Call for Papers
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ASPA and ARNOVA have joined to co-sponsor a symposium directed to one of the most pressing challenges of public administration today: accountability and performance measurement in public - nonprofit partnerships. This symposium invites research directed to the challenges articulated by practitioners who are struggling with the complexities of accountability and performance measures in the new environment of third sector government, New Public Management and Sarbanes-Oxley legislation. Symposium format and presentations will encourage dialogue between scholars and practitioners with the intention of generating a research agenda to strengthen the capacity of both sectors to engage in public service. Selected papers will be published in Administration & Society and a special symposium of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly.
In their proposals scholars are asked to explore innovative efforts as well as challenges and lessons learned. Authors must show the relevance of their research for addressing the challenges of government-nonprofit partnership in the current environment. We welcome papers focusing on how new accountability measures impact public sector organizations’ capacity to manage as well as govern. From a nonprofit perspective, we are interested in how new measures of accountability are reshaping the nonprofit sector. What impact do new measures of accountability and performance have on nonprofits and their traditional contributions to citizenship and to partnership with the public sector?
SYMPOSIUM THEMES
- Accountability frameworks in cross-sector partnerships and networks: their impact on nonprofit-public relationships, inter-organizational partnerships, and measurement of key and intangible factors.
- Performance measurement and governance —including the legislative process, policy development, community indicators, and/or budgeting: the integration of accountability and performance measures in the management and governance process; including program design, management, and evaluation; use of community indicators to target resources and generate strategic results for communities.
- Strengthening the connection between mechanisms of accountability and performance: impacts of new government requirements regarding contract monitoring; for example, how will state and local governments comply with federal regulations without allowing them to become unduly onerous for provider agencies?
Examples of challenges experienced by public sector and nonprofit practitioners are posted at the website address http://urban.csuohio.edu/cap_symposium/schedule#themes; scholars are welcome to consider these or identify challenges relevant to their research interests in their own communities.
SUMISSIONS
To propose a paper, please send a summary of 500-600 words to s.c.connor@csuohio.edu. All summaries should be submitted in MS Word format and include the subject line of CAP Symposium. The proposal should explain the relevance of the proposed research to the symposium themes. Proposals that are co-authored by teams of academics and practitioners will receive special consideration.
IMPORTANT DATES
| Abstract of 500 words to be submitted | May 1, 2008 |
| Notification of accepted submissions | May 15, 2008 |
| First draft due | August 1, 2008 |
| Deadline for early registration | August 15, 2008 |
| Full paper to be submitted | September 30, 2008 |
| Symposium | October 23-24, 2008 |
For More Information
For more information, contact Shane Connor, Program Coordinator, Center for Nonprofit Policy and Practice, Cleveland State University. Email s.c.connor@csuohio.edu or call (216) 687-5271.
