Trans-European Dialogue 2027

EGPA PSG 23 Publishes New Book That Explores Diversity as Strategic Opportunity

Diogo Pereira,

We are thrilled to announce the publication of the book "Diversity as Strategic Opportunity: Exploring New Paths to Good Administration," edited by Anna Simonati, from the Università degli Studi di Trento. This groundbreaking volume, a result of the EGPA Permanent Study Group XXIII on Administration, Diversity and Equal Treatment published by IAP, offers a comprehensive examination of how diversity can be leveraged as a strategic advantage in public administration.


“ It is no exaggeration to express how glad I am to see that - only one year after EGPA 2023 Conference - the present volume, which collects the best papers from Lisbon panels, is ready for publication. ” Jean-Michel Eymeri-Douzans - EGPA President


The book brings together a multidisciplinary collection of insights and case studies from leading experts in the field. The volume challenges traditional views of equality and discrimination, proposing a progressive perspective that sees diversity not merely as a matter of legal compliance but as a catalyst for enhancing public administration and governance.

With contributions from distinguished scholars and practitioners, "Diversity as Strategic Opportunity" promises to be an invaluable resource for policymakers, administrators, and academics dedicated to fostering inclusive and effective governance.


“ The book makes a substantive contribution to our understanding and appreciation of how diversity can and ought to be seen not only as something to be protected by means of non-discrimination rules and mechanisms, but also and indeed primarily as a major source of development and improvement for public administration and the public services. Diversity is indeed a strategic opportunity, and this collective work developed under the leadership of Professor Anna Simonati shows us why and how to make the most of such strategic opportunities for public organizations worldwide. ” Edoardo Ongaro - EGPA Immediate Past President


For more information, please visit the link below. 

Disclaimer: 
This book, while resulting from the efforts of IIAS or its entities' study groups, has not been published under the IIAS brand or its official series.


Abstract

The principle of equality has always been considered as one of the fundamental values of modern societies; it compels administration to provide equal treatment to all subjects it enters in touch with, which is normally expressed as a general prohibition of discrimination. However, in recent times, the idea, according to which equality is not based only on protection against discrimination but also on promotion of diversity as a source of richness for society, is widely shared. This book gives a multidisciplinary overview of some of the possible methods and tools which are nowadays experimented by administration, in order to properly face the practical problems connected to diversity.

Resources

Public administration and management research has long drawn most of its ideas from Western, industrialised democracies. Yet Asia and the Global South have become major sites of administrative change, with large-scale reforms, fast-moving technology and some of the most inventive experiments in governance. Research from these regions has grown accordingly, but it is still often used to illustrate or apply theories made elsewhere, rather than to produce new ones.

This special issue of Public Management Review aims to change that. It invites authors to treat practice in Asia and the Global South as a starting point for theory: to test, question or extend established approaches, and to propose new concepts and explanations. It does not look for a single theory of these regions, which are far too diverse for that, but for context-sensitive contributions that also say something useful for policy and practice.

ASPA and EGPA call for papers | New Orleans, April 12-13, 2027 | Deadline: November 30, 2026

As democratic institutions face mounting pressure worldwide, public administrators are increasingly asked to spell out the role of their field in protecting and improving democratic systems. The American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) and the European Group for Public Administration (EGPA) are responding with the 2027 Transatlantic Dialogue (TAD), held alongside ASPA’s Annual Conference.

The theme is The Role of Public Policy and Administration in Shaping Democracy and Promoting the Resilience of Democratic Norms and Institutions.

From 12 to 16 October 2026, the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration (IASIA) held its Annual Conference in Athens, hosted by EKDDA, the National Centre for Public Administration and Local Government. Under the theme “Rethinking Governance for a Changing World”, the conference gathered 400 delegates from 57 countries and marked the 65th anniversary of the association. Athens was a conference grounded by learning and history but also new projects and connexions.

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