P38 SIG The Practice Panel: Connecting Researchers and Practitioners for Improved Outcomes through Hybridity in research and practice
Corresponding chair
Christine Flynn, Australian Institute of Company Directors, christine.flynn@bigpond.com
Review group chair
Professor Garth Britton, QUT
Co-Chair
Professor John Diamond, Edgehill University UK
Description
The Practice Panel ( SIG: Connecting researchers and practitioners for improved outcomes) has been a key feature of every IRSPM conference since its inception in 2011. It offers a space where practitioners, policy makers and researchers come together to engage in a facilitated dialogue about hybridity n the relationships and the contributions and connections between these three elements of public management.
Globally we are seeing the successes and failures of governance and how these impact the fields of academia and public practice as the connections between these fields of public management strengthen and boundaries become blurred. There is a demand for governance capability development at the most senior levels in all fields. The risks associated with failures of governance are visible and costly.
What do we understand about governance in the differing contexts of practitioners, policy makers and researchers? How might we rebuild or innovate the relationship between the political arms of government and the public (civil) service function to deliver governance oversight, value and respond to policy settings and implement changes in practice? What roles might NGOs, public sector and other organisations play in policy domains such as Health, Education and Housing? How relevant are concepts such as deliberative democracy and open government to these conversations?
We intend to explore the adaptation and development of new ways of viewing and developing praxis to respond. What are the feedback loops which inform this current state and who is listening and learning from them? We look forward to reconnecting with familiar faces and welcoming new ones to The Practice Panel in Tampere 2024.
Sub topic 1
The panel chairs invite abstracts from academic and practioners. The papers are reviewed, and recommended for presentation at the conference. The difference lies in the facilitated dialogue with panel chairs and all panel participants to explore the thinking, research and practice discussed in the papers.
Sub topic 2
The Practice Panel intends to invite up to 12 Public Administration researchers and practitioners from the Tampere civil service and universities to a round table discussion facilitated by the convenors of the Practice Panel. This innovation was introduced in 2023 and offered outstanding and robust insights into the challenges of hybridity in research, policy and practice
Key questions or prompts for the discussion might include the following :Given that many public agencies and academics have very uneven experiences of working together either as collaborators or in more limited ways - How would you describe the relationship or connections between universities and the civil service in Tampere and more broadly Finland. Where are the points of contact or sites of shared learning ? How are they facilitated ? What opportunities are there for hybridity and joint working ?
Panel presenters are automatically invited to the session. The remaining places for audience participants will be limited and we will invite registration at the conference in April 2024.
Abstracts
In Tampere 2024, The Practice Panel chairs invite you to contribute abstracts which explore the question of how to contribute to the hybrid future of public governance which is emerging from the strengthening connections between these three perspectives. This is a theme which offers the opportunity to discuss a range of current case studies which highlight the importance of good governance and explore different ways and forms that achieve it. We are looking for diverse perspectives on the challenges and encourage abstracts that discuss the forces working on the public management system and these three core elements in the current global context, with specific focus on how they have, or might be, influenced to produce better governance outcomes. We are looking for diverse perspectives on the challenges and encourage abstracts that discuss the forces working on the public management system and these three core elements in the current global context, with specific focus on how they have, or might be, influenced to produce better governance outcomes.