The EGPA Annual Conference is the flagship event of the European Group for Public Administration (EGPA) and stands at the core of its scientific activities. Held each year in a different European country, the conference brings together scholars, practitioners, and emerging researchers to discuss cutting-edge developments in public administration, governance, and public policy.
During the event, the EGPA Permanent Study Groups hold dedicated sessions, offering a structured environment for academic exchange and collaboration. Additional thematic panels and workshops are organized by EGPA Members and institutional partners, enriching the conference’s diversity and reach.
In 2025, the Conference reached an unprecedented scale, bringing together 800 participants from 59 countries, receiving over 900 abstracts, and marking the largest event in the history of EGPA.
The EGPA Annual Conference 2026 features 27 calls of our PhD Symposium, Permanent Study Groups, Ad Hoc Groups, Specialized Panels and the Transatlantic Dialogue.
This is your opportunity to shape debates, connect with leading experts, and contribute to the next generation of research in public governance.
Deadline for new PSG, AHG, and Specialized Panels proposals
Notification of results for PSG, AHG, and panel proposals
Call for Papers opens for abstract submissions
New deadline for abstract submissions
Notification of acceptance & opening of registrations
(4 May for PhD Sympoisum)
Last day for full paper submissions & registration deadline
The EGPA 2026 Conference is supported by Conftool, our Conference Management Software.
Create an account or recover your password from last years, and make a submission.
The draft conference programme is constantly being updated and available here.
Chair of the EGPA 2026 Conference, Sapienza University of Rome
Welcoming Message – Chair of the EGPA 2026 Conference
Dear colleagues, friends, and members of the EGPA community,
It is a great pleasure and an honour to welcome you to the EGPA 2026 Conference, hosted by Sapienza University of Rome, from 24 to 27 August 2026, under the theme “Public Governance for the Common Good: Human Intelligence Serving the Global Community”.
Rome, a city where ideas of citizenship, public authority, and the common good have been debated and institutionalized over centuries, offers a particularly meaningful setting for reflecting on the future of public governance. Sapienza University of Rome, the largest university in Europe, has long been a place where scholarly inquiry engages with societal challenges. It is therefore a privilege to host the EGPA community in a context that naturally invites reflection on the ethical, political, and administrative foundations of governance.
The theme of the 2026 Conference addresses one of the most profound paradoxes of our time. While public governance increasingly relies on digital technologies, algorithms, and data-driven tools, it is becoming ever more evident that human intelligence remains irreplaceable. Machines can support decision-making, but they cannot substitute human judgment, moral responsibility, or the capacity to deliberate collectively about values and priorities. Public governance, by its very nature, operates in a space of ambiguity, conflict, and ethical choice. Preserving and strengthening this human dimension is essential for maintaining trust, legitimacy, and democratic quality in public institutions.
By focusing on human intelligence, the conference invites us to reconsider public administration not merely as a technical system, but as a human-centered practice grounded in practical wisdom, empathy, and responsibility. At the same time, the emphasis on the common good reminds us that governance exists to serve shared societal purposes. It calls for approaches that balance efficiency with equity, innovation with inclusion, and short-term performance with long-term sustainability. In an era of global interdependence, the common good can no longer be confined within national borders, but must be understood as a collective horizon that connects local action to global responsibility.
The EGPA 2026 Conference will bring together scholars, early-career researchers, and practitioners from across Europe and beyond. Through plenary sessions, the work of our Permanent Study Groups and Ad-Hoc Groups, the PhD seminar, and a range of special panels and dialogues, the conference will provide a forum for interdisciplinary and comparative exchange. These discussions will help us explore how public governance can respond to complex and transboundary challenges while remaining democratic, accountable, and ethically grounded.
This conference is the result of a close collaboration between the Department of Political Science at Sapienza University of Rome, the IIAS-IISA, and the many colleagues who generously contribute their time and expertise to the life of the EGPA.
I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to the Italian National School of Administration (SNA) and to the National Research Council of Italy (CNR) for their valuable support of this initiative. Their engagement highlights the importance of strengthening the links between academic research, public administration, and professional training in order to advance governance oriented toward the common good.
I am confident that EGPA 2026 will not only offer a rich and stimulating scientific programme, but also provide an opportunity to strengthen professional relationships, support emerging scholars, and collectively reflect on how public governance can better serve societies and the global community in the years to come.
I very much look forward to welcoming you to Rome in August 2026.
With my warmest regards,
Prof. Noemi Rossi
EGPA President
Dear Colleagues, Dear Friends of EGPA, Distinguished Scholars, Practitioners, and Students,
Welcome to the 51st EGPA Annual Conference in Rome
We are delighted to welcome you to the 51st Annual Conference of the European Group for Public Administration (EGPA), held from 24-27 August 2026 at Sapienza University of Rome. Sapienza University, founded in 1303, stands among the world’s oldest and most respected universities. It has played a defining role in shaping how we understand public institutions, democracy, and public service. For centuries, Sapienza has brought together law, political science, policy studies, and public management - educating generations of public servants and leaders in Italy, Europe, and internationally. It is therefore a natural and meaningful home for our EGPA community in 2026.
Conference Theme
This year, we meet under the theme: “Public Governance for the Common Good: Human Intelligence Serving the Global Community.” Public governance today faces profound challenges: geopolitical tensions, climate vulnerabilities, demographic shifts, digital disruptions, declining trust, and polarized public debate. Against this backdrop, public administration must remain a cornerstone of fairness, resilience, and democratic responsibility. The theme reminds us that governing for the common good is not only a matter of institutions or procedures – it is deeply human. It depends on judgment, dialogue, empathy, ethical commitment, and the continuous development of civic and professional capacities. Our discussions will reflect how shared human intelligence, collective learning, and international cooperation can support inclusive and sustainable governance.
EGPA’s Role and Mission
The European Group for Public Administration has long served as the European voice of the public administration scholarly community – historically grounded, forward-looking, and deeply connected to global partners. EGPA is distinct in its identity: firmly rooted in European intellectual and administrative tradition, while also embedded in a global PA community and international networks of research, policymaking, and professional exchange. Our mission is enriched by this dual character: local to Europe’s institutional history, and global in its outlook and relevance. We are a community of scholars and practitioners committed to sustaining democratic, effective, responsive, and just public institutions. Our research matters not only for academic debate, but for societies seeking to navigate uncertainty with fairness and purpose.
Looking Ahead
We meet at a pivotal moment for our community. Recent challenges have tested us, but they have also opened a space to renew and strengthen EGPA for the future. In a world marked by polarization and uncertainty, our strong anchoring in the global public administration community remains one of our greatest strengths. EGPA has long thrived through its intellectual autonomy and the vitality of its Permanent Study Groups, which have shaped research agendas and built lasting international collaborations. To prepare EGPA for the years ahead, we are advancing a reform package aimed at reinforcing autonomy and self-determination, accessibility and inclusion, outreach and internationalization, and clarifying EGPA’s institutional position within IIAS. We bring this forward in a spirit of cooperation with the wider IIAS community.
A key pillar of EGPA’s work is its Permanent Study Groups (PSGs) - collaborative, long-term spaces where scholars, practitioners, and students exchange ideas, build research networks, and advance the field. In addition, the conference encourages innovation through:
- New PSGs
- Ad Hoc Groups (AHGs) for experimental and emerging topics
- Specialized Panels (SPs) for focused, in-depth dialogue
These formats reflect EGPA’s core values: plurality, openness, academic rigor, and community-building.
Words of Gratitude
My heartfelt thanks go to all who contribute to this conference, especially to Prof. Noemi Rossi and her fantastic team at Sapienza, to Rector, Prof. Antonella Polimeni, and to the Director of the Department of Political Science, Prof. Maria Cristina Marchetti, the Italian National Research Council (CNR), and the Italian National School of Administration (SNA). Moreover, I would like to express my gratitude to the EGPA Steering Committee, the IIAS team in Brussels and the many colleagues whose dedication sustains our work. Their commitment, hospitality, professionalism, and generosity are invaluable.
As we are approaching this gathering, I encourage each of you to take full advantage of what these days in Rome will offer: rigorous exchange, stimulating debate, new collaborations, renewed friendships, and the joy of intellectual community. Let us listen to one another generously, challenge one another thoughtfully, and imagine together how public governance can serve the common good in the years ahead.
Welcome to Rome. Welcome to Sapienza. Welcome to EGPA.
Thank you.
* The fees below exclude the VAT of 22% (Italy)
Master and PhD
Students
Chairpersons and Steering Committee Members
EGPA / IIAS / IASIA Members
Regular
participant
Accompanying
persons
Dinner
participation fee
EGPA 2026
TRAVEL GRANT
Supporting conference participation by early-career scholars
EGPA 2026+
BOOSTER GRANT
funding new research groups and activities in Rome and beyond
Submit a proposal, panel, or abstract, and join our community of distinguished scholars and practitioners in public administration.
For inquiries, please contact the organizers at egpa-conference@iias-iisa.org
