Workshop date: 6th November, 2017.

Paper submission deadline: 1st October, 2017

Washington, DC – SAIS, JHU

Rigorous, solution-oriented research on government bureaucracies in developing countries is in great demand from academics and policymakers alike. Yet much of the recent empirical research on developing country governments is more narrowly focused than the types of questions policymakers want answered, while research that is deeply engaged with the complexities and systemic nature of government bureaucracies is often less grounded in rigorous empirical analysis. Many scholars do work that is both rigorous and policy relevant, but such research is scattered across countries and across disciplines such as economics, public administration, political science, sociology, and international development.

This one-day workshop is the first of a series of events that aim to create an interdisciplinary community of scholars doing rigorous and solution-oriented research on issues such as public management, public finance, governance, and civil service reform. A small number of papers will be accepted and circulated prior to the meeting, and the workshop will focus on in-depth feedback and discussion rather than presentations.

Draft papers should be submitted to martin.williams@bsg.ox.ac.uk and zahra.mansoor@bsg.ox.ac.uk by 1st October, 2017. In exceptional cases, research designs or requests for non-presenting participation will be considered. Enquiries from scholars who are unable to attend this workshop but would be interested in future workshops are also welcome. Submissions by scholars based in and/or from developing countries are especially welcome, as are submissions by early career researchers. Financial support for travel and visa costs is available.

Hosted by the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, at the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.