PSG3 invites submissions that contribute to a demanding, up-to-date agenda on education and training in Public Administration and Public Policy, with a primary focus on how curricula can be aligned with the professionalisation of the public sector as a condition for institutional robustness.
In a time marked by recurring cycles of distrust, populist pressures, polarisation, and anti-institutional simplifications, curriculum design and teaching/training methodologies can no longer be treated as an “internal” concern of schools. They have become a core mechanism of democratic resilience: it is through the way competencies are developed, public values are consolidated, and professional practices are institutionalised that the State’s capacity is strengthened to serve the common good, uphold legality, sustain merit, and respond to citizens with quality and proximity.
We seek contributions that help identify, compare, and test good teaching and training practices oriented towards verifiable learning outcomes, with particular attention to balancing digital capabilities (data literacy, digital governance, the ethics and responsible use of AI, interoperability, service design and service improvement) and the behavioural and relational competencies that are essential to public trust (clear communication, active listening, empathy, conflict management, emotional intelligence, integrity, impartiality, inclusive service delivery, cultural sensitivity, and citizen orientation). We are especially interested in work showing how curricula and pedagogical devices can simultaneously increase the technical sophistication of public administration while protecting its institutional core—rules, routines, accountability, neutrality, legality, and professionalism—avoiding both techno-solutionism and purely rhetorical “soft-skills” training without assessment.