SPPA Prof. Les Pal presents a critical appraisal of the idea of best practices in public management in the First International Conference on Public Policy

Professor Leslie A. Pal recently attended the First International Conference on Public Policy in Grenoble, France. He delivered a paper entitled “Best Practices in Public Management: A Critical Appraisal” (co-authored with Ian D. Clark). He also organized two panels, chaired a plenary session on scientific journals in the field, and served on the conference scientific committee. The conference attracted almost 1,000 scholars from around the world, the largest of its kind ever. 

Prof. Pal’s paper offered a critical appraisal of the idea of “best practices” in public management — practices that can and should be transferred in areas like budgeting and integrity. Whatever criticisms one can make of “best practice” governments are constantly in search of better models, and international agencies are very much engaged in providing advice on good practice. The paper reviews the findings of an on-going research project with Prof. Clark, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.