The Working Group focuses on Intra organizational and inter-organizational aspects of reforms aiming to build sustainable governance, discussing how to build institutional and organizational capacity to ensure social stability, justice, peace, and prosperity. We encourage topics such as the management of public sector organizations, public sector performance, e-government, transparency and accountability, environmental and social equity concern, corruption and integrity in the public sector, networks and partnerships with nonprofits and private sectors, and civil society engagement, among many others. We especially welcome strong conceptual and methodological contributions, along with best practices and case studies that discuss local experiences.
Building capacity for sustainable governance demands a modern and well-functioning public sector, aware of the need to balance efficiency, social equity, and sustainability despite the pressures in times of financial and economic crises. In other words, austerity measures and challenges related to efficiency, delivery, rationalization, or modernization might work toward a bigger purpose – sustainable governance.
Such conflictual pressures demand continuous change and adoption of different types of reforms that focus not only on the administrative capacity of the public sector (comprehending methods of management, and measures that improve human, financial, or organizational resources), but also on more comprehensive structural transformations (that aim to transform existing power relations between bureaucrats, politicians, and citizens).