International Conference on Public Administration and Governance in South Asia

Abstract Submission: May 15, 2026 | Abstract Acceptance: June 15, 2026 | Conference Registration: July 20, 2026 Onwards | Conference Dates: Oct 18-20, 2026

About the Conference

Welcome to the International Conference on Public Administration and Governance in South Asia, jointly organized by the Nepal Administrative Staff College (NASC), the Public Administration Association of Nepal (PAAN), and the South Asia Network for Public Administration (SANPA).

This conference marks the third event in the series, bringing together scholars, policymakers, practitioners, development partners, and researchers under the theme: “Reimagining Public Administration in South Asia: Ethics, Inclusion and State Capacity.”

The conference provides a regional platform for advancing dialogue on how public institutions can strengthen ethical governance, promote inclusion, and enhance state capacity to respond effectively to development challenges and rising citizen expectations. It aims to bridge scholarship and practice through deliberative studios, policy laboratories, research sessions, and collaborative learning formats.

The conference will be hosted at the Nepal Administrative Staff College (NASC) in Lalitpur, Nepal—Nepal’s premier civil service college, dedicated to strengthening public sector capacity through executive education, research, and advisory services. NASC has long served as a hub for administrative reform, public policy innovation, and regional collaboration.

Nepal offers a distinctive setting for this gathering. Known globally for its natural beauty and rich cultural heritage, the country is home to Mount Everest and is deeply shaped by ancient civilizations, including Vedic traditions, Buddhism, and diverse indigenous cultures. Beyond its scenic landscape, Nepal’s ongoing democratic and federal transformation provides a compelling context for meaningful conversations on governance reform, ethics, inclusion, and institutional renewal.

We look forward to welcoming you to Nepal for thoughtful dialogue, collaborative learning, and renewed commitment to strengthening public administration across South Asia.

WHAT WE AIM?

The conference aims to:

Examine the role of public administration in achieving the SDGs and sustaining postLDC development pathways;
Explore how ethical governance and integrity systems can be institutionalized within public administration;
Analyze citizencentric service delivery as a foundation for trust, legitimacy, and democratic governance;
Assess administrative readiness for managing economic transformation, fiscal transitions, and development financing;
Share regional experiences in SDG localization, inclusive governance, and public sector modernization; and
Strengthen regional collaboration among public administration institutions, practitioners, and scholars.

Conference Features

Curated Technical Sessions: Research papers are presented with structured discussion and expert commentary to deepen analytical engagement and policy relevance.
Deliberative Studio: A facilitated, structured deliberation on contemporary governance challenges, fostering critical dialogue among scholars, practitioners, and policymakers.
Policy Studio: Mixed teams collaboratively work on concrete policy problems, developing practical solutions, implementation pathways, and reform insights.
Nepal Dialogue: A dedicated plenary dialogue reflecting on governance and public administration challenges in Nepal, highlighting lessons and regional implications.
Learning Lab: Capacity-building sessions led by global scholars, focusing on contemporary tools and approaches in public policy, public administration, and governance.

What Will be the Outcome?

Edited volume or special journal issue on public administration and sustainable development published by Springer Publishing
Policy briefs on SDGs, LDC graduation, and ethical governance
Teaching cases on citizen-centric service delivery and integrity systems
Conference note as Kathmandu Declaration

Who Shall Participate?

Senior policymakers and civil servants
Public administration scholars and governance experts
Leaders of civil service and public administration training institutions
Representatives of development partners and international organizations
Civil society leaders and policy think tanks
Early-career researchers and practitioners

CONFERENCE TRACK

Track 1: Public Administration and the SDGs

The SDGs provide a shared roadmap for governments to improve citizens’ living standards in ways that uphold dignity, freedom, and recognition. Since the adoption of the SDGs, however, the world has faced an increasingly complex set of natural, health, economic, and political shocks that threaten human security and development progress. Crises such as COVID-19, earthquakes, floods, and episodes of civil unrest—alongside intensifying political tensions—have disrupted development pathways and constrained state capacity, particularly in developing countries.

In this context, public administration has remained the principal custodian of SDG implementation: translating global commitments into national priorities, coordinating action across sectors and levels of government, mobilizing resources, and ensuring accountable delivery. This track invites papers and case-based contributions from scholars and practitioners on (but not limited to) the following areas:

Institutionalizing the SDGs within public administration systems
SDG localization and the role of subnational governments
Policy coherence, coordination, and whole-of-government approaches
Monitoring, evaluation, and accountability for SDG delivery

Track 2: Public Administration in Post-LDC and Transitional Economies

Several South Asian countries have recently graduated from Least Developed Country (LDC) status or are preparing to do so in the near future. While this transition can expand economic opportunities—through greater scope for innovation, investment, production, trade, and market integration—it also introduces new vulnerabilities and policy demands. Managing graduation effectively is therefore essential to sustain development gains, reduce transition risks, and ensure that emerging opportunities are broadened and shared.

Realizing post-LDC benefits requires more than economic readiness. It depends fundamentally on the capability of public administration to manage the institutional and governance implications of graduation, including financing transitions, regulatory and trade-related reforms, strategic public investment, and service delivery systems that support inclusion and competitiveness. In this sense, LDC graduation is not only an economic milestone; it is a whole-of-government and whole-of-administration transition.

This track invites papers and case-based contributions on (but not limited to) the following areas:

Administrative implications of LDC graduation
Managing fiscal transitions, aid restructuring, and development finance
Trade, industrial policy, and regulatory governance
Strengthening institutions for inclusive economic growth

Track 3: Ethical Governance, Integrity, and Public Trust

Across the world, public trust in institutions is widely understood to be under sustained pressure. In South Asia, this challenge is compounded by heightened citizen expectations, rapid information flows, and greater public scrutiny of decision-making and service delivery. Questions of ethical conduct and integrity are no longer confined to public office alone; they extend across the wider governance ecosystem, including political actors, public servants, the private sector, civil society, and citizens themselves.

While digitalization, transparency reforms, civic education, and social accountability have strengthened oversight and raised ethical standards in many settings, they have also expanded the benchmark by which integrity is assessed. As parameters of ethical governance become more demanding—covering conflicts of interest, procurement integrity, responsiveness, equity, and respectful treatment of citizens—public institutions face persistent gaps between expectations and performance. Strengthening ethical governance is therefore not only a compliance agenda; it is central to legitimacy, effective policy implementation, and citizen-centred public service.

This track invites scholarly papers and practice-oriented, problem-solving cases on the dynamics of ethical governance and integrity systems, including (but not limited to):

Ethics management and integrity systems in public administration
Anti-corruption strategies and administrative accountability
Transparency, open government, and right to information
Rebuilding citizen trust in public institutions

Track 4: Citizen-Centric Governance and Service Delivery

A renewed social contract between the state and citizens is increasingly judged not through formal declarations, but through everyday interactions with public institutions—how services are accessed, how decisions are communicated, how grievances are resolved, and whether citizens experience dignity, fairness, and responsiveness. In this sense, citizen-centric governance is not an abstract aspiration; it is made tangible through the quality, equity, and reliability of public service delivery.

Across South Asia, rising expectations, digital connectivity, and widening inequalities are reshaping what citizens demand from the state. Governments are therefore under growing pressure to redesign services around citizen needs, reduce administrative burdens, ensure inclusion of marginalized groups, and strengthen mechanisms that enable citizens to provide feedback and hold institutions accountable. Citizen-centric delivery also requires new approaches to collaboration, including co-production with communities, civil society, and the private sector—especially in complex areas such as urban services, health, education, climate adaptation, and local governance.

This track invites papers and case-based contributions assessing the challenges, innovations, and reform pathways for citizen-centric governance and high-quality service delivery, including (but not limited to):

Designing services around citizen needs and experiences
Administrative inclusion and reaching marginalized populations
Grievance redress, social accountability, and feedback mechanisms
Co-production of public services and participatory governance

Track 5: Modernizing Public Administration for Democracy, Development and State Capacity

Over the past two decades, rapid advances in digital technology have reshaped economies, societies, and governance. These innovations provide not only new tools, but also new ways of thinking about the state—how governments design policies, manage institutions, interact with citizens, and deliver services. Digital transformation has reduced long-standing barriers in communication and information flows, expanded opportunities for participation, and enabled new models of collaboration with non-government actors in service delivery and oversight.

At the same time, modernization is not automatically democratic or inclusive. Digital systems can widen inequality when access is uneven; they can erode trust when data governance is weak; and they can amplify administrative risk when AI systems are deployed without adequate transparency, accountability, and safeguards. Modernizing public administration must therefore be approached as both a technological and institutional reform agenda—one that strengthens capability and effectiveness while protecting rights, ensuring fairness, and deepening democratic accountability.

This track invites scholarly papers and applied cases on emerging approaches to modernizing public administration—including digital government and AI—and their implications for democratic governance and development outcomes. Topics include (but are not limited to):

Digital government, AI, and ethical public service delivery
Civil service reform, performance management, and diversity
Innovation, adaptive governance, and administrative resilience
Balancing efficiency with equity and democratic accountability

Track 6: Climate Change, Sustainability, and Inclusive Governance

South Asia is widely recognized as a climate hotspot, facing increasing frequency and intensity of climate-related hazards and growing uncertainty in weather patterns. Erratic rainfall, floods, heatwaves, droughts, landslides, and glacial and riverine risks are placing severe pressure on livelihoods, infrastructure, and public services—especially for communities already experiencing poverty, exclusion, and geographic vulnerability. These impacts are not only environmental; they are fundamentally governance challenges that test the preparedness, coordination capacity, and legitimacy of public institutions.

Advances in forecasting, early warning systems, and disaster response capabilities have helped reduce loss of life and damage in many contexts. However, short-term response improvements alone are insufficient to address the deeper, long-term risks to ecosystems, development pathways, and social resilience. Climate change therefore requires a shift toward climate-informed development—embedding risk and sustainability considerations into planning, budgeting, regulation, investment decisions, and service delivery across all levels of government. It also demands inclusive governance approaches that ensure climate action does not reproduce inequality, and that vulnerable groups are protected and empowered.

This track invites scholarly papers and applied cases on climate-responsive public administration, innovative climate-informed development practices, and effective approaches to disaster risk reduction, including (but not limited to):

Climate-responsive public institutions and SDG 13
Disaster risk governance and resilient service delivery
Environmental justice and inclusive climate action
Governing climate finance and adaptation initiatives

ORGANIZERS

Nepal Administrative Staff College (NASC) is Nepal’s premier civil service training institution dedicated to strengthening public sector capacity through executive education, research, and advisory services. It serves as a national hub for administrative reform, public policy innovation, and leadership development in governance.

Public Administration Association of Nepal (PAAN) is a professional academic body committed to advancing scholarship, research, and dialogue in public administration and governance. It serves as a platform for academics, practitioners, and policymakers to promote innovation, integrity, and institutional development in Nepal’s public sector.

South Asian Network for Public Administration (SANPA) was established on the 8th day of the month of November in 2020 as a network of knowledge community to foster research, knowledge production, capacity building, knowledge dissemination, and strengthening regional and international partnerships in areas of Public Administration in South Asia and beyond.

Conference Organizing Committee

Conference Chair

Mr Ram Sharan Pudasaini,

Executive Director, Nepal Administrative Staff College

Former Secretary, Government of Nepal

Co-ChairS

Prof Akhlaque Haq

President, South Asia Network for Public Administration (SANPA)

Professor at Department of Political Science and Public Administration, University of Alabama at Birmingham, US

Mr Madhu Raman Acharya

President Public Administration Association of Nepal (PAAN)

Former Secretary, Government of Nepal

Prof Uddhab Pyakurel

Dean, Kathmandu University School of Arts

Conference Secretary

Mr Trilochan Pokharel

Senior Director, Nepal Administrative Staff College

Deputy Secretary-General, SANPA

Members

Dr Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, Secretary-General, SANPA

Prof Yaamina Salman, Academic Affairs Secretary, SANPA & Prof of Public Administration, University of Panjab

Prof Fara Azmat, Executive Committee Member, SANPA & Prof at Deakin University, Australia

Prof Durga Chettri, Executive Member, SANPA & Prof of Political Sciences at Sikkim University

Dr Dilip Poudyal, General Secretary, Public Administration Association of Nepal

CONTACT US

conference2026@nasc.org.np

WhatsApp: +9779841502061