2026 AAPA Annual Conference Successfully Held at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
The 2026 Annual Conference of the Asian Association for Public Administration (AAPA) was held at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, from 29 to 30 October 2026. Jointly organised by NTU's Nanyang Centre for Public Administration (NCPA) and AAPA, with the School of Public Policy and Management at Tsinghua University as co-organiser, it brought together more than 400 scholars and practitioners from over 20 countries.
Under the theme "Rethinking Asian Public Administration in a Fragmented World: Inclusion, Resilience, and Sustainability," the programme featured keynote speeches, academic forums, and more than 60 parallel sessions on public administration theory and practice.
Guest of Honour Highlights the Importance of Knowledge Infrastructure
Mr Heng Swee Keat, former Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore and Chairman of the National Research Foundation (NRF), graced the conference as the Guest of Honour and delivered a distinguished speech on 29 October.
Mr Heng noted that many pressing global challenges, such as climate change, population ageing, digital transformation, public health, and social cohesion, cannot be addressed within the boundaries of a single ministry, discipline, or nation, and require integrated, collaborative approaches.
He emphasised the growing importance of "knowledge infrastructure", encompassing universities, research institutions, innovation ecosystems, public institutions, and learning networks, which would help societies adapt continuously to change and foster inclusion, resilience, and sustainability.
Professor Christian Wolfrum, Deputy President and Provost of NTU, also delivered an address, underscoring NTU's support for international academic collaboration in public administration.
Academic Forums Explore the Future of Public Administration
The conference opened on the morning of 29 October at NTU's Nanyang Executive Centre with two Dean's Forums and an Editor's Forum, where academic leaders and journal editors discussed higher education, academic careers, research publication, and the academic landscape amid current technological advancement.
Opening Ceremony and Keynote Speeches
At the opening ceremony on the afternoon of 29 October, Professor Hong Liu, Associate Vice President (International) and Director (Research & Executive Education) of NCPA at NTU, and Professor Xufeng Zhu, President of AAPA and Dean of the School of Public Policy and Management at Tsinghua University, delivered welcome addresses on behalf of the organisers.
Keynote speeches, chaired by Professor Jon Wilson, Dean of NTU's College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, were delivered by five distinguished scholars and experts: Professor Pan Suk Kim, former President of AAPA and the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS), and Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA); Professor John Bartle, President of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) and Dean Emeritus of the College of Public Affairs and Community Service, University of Nebraska at Omaha, United States; Professor Lan Xue, Cheung Kong Chair Distinguished Professor and Dean of Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University, China; Professor Eko Prasojo, former Deputy Minister of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform and Professor at the University of Indonesia; and Professor Wu Jiannan, Chair Professor and Director of the China Institute for Urban Governance, and Academic Vice President of Xiangtan University, China.
More Than 60 Parallel Sessions Facilitate Academic Exchange
On 30 October, more than 60 parallel sessions covered topics including AI and digital governance, public trust and positive public administration, sustainable development, performance management and public finance, civil service development, community governance, crisis management, global governance, and policy innovation.
Scholars presented their latest research, exchanged perspectives on governance practices across countries, and explored future collaboration.Doctoral students and early-career academics participated actively, demonstrating the growing diversity and dynamism of the field.
A Milestone for AAPA and Public Administration Scholarship
The conference was the largest annual conference in AAPA's history, attracting more than 400 participants from over 20 countries across East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, Europe, and North America.
It focused on emerging topics, including AI governance, digital government transformation, positive public administration, and resilient governance, and integrated theoretical advances with practical governance experience through comparative research.
It demonstrated the importance of international academic exchange in addressing shared governance challenges in an increasingly interconnected yet fragmented world.
AAPA Board Meeting Held Ahead of the Conference
Ahead of the conference, the AAPA Board Meeting was held on the afternoon of 28 October, chaired by Professor Xufeng Zhu, President of AAPA.
Professor Wang Jue, Director of NCPA at NTU and an AAPA Board of Director, updated the meeting on conference preparations as a representative of the host institution. Board members also reviewed the conference programme and organisational arrangements.
The successful conclusion of the conference reinforced NTU and AAPA's commitment to advancing public administration research, fostering international partnerships, and promoting knowledge exchange across Asia and beyond.
