London Summer School 2024

The pressures of adapting to digital advancements and climate change are straining public administrations that aim to assess and deal with these changes for a sustainable future and improved policymaking. To support the adaptation, the Public Administration Capabilities for Digital and Sustainable Transition (PADST) project encourages research into public administration and policymaking given the twin digital and sustainable transition. What administrative capacities and capabilities do governments need to steer this twin transition? 

Target group

This summer school aims to bring together early-career researchers (esp. doctoral students) who study public administration and its relationships with digital transformation, green transitions or sustainability governance. The key target group are the early-career researchers from the PADST project member universities. There are also a limited number of places available for applicants outside the PADST project member universities. The summer school will be conducted in English, and participants are expected to have a good command of the language.  

Scope and aim 

Following the PADST project aims, the summer school will focus on two key research and policy challenges, while also trying to build bridges between these topics:  

• How should public administrations adjust, reform and evolve to meet the sustainability and climate change challenges?  
• How should public administrations adjust, reform and evolve to cope with digital opportunities while creating and securing public value? 
• How are governments taking advantage of and steering digital transformation to serve the needs of sustainability challenges? 

As the second event in a series of PADST summer schools planned over the coming years, the London summer school aims to create a network of PhD and early-career researchers interested in public administration and its relationships with digital and sustainable transitions. 

It will also focus more on the interactions with practitioners as a practice-based theorized model for developing research. It will provide an opportunity to engage in discussions and debates on these topics with leading scholars and experts from the field. Participants will have the opportunity to present their own research, receive feedback and guidance, exchange with practitioners, participate in workshops and seminars, and network with fellow researchers. The school provides opportunities to increase the quality and relevance of participants’ research, increase visibility and the chances of high-level PhD publication. The school also provides unique access to the views of high-level policymakers and the opportunity to interact with UK government officials. Last but not least, the school will offer an opportunity to participate in IIPP's Forum Event (former MOIN gathering), which will take place on the 12 and 13th of June, and will gather worldwide practitioners.

• When: June 10-12, 2024. Participants who are interested in joining the IIPP Forum event with worldwide practitioners may extend their stay until June 13.
• Location: London UK. The summer school is open by invitation only.
• Organizers: The summer school is organized by the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose at University College London. The coordinator of the summer school is prof Rainer Kattel. The PADST project is a joint initiative of KU Leuven (Public Governance Institute), TalTech (Nurkse Department), Utrecht University (School of Governance, Public Management Group), and University College London (Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose).