LIST OF PANELS

Centres of government are responsible for steering the state, and central agencies play vital roles in governance alongside political executives. The role of the centre has expanded, its influence has increased, and its character has changed greatly. There are five external and internal sources of change: the reduced authority of centres as a product of decentering; reform agendas for redefining central agency relationships; external pressures, notably crises; unstable and ineffectual government; and aggrandising political executives. The understanding of the condition of the key institutions (e.g. prime ministers/president’s department and treasury) is at best patchy with a shortage of recent studies that range beyond issues of the day or one country.
 
The key research question is what is the current state of central agencies policymaking abilities given long-term trends and political and environmental turbulence?

The panel hopes to cover:
To what extent has the increasing intensity of political influence on agencies that serve the prime minister/president and cabinet, or peak economic roles affected policy making?
How effective have been different forms of policy vertical and horizontal coordination on public policy? What strategies and capacities are used by central agencies and governments to secure policy coherence?  What central capacity is there to influence and work with decentralised units of government given the propensity towards centralisation within both federations and unitary systems?

We welcome papers that address policy and institutional issues. They can cover both conceptual or empirical matters, and comparative studies and country specific cases are welcome. Specific topics include:
·      Policy roles, capacity and relationships of central agencies, and their variable influences
·      The effects of different central strategies on public policy and design.
·      Centralised policy planning, coordination, and policy management
·      The role of centres of government in rule setting
·      Leadership and centre of government responses to crisis
·      Integrated central approaches to public policy questions (e.g. whole of government).