Dr. Xufeng Zhu, Prof. zhuxufeng@tsinghua.edu.cn

Dr. Ciqi Mei, Associate Prof. cmei@tsinghua.edu.cn

 

The Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice (JCPA) is planning for a series of events to celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2018. The first such event is the 16th Annual JCPA and ICPA-Forum Workshop: “Comparison of Policy Experiments: Practices in the Asia-Pacific Region”, which will be hosted by the School of Public Policy & Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing, March 30-31, 2018. The workshop will also be a part of the 3rd Asia-Pacific Public Policy Network (AP-PPN) Annual Conference (March 30-April 1, 2018).

Faced with unprecedented challenges, such as pollution, corruption, decline of government trust, an aging society, economic slowdown, and an increase in income inequality, governments across the Asia-Pacific region need specific know-how and capability. They need to be able to design detailed policy instruments, find concrete evidence of policy feasibility and effectiveness in order to advocate and persuade different policy actors, as well as to assess possible unintended consequences. To gain specific knowledge and operational experience, policymakers sometimes carry out a series of small-scale policy experiments before implementing a large-scale policy change. The comparative route can facilitate design and implementation, and avoid fallacies in what are acutely sensitive public policy/effects of real life experimentation.

Whereas policy researchers have looked into policy innovation or policy experimentation at different national, sub-national, or cross-sectoral contexts little is still known about how policy experiment dynamics vary in different administrative systems (unitary vs. federal, centralized vs. decentralized, etc.) and in different policy domains (such as economic vs. social welfare, complex vs. simple, distributive vs. redistributive policies).

The 16^th JCPA and ICPA-Forum Workshop welcomes theoretical and empirical papers focusing on policy processes taking place within naturally occurring experiments now widely used in Asian-Pacific region, in order to comparatively examine lessons drawn while initiating, designing, implementing, and evaluating policy experiments. Topics may include but are not limited to:

· Theoretical considerations: What are the different categories applying to experimental approaches in the policy process? What are the different patterns identified in policy experiment implementation in Asia-Pacific Region?

· Experimental processes: What conditions are needed for the smooth implementation of policy experiments? What roles do policy actors, such as central and local governments, political parties, interest groups, NGOs, think tanks, and international organizations, play in the different processes of policy experiments?

· Experiment evaluation: Why do some experiment approaches succeed or fail? How are the results of experiment evaluation used as evidence in the policy process by governments and other public organizations?

The topics above should be framed to investigate comparatively "What are the factors that determine the variety in policy experiment dynamics in different administrative systems and in different policy domains?" and follow the Aims and Scope of the Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis

(comparativepolicy.org/journal-of-comparative-policy-analysis/jcpa-mission-aims-scope) 

Please submit a paper abstract of 250-300 words via AP-PPN 2018 submission page by Jan. 25^th, 2018 at https://apppn.typeform.com/to/gKqrYC. Please ensure that the words “comparison” or “comparative” are included in the article title and keywords. On submission, include the CFP code ‘JCPATHU’. We limit 1 submission per presenter (co-authorship allowed).

A joint JCPA-workshop steering committee and local organizing committee will review the abstracts and announce selection results by Feb 1, 2018.

Papers presented at this workshop will be considered for publication in a Special Issue of the JCPA following the JCPA's standard double-blind review. Authors of workshop papers are invited to attend other events at the 3rd AP-PPN Annual Conference. Further information on the conference is available at http://www.asiapacificppn.org. For questions about the JCPA Workshop, please email: hms14@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn. For questions about the AP-PPN Annual Conference, please email: asiapacificppn@gmail.com.

Venue: School of Public Policy & Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.

Date: March 30-31, 2018 (arrive on March 29).

Iris Geva-May, Founding President, International Comparative Policy Analysis Forum and Founding Editor-in-chief, Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis

Leslie A. Pal, Chancellor's Professor and Director of the Centre for Governance and Public Management of Carleton University and Executive Editor, Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis

Xufeng Zhu, Associate Dean of School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University

Dr. Xufeng Zhu, Prof. of the School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University,

Dr. Ciqi Mei, Associate Prof. of the School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University,

Early bird (Before Feb 15): US $90 or RMB ￥600, waived for students.
Regular rate (After Feb 15): US $120 or RMB ￥800.
On-site registration: US $180 or RMB ￥1200.

Authors of papers included in the workshop program are all invited to attend the close-door workshop. All author attendees are required to pay the annual ICPA-Forum membership fee to cover membership benefits, among which are the cost of the Special Issue, and free subscription to the JCPA.

Participants need to pay their own accommodation and transportation expenses.
The hosts will recommend a list of hotels around the Tsinghua campus which will have a conference discount rate.

The host will provide two complimentary lunches and a gala dinner on the evening of Mar. 30. Free tea-breaks will also be provided during the conference days. A reception Sponsored by Routledge/Taylor and Francis Publishers with take place on the evening of March 29.

For participants in need of visas to enter China, the host will provide an official invitation letter from Tsinghua University to the consular offices of Chinese embassies. Please be advised to apply for visa ASAP.