Section on Intergovernmental Administration and Management

As the SIAM membership has been aware of, the SLGR editorial team has been working very hard to get the journal placed on the citation index.  Actually, there are two citation indexes-SCOPUS and the Journal Citation Reports (JCR). SAGE has submitted SLGR to be accepted on both SCOPUS and JCR.  We are pleased to let you know that SLGR has been accepted on SCOPUS.  JCR has a more rigorous review process, but given our acceptance on SCOPUS, we along with the Sage Social Science Editor are hopeful of getting accepted on JCR.  We should receive a decision from JCR in the next several months.​

State and Local Government Review (SLGR) is pleased to announce Grant Rissler, Ph.D. as the new editor of the journal’s Governance Matters (GM) Section.  We are excited about the energy and dedication that he brings to the positon.  We expect that he will continue in the tradition of previous editors Bruce Perlman, Beverly Cigler, and Robert Blair.

Dr. Rissler is an affiliate faculty member at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs.  He previously served as Assistant Director of the Wilder School’s Center for Public Policy Outreach office where he oversaw VCU’s Translational Research Fellows program, which trains and facilitates academics in building bridges to key state and local policymakers.  Prior to entering academia, Dr. Rissler served more than a decade in program administration, communications and fundraising roles for local, national and international non-profit organizations.  He has published three articles in SLGR, two of which were in the GM section.

The GM Section of SLGR features peer reviewed applied research on state and local government of interest to both practitioners and academics.  It is our hope that these articles will serve to stimulate dialogue among practitioners on critical, vexing issues in order to promote a greater degree of informed decision-making.  Articles published in the GM Section may include case studies or other empirical pieces.  In the past, a variety of timely governance topics have ranged from social media use to capital budgeting to likely social equity impacts at the local level of Trump administration budget cuts to environmental sustainability. In 2018, GM articles represented 3 of the 5 top downloaded articles from SLGR.

Dr. Rissler’s core interests will be continuing the focus on publishing applied research that is relevant to a broad range of SLGR’s readership and that can inform administrators in a practical way.  He also looks forward to supporting broader initiatives of the journal such as encouraging submissions from early career and international scholars and making research findings accessible through social media platforms such as the SLGR podcasts, blog and Facebook/Twitter platforms.

Dr. Rissler welcomes SIAM member’s insight and feedback on topics are currently most relevant to them.  To gather input, a brief survey is available here [https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XDFQL6C] until June 15^th and SIAM members are encouraged to participate.

In addition, he welcomes regular research submissions as well as proposals from authors for individual articles or a collection in symposium format.  Prospective authors are encouraged to contact Dr. Rissler via email at risslerge@vcu.edu about any ideas they may have for this section of the journal.

The Stone Scholar Award Committee cordially invites all SIAM members to nominate candidates for the Donald Stone Distinguished Scholar Award for 2019. This prestigious award, given since 1981, recognizes (1) significant contributions to the practice and/or study of intergovernmental relations over a substantial period of time and (2) contributions that have made an impact on the practice and/or study of intergovernmental management as a whole rather than only on a specific organization, institution, or function.

Donald C. Stone (1903-1995) was a major and beloved figure in twentieth-century public administration. He was the founder of the American Public Works Association (APWA), served as the first Director of the Public Administration Service, and was a principal architect of the Executive Office of the President (EOP) in 1939 based on the 1937 recommendations of the Brownlow Commission. He was the first Director of the Division of Administrative Management of the Bureau of the Budget within the EOP, worked as Director of Administration of the Marshall Plan in 1948, helped found the National Academy of Public Administration in 1967, and served as Dean of the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh.

Nominations should include the name and institutional affiliation of the nominee and of the nominator, a short statement explaining the nominee’s contributions to intergovernmental management commensurate with the criteria for the award, and contact information for both the nominee and the nominator.  Nominees and nominators need not be members of SIAM.

Please send us your nominations no later than 5PM February 8, 2019, to David Swindell, Chairperson, at david.swindell@asu.edu. Thank you!

SIAM’s DONALD C. STONE AWARDEES

The ASPA Section on Intergovernmental Administration & Management (SIAM) is soliciting nominations for the section’s annual Donald C. Stone Practitioner Award.  Since 1981, SIAM has recognized outstanding practitioners for their contributions to intergovernmental management.  The award will be presented to one practitioner at the 2019 annual ASPA meeting in Washington, DC.  The principle criteria for both the Practitioner and the Scholar awards:

• Significant contributions to the practice and/or study of intergovernmental relations over a substantial period of time.
• Contributions that have made an impact on the practice and/or study of intergovernmental management as a whole rather than only on a specific organization, institution, or function.

Donald C. Stone (1903-1995) was a major and beloved figure in twentieth-century public administration. He was the founder of the American Public Works Association (APWA), served as the first Director of the Public Administration Service, and was a principal architect of the Executive Office of the President (EOP) in 1939 based on the 1937 recommendations of the Brownlow Commission. He was the first Director of the Division of Administrative Management of the Bureau of the Budget within the EOP, worked as Director of Administration of the Marshall Plan in 1948, helped found the National Academy of Public Administration in 1967, and served as Dean of the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh.

Nominations for the SIAM Stone Practitioner Award are now being accepted.  Nominations should include the name and institutional affiliation of the nominee and of the nominator, a short statement explaining the nominee’s contributions to intergovernmental management commensurate with the criteria for the award, and contact information for both the nominee and the nominator.  Nominees and nominators need not be members of SIAM.
Please submit your nominations electronically to award committee chair David Swindell at david.swindell@asu.edu. Any questions may also be directed to Dr. Swindell.  For the nomination to be considered by the committee, please submit your nomination before 5:00 pm, February 8, 2019.

The Section on Intergovernmental Administration and Management (SIAM) invites members of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) to attend the 6^th annual Deil S. Wright Symposium. The symposium honors the career and contributions of Professor Deil S. Wright, who was a charter member of SIAM and remained active until his passing in 2009. The Wright Symposium will be held on March 8, 2019 at ASPA’s national conference in Washington, DC.

The theme of the all-day symposium is “Exploring the Federal in Federalism.” As the federal regulatory environment is rapidly shifting in the US and abroad, important questions will be addressed about: 1) state and local government responses to these shifts and 2) the subsequent consequences of both/either the responses and/or the shifts?

With these broad questions in mind, the symposium will include research on environmental federalism, intergovernmental collaboration, the role of local governments in regional systems, and a roundtable discussion on the implications of Trump and the mid-term elections on intergovernmental relationships. The 2019 Wright Symposium will provide a rich and lively forum for scholars and practitioners interested in intergovernmental issues. Following is a preliminary agenda (from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm).

Morning Sessions

Welcome

Panel 1:

The Role of Local Governments in U.S. and European Regional Governance

(with moderated discussion and Q&A)

Break

Panel 2:

Environmental Federalism

(with moderated discussion and Q&A)

Lunch Break

Afternoon Sessions

Panel 3:

Intergovernmental Collaboration

(with moderated discussion and Q&A)

Break

Roundtable Discussion:

The implications of Trump and the mid-term elections on intergovernmental relationships

Wrap-Up 

The SIAM Nominations Committee, chaired by Eric Zeemering and committee members John Kincaid and Jayce Farmer, is seeking 3 candidates for the SIAM Executive Committee and one nominee to continue an uncompleted term.  The full-term positions are for a three-year term, 2019-2022, and the uncompleted term ends in 2020.  Please see our SIAM blog for the full list of Executive Committee members as well as the bylaws governing elections.  David Swindell of Arizona State University has been appointed by the Chair to fill the empty seat until the upcoming regular election.

Executive committee members are actively engaged in the governance and work of the section, often contributing service to the Section’s committees and events.  Together with the Chair, Chair-Elect, Secretary and Treasurer, Executive Committee members help guide SIAM’s ongoing contributions to the fields of intergovernmental administration and management.

Please submit your nominations for the four Executive Committee Member positions to Eric Zeemering (eric.zeemering@uga.edu) on or before December 15, 2018.

The Nominations Committee will share a slate of nominees for the four positions with the SIAM membership by January 1, 2019.  After this, the Nominating Committee will receive additional nominations through membership petition between January 1 and January 31, 2019.  Additional nominations during the petition period must be signed by 25 members of SIAM and accompanied by a statement from the nominee expressing interest and willingness to serve the Section.  Election ballots will be distributed to the membership at least one (1) month prior to the annual Section meeting.

The Section on Intergovernmental Administration and Management (SIAM) invites scholars and practitioners to submit proposals for papers to be presented at the 6^th annual Deil S. Wright Symposium. The symposium honors the career and contributions of Professor Deil S. Wright, who was a charter member of the Section and remained active until his passing in 2009. The Wright Symposium will be held on March 8^th, 2019 at the national conference of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) in Washington, DC.

The theme of the all-day symposium is “Exploring the Federal in Federalism.” As the Federal regulatory environment is rapidly shifting in the US and abroad, important questions need to be addressed about: 1) state and local government responses to these shifts, and 2) the subsequent consequences to both/either the responses and/or the shifts?  It is unclear how extant theories of federalism can guide practitioners in navigating the current shifts in the political landscape.  Scholars of federalism, intergovernmental relations, intergovernmental management, and collaborative management can help improve federal systems by providing meta-analyses and synthesizing evidence in the field to inform practice. The 2018 Wright Symposium provides an excellent forum for doing so.

Proposed paper topics are invited that would help scholars and government professionals better understand what we have learned from the cumulative research on intergovernmental relations and management.  Papers are welcome to advance new research propositions, identify research gaps, or provide empirical evidence. The goal is to emphasize responses to Federal regulations or programs in the US or from a comparative perspective.  Topics might include, but are not limited to the:

Primary Themes:

Value of intergovernmental institutions, such as the U.S. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, or the White House Office on Intergovernmental Affairs;

State and local strategies utilized as response to executive orders and regulatory changes that are perceived as contrary to state and local interests

Development of collaborative intergovernmental competencies or skills by federal, regional, state, and local public managers;

Impact of federal executive orders or presidential decrees on intergovernmental relations;

Major Related Themes:

• Design, accountability, and evaluation of intergovernmental grants and programs, including revenue sharing and fiscal equalization;
• Effectiveness of elected executives in managing intergovernmental relations in presidential and parliamentary federal systems;
• Effectiveness of intergovernmental, interjurisdictional, and inter-sectoral management networks;
• Impacts of federal mandates and conditions attached to federal grants-in-aid;
• Effectiveness of regulatory waivers;
• Impacts of court orders, consent decrees, and other judicial interventions into intergovernmental relations.

Proposals for the symposium should be submitted by email to Benoy Jacob (Benoy.jacob@unlv.edu) before October 1, 2018. Proposals should be well developed and clearly demonstrate the ability to deliver a finished paper. The Wright Symposium planning committee – John Kinkaid, Steve Percy, Benoy Jacob — will review proposals and make decisions by October 22.  Questions can be directed to committee members.  Please circulate this call for papers among interested colleagues.