LIST OF PANELS

If the only thing that is certain is that nothing is certain - what does that mean for public administration?

This panel seeks to further our understanding of the role of uncertainty in public administration, with a particular focus on policy implementation. Many studies point to the existence of vague rules, ambiguous political messages, ever-changing structures and responsibilities as well as precarious funding. Uncertainty affects all levels, from policy making to organisations and individuals throughout government. Furthermore, we know that bureaucrats on all levels of public administration retain their autonomy through ambivalences created in the interstices between policy and practice. Finally, uncertainty is of particular relevance as it poses a significant challenge to more rational models of public policy in general and policy implementation in particular.In this panel, we invite contributions that seek to unpack this further.

We are particularly interested in uncertainty as an organizing principle, in the sense that it leads to organization and structuring. If uncertainty is a relatively stable given in organizations, then it should not only have disruptive, but also stabilising and transformative effects. Delving further into this seems particularly relevant during times of seemingly continuous crises, austerity measures, and policy innovation. Understanding uncertainty as an organizing principle might help us in understanding logics beyond certain events and cross-sectional perspectives.

What do bureaucrats do when they don't know what to do?

Scholars might have encountered situations in which uncertainty was particularly graspable during times of external or internal crisis (the 'European migration crisis', political upheavals, austerity measures, etc), in particular innovative, fast-changing or risk-prone policy areas, or indeed as a constant part of more 'routine' forms of bureaucracy.

We are particularly interested in uncertainty as an organizing principle, in the sense that it leads to organization and structuring. If uncertainty is a relatively stable given in organizations, then it should not only have disruptive, but also stabilising and transformative effects. Delving further into this seems particularly relevant during times of seemingly continuous crises, austerity measures, and policy innovation. Understanding uncertainty as an organizing principle might help us in understanding logics beyond certain events and cross-sectional perspectives.

We invite submissions that address different policy areas. Papers should include original empirical material and demonstrate an intention to contribute to furthering our theoretical understanding of street-level or front-line bureaucracy. Works in progress are welcome, as is a willingness to contribute to a Special Issue on this topic.