methodologies and tools and techniques to undertake research. It was realized that a discipline will become more and more enriched when there will be more R&D. If the students are more equipped with the tools and techniques, they can independently carry out their own research. This will provide a robust foundation for the study of the discipline. It also emphasized that the findings of the research should be subjected to Peer Review. It also recognized the importance of Multiple Approach or Multiple viewpoints towards the study of public administration.

3.      It came out with a redefinition of public administration. According to this conference, public administration is considered as a socially embedded process of relationship, dialogue and action to promote human flourishing for all (Refer to the discussion on good governance).