17–20 November | Seoul, Republic of Korea

Growth for Society: Collaborative Governance, Social Innovation, and Public Value

Organised by the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS), Konkuk University Institute of Health and Aging Society, and SK Group. Partners: Ministry of Interior and Safety (MOIS), South Korea, and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI).

Sustainability is being recentred in a world of persistent and overlapping crises — climate change, demographic shifts, digital transformation, and deepening inequality. These challenges expose the structural limits of traditional capitalism and of government-only responses, generating a growing need for social innovation, effective solutions to complex societal problems, and the preservation and strengthening of public value. Steering society toward these goals requires new forms of collaborative governance. Because the scale and complexity of the issues exceed the capacity of public administration alone, the private sector is increasingly called upon as an active partner in co-designing and co-implementing solutions through policy-market linkage platforms, corporate social-value strategies, and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance)-linked initiatives.

At the same time, the emergence of a multipolar order has prompted a critical re-examination of global interdependencies. What was once celebrated under the liberal international order is now widely perceived as a source of vulnerability and potential zero-sum competition. In this context, social and environmental concerns are increasingly subordinated to the pursuit of economic competitiveness while national champions are expected to secure meaningful insertion into global value chains and the soft-power architectures that accompany them. This dynamic points toward a rejuvenation of the classic developmental-state model, in which the public sector retains strategic leadership and long-term planning to nurture technological capabilities and convert societal resources into sustained national competitive advantage.

Both perspectives (collaborative governance and the new multipolar world order) ultimately converge on the realisation and re-establishment of national priorities. These priorities may be framed either as a national adaptation of the global SDG/ESG agenda — emphasising social innovation and public-value creation — or as the building of competitive advantage in a changing global context. In either case, the overarching objective is to harness economic growth for broader societal resilience and legitimacy.

What both visions share is the imperative to mobilise society for these national goals. The central question that remains open — and that public administration scholarship must address — is whether this mobilisation is best achieved through direct governmental steering or through intermediary structures such as national champions operating under new governance frameworks of accountability, transparency, and performance.

The rise of artificial general intelligence (AGI) provides a powerful illustration of this shared challenge. Participation in the AI revolution demands the creation of broad skills and talent pools so that society at large can benefit from productivity gains and leapfrogging opportunities, while national champions must simultaneously secure strategic insertion into global value chains and the soft-power systems they sustain. Public administration is called upon to deliver the enabling conditions: coordinated investment in human capital and training systems, forward-looking regulatory and ethical frameworks, and governance mechanisms that ensure corporate collaboration serves national priorities without compromising public value or administrative legitimacy.

Against this backdrop, the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS), in partnership with Konkuk University and with the support of SK Group and the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry, invites scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to contribute to the international conference "Growth for Society: Collaborative Governance, Social Innovation, and Public Value" in Seoul.

We welcome theoretical, empirical, comparative, and policy-oriented contributions that engage with classical public administration themes — including bureaucratic capacity, institutional design, administrative law, and the politics-administration nexus — while addressing contemporary challenges. Submissions may relate to the following themes (non-exhaustive):

• National industrial policies: public-sector strategies for mobilising social and environmental enablers to build and sustain competitive advantage; the role of administrative autonomy, expertise, and coordination; collaborative platforms linking public goals with corporate social-value initiatives.
• Resilience in an evolving global context: governance of supply-chain architectures, strategic autonomy, and alliance management amid shifting interdependencies; implications for intergovernmental relations and administrative adaptability in a multipolar world.
• Public administration guiding the AGI transition: talent development, regulatory and ethical frameworks, harvesting broad productivity gains, and mitigating social and environmental risks; the interplay between bureaucratic discretion, corporate collaboration in global value chains, and innovation governance.
• Comparative policies and projects: lessons from developmental experiences across the Global North and South in adapting industrial, resilience, and innovation strategies to new realities; comparative public administration perspectives on state capacity, institutional variation, and collaborative governance models.
• The internal-external interface: how domestic social cohesion, welfare institutions, human-capital policies, and public-value creation interact with external competitive positioning; the role of administrative traditions and public service values in mediating these relationships.
• Social innovation: the role of public administration in fostering and scaling innovative responses to complex social challenges; governance of cross-sector collaboration among government, civil society, and private actors; institutional conditions for diffusion and sustainability; and implications for inclusive growth, social cohesion, public value creation, and alignment with national development priorities.

In addition to individual papers and panel proposals, we warmly welcome autonomous tracks (with designated chairperson(s)) that are compatible with the overall theme. Such tracks will be promoted alongside the main call. Submissions should be made by May 24 to iias-conference@iias-iisa.org

Submission formats:

• Full academic papers (6,000–8,000 words)
• Policy briefs or case studies (2,000–4,000 words)
• Panel proposals (with 3–4 contributions and a clear rationale)

Key dates:

• Deadline submission of additional calls: 24 May 2026
• Call for papers launch / abstract submission opens: 31 May 2026
• Submission deadline: 16 August 2026
• Notification of acceptance: 30 August 2026
• Full paper submission: 4 October 2026
• Conference: 17–20 November 2026

A selection of high-quality papers will be considered for a special issue of the International Review of Administrative Sciences. In addition, an edited book volume focusing on one of the core conference themes will be announced at a later stage.

This conference offers a unique platform to advance rigorous debate and practical insights on how public administration — in its classical and evolving forms — can shape sustainable competitiveness and growth for society in an era defined by geopolitical flux, technological disruption, and the search for collaborative solutions to shared societal challenges. We look forward to your contributions and to welcoming you in Seoul.

Selected references:

Johnson, C. (1982). MITI and the Japanese miracle: The growth of industrial policy, 1925–1975. Stanford University Press.

Juhász, R., Lane, N., & Rodrik, D. (2024). The new economics of industrial policy. Annual Review of Economics, 16, 213–242. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-economics-081023-024638

Mearsheimer, J. J. (2019). Bound to fail: The rise and fall of the liberal international order. International Security, 43(4), 7–50. https://doi.org/10.1162/isec_a_00342

Noman, A., & Stiglitz, J. E. (Eds.). (2017). Efficiency, finance, and varieties of industrial policy: Guiding resources, learning, and technology for sustained growth. Columbia University Press.

OECD. (2025). Governing with artificial intelligence: The state of play and way forward in core government functions. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/795de142-en

Rodrik, D. (2014). Green industrial policy. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 30(3), 469–491. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/gru025

Zuiderwijk, A., Chen, Y.-C., & Salem, F. (2021). Implications of the use of artificial intelligence in public governance: A systematic literature review and a research agenda. Government Information Quarterly, 38(3), Article 101577. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2021.101577