RC48 - Administrative Culture

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21Aug 2025

International Monthly Lecture Series 1 - Organised by RC48- Administrative Culture

We are pleased to invite you to the upcoming lecture on:

Serving the Margins: Rethinking Public Administration for Inclusive Governance in India 

Delivered by Dr. A. RANJITHKUMAR, Board Member – RC 48, IPSA, Assistant Professor of Political Science, School of Law, Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala  R&D Institute of Science and Technology, INDIA ( drranjithkumara@veltech.edu.in)

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/MoboWR6AQ5narth77      

Google Meet Link: https://meet.google.com/wpx-vxur-row

E-certificates will be provided to all participants.

Contact:
Dr. Saraswathi Unni
Co-Vice Chair, IPSA RC48
Senior Research Fellow & Director, Research and Publications
Water Policy Centre, Aurangabad, India
saraunni228@gmail.com

IPSA RC48 – Administrative Culture Leadership

  • Chair: Dr. Ashok Basu
  • Vice-Chairs: Dr. Saraswathi Unni, Ms. Kinga Feenstra
  • Secretary: Dr. Jayanta Sarmah
  • Board Members: Dr. Alexander Sokolov, Dr. Shane Mohammed, Dr. A. Ranjithkumar, Dr. David Mello, Dr. Arunoday Bajpai, Ms. Margarita Barer, Dr. Caixia Wang, Ms. Veronica Ludek

26 August 2025 | 06:00–06:30 UTC+5:30

  • India (UTC+5:30): 18:00–18:30 hrs
  • Trinidad & Tobago (UTC–4): 08:00–08:30 hrs
  • Colombia, Brazil (UTC–5): 07:30–08:00 hrs
  • Israel (UTC+3): 15:30–16:00 hrs
  • China (UTC+8): 20:00–20:30 hrs
  • Poland, South Africa (UTC+2): 14:30–15:00 hrs
  • Russia (UTC+3): 15:30–16:00 hrs

 

21Aug 2025

One Day International Policy Workshop - IPSA RC48, the Water Policy Centre (Aurangabad), Maharashtra National Law University

The Policy Workshop, held on 10 December 2024 in Aurangabad, India, adopted the theme “From Ideas to Impact: Exploring Public Policy Processes.” Organized jointly by Research Committee 48 (Administrative Culture) of the International Political Science Association (IPSA), the Water Policy Center, and the Maharashtra National Law University Aurangabad, the event brought together scholars, policymakers, and practitioners in a hybrid format. The workshop examined the complexities of the policy cycle, addressing formulation in the age of data, stakeholder engagement and collaborative governance, challenges of implementation, mechanisms of evaluation and accountability, and the role of innovation and adaptation. Designed as an interactive platform, it facilitated critical dialogue and exchange among emerging and established actors in public policy, thereby strengthening both theoretical and applied perspectives on policymaking in contemporary contexts.

Representatives from IPSA, WPC & MNLUA with delegates from India, SriLanka, Nepal & Bangladesh
Dr. A.R. Basu, Chair, RC-48 delivers the Keynote Address

 

IPPW,A,I Delegates at the Conference, from India, Sri lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal
IPPW,A,I, Dr. Saraswathi Unni, Co-Vice Chair, RC-48
IPPW,A,I, Dr. Shane Mohamed, RC-48 Board Member, Geo-Political Strategist, Trinidad & Tobago
IPPW,A,I, Natasha -Zarine, Water Conservation Activist, INDIA
IPPW,A,I Delegates from Bangladesh make their presentation
IPPW,A,I Dr. Sangle, Macro Economist speaks to over 70 delegates at the Conference
IPPW,A,I Ms. Maheshi, delegate from Sri Lanka
Leila Kichikova and Ilya Viktorovich of St. Petersburg University presenting in the Students' Section

 

21Aug 2025

IPSA's 75th Anniversary Conference

The IPSA 75th Anniversary Conference on Democratization and Autocratization, held in Lisbon in 2024, brought together scholars from around the world to reflect on one of the most pressing dynamics in global politics. Marking both IPSA’s 75 years of advancing political science and the 50th anniversary of Portugal’s Carnation Revolution — the event that launched Huntington’s “third wave” of democratization — the conference explored the dual forces of democratic progress and autocratic resurgence. Over three days, participants engaged in panels and discussions on elections, populism, the rule of law, the economy, migration, gender, nationalism, and international relations, sharing comparative and case-based insights into the shifting balance between democracy and autocracy worldwide.

RC48 was also present with four board members and a closed panel P-009 [RC 48] Transformation of Administrative Procedures and Processes To Enhance Democratization.

Four board members of RC48

Co-Vice Chair Dr. Saraswathi Unni; Chair Dr. Ashok Basu; Board Member Dr. Ranjith Kumar; Co-Vice Chair Ms. Kinga Feenstra

 

RC48's panel was chaired by Dr. Ashok Basu, with Co-Vice Chairs Dr. Saraswathi Unni and Ms. Kinga Feenstra as discussants.
Papers:

  • Administrative Responses to Democratic Backsliding with Reference To India - Saraswathi Unni, Water Policy Centre, India
  • Assessing the Impact of Digital Literacy on the Accessibility of E-Governance Services in India: An Empirical Study - Ranjithkumar A, Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr.Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology, Avadi, India
  • Bureaucratic Responses to Democratic Degeneration - Ashok Basu, Independent Scholar, India Democratic Erosion or Institutional Maturity?
  • Comparing Outcomes in Brazil, Chile, and Colombia - Malvina Krausz Hladka, Institute of Political Studies, Charles University, Czech Republic
  • Reshaping AI Governance: Decoloniality and the Quest for Justice as Fairness - Kinga Feenstra, Independent Researcher, Netherlands
  • The Administrative Guided Governance in an Authoritarian State: The Case of the Financial Sector in China - Chung-min Tsai, National Chengchi University, Taiwan 
Group photo panel

 

Individual photos:

Dr. Ranjith Kumar
Dr. Saraswathi Unni

 

01Aug 2025

IPSA's 28th World Congress of Political Science - Seoul, South Korea (2025)

Post by: Dr. Saraswathi Unni and Ms. Kinga Feenstra

From 12-16 July 2025, several members of RC48 Administrative Culture were present during IPSA's 28th World Congress of Political Science in Seoul, South Korea. The theme of the congress was concerned with resisting autocratization in polarized societies. 


In this post, we share some key moments captured on photo in Seoul, South Korea.

RC48 Members after registration
RC48 Members at the opening ceremony

Chair - Ashok Basu, Anamika Basu, Co-Vice Chair Saraswathi Unni

RC48 Business meeting

During RC48's Business Meeting, five new members were elected, namely: 

  1. Dr. David D'Mello (South Africa)
  2. Dr. Arunoday Bajpai (India) 
  3. Ms.Margarita Barer (Israel)
  4. Dr. Caxia Wang (China) 
  5. Ms. Veronica Ludek ( Poland)

 

RC48 was presented during minimum two different panels, such as RC-48.07 Building Inclusive Governance Frameworks in Politically Polarized Environments and RC-13.05 Enhancing the Resilience of Democratic Administrative Cultures to Resist Autocratization

RC-48.07 Building Inclusive Governance Frameworks in Politically Polarized Environments
 

Panel RC-48.07
Convenor: Dr. Saraswathi Unni 
Chair: Dr. Ashok Ranjan Basu
Discussant: Prof. Jayanta Krishna Sarmah

 

 

 

RC-13.05 Enhancing the Resilience of Democratic Administrative Cultures to Resist Autocratization

 

RC-13.05 Panel

Convenor: Dr. A. Ranjithkumar
Chair: Mr. Eby John
Co-chair: Dr. A. Ranjithkumar
Discussant: Dr. Saraswathi Unni.

Photo: L to R
Ranjith
Nana Kwusi Nti, Albany Law School, USA (Paper presenter)
Vinita Dipra, King's College, UK (Paper presenter)
Annika Kaiser, University of Heidelberg
Saraswathi Unni
Eby John (Doctoral Student, University of Warsaw)
Ajith Karkhanis (Indian Institute of Management, Indore)
Souleymane Yameogo (Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Glasgow, UK)

21Jun 2024

Research Committee 48 on Administrative Culture

RC48 Administrative Culture – Key insights from Buenos Aires to Lisbon

From IPSA’s World Congress in 2023 to IPSA’s 75th Anniversary Conference 2024 in Lisbon, RC48 is present again, this time with a new Board. The newly elected Board comprise scholars, policy professionals, political scientists from all over the world, ranging from India to Trinidad and Tobago, to Russia, to the Netherlands. With this diversity of perspectives, the new Board is proud to continue to work on generating key insights related to administrative culture.

 

From IPSA’s World Congress in 2012 to IPSAs 75th Anniversary Conference 2024 in Lisbon, RC48 has been very a vibrant Panel. From Prof. R.D. Sharma, the first Chairman to Prof. Rosamund Thomas and Prof. Jeremy Lewis, RC48: Administrative Culture has an interesting record. As the Chair of the new Board, I do hope we will maintain the high benchmarks of the previous Boards. I would appreciate and encourage active participation from all the Members of RC48. - RC48 Chair Dr. Ashok Basu

TRANSFORMATION – DEMOCRATISATION – AUTOCRATISATION

The first efforts of the newly elected Board are manifested in the presentation of two closed panels during the upcoming conference in Lisbon. The first panel is concerned with digital transformation, AI governance, transformational leadership, social rating systems and Big Data, Digital literacy, e-Districts, and seek to underscore the concerns that need to be addressed to maximise the positive impact of digital transformation in respect of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Less than 30 years after Fukuyama and others declared liberal democracy’s eternal dominance, a third wave of autocratisation is manifest. The second panel is concerned with the third wave of autocratisation and its impact on democracy, discussing topics related to democratic backsliding and democratic degeneration

INSIGHTS FROM LAST YEAR’S WORLD CONGRESS

During the World Congress at Buenos Aires in 2023, we had panellists from Ecuador, Russia, France and South Africa in the Panel on “Administrative Transformation Reform in Developing Societies” covering a range of issues from Educational Reform, Digital Ecosystems, Whistle Blowing Culture to Gender Quotas. The Panel on “Administrative Reforms & Administrative Culture in Developing Countries” had panellists from Brazil, Japan, Argentina and Peru who presented their findings on Labour Rights, the Rise of an Efficient Bureaucracy, Gender Parity and Inclusive Participation. The Panels stood out both in terms of diversity of nationalities as well as the range of issues covered.

I look forward to such diversity and a variety of scholarly viewpoints in the two RC 48 Panels at Lisbon - RC48 Vice Chair Dr. Saraswathi Unni.

With this news item, we hope to have sparked your interest, and welcome you to visit our panels in Lisbon – RC48 Vice Chair MSc. Kinga Feenstra.

Open call for new members:s

Are you interested in becoming a member of RC48 Administrative Culture? Please send an email to RC48 Chair Dr. Ashok Basu drarbasu@gmail.com – with Vice Chairs Dr. Saraswathi Unni and MSc. Kinga Feenstra in CC, saraunni228@gmail.com and kingafeenstra@gmail.com

All members of Reserach Committee 48 are as below:

 

Personal name

Family Name

<

Email Address

>

Margarita

Barer

<

rita.barer@gmail.com

>

Ashok Ranjan

Basu

<

drarbasu@gmail.com

>

Radomir

Bolgov

<

rbolgov@yandex.ru

>

Nittam

Chandel

<

nittam@gmail.com

>

Joseph

Chirwa

<

Joseph-Amazuwa.Chirwa@nau.edu

>

Marcio

Cunha Filho

<

ccfmarcio@gmail.com

>

Andrey

Dakhin

<

nn9222@rambler.ru

>

Kinga

Feenstra

<

kingafeenstra@gmail.com

>

Sandra

Firmino

<

sfirmino@iscsp.ulisboa.pt

>

Nemi Chand

Goliaya

<

dr.nemichand@gmail.com

>

Erica

Gorbak

<

ericagorbak@yahoo.com

>

Rachna

Goswami

<

rachna.ipsa@gmail.com

>

yaguang

hao

<

yaguanghao@gmail.com

>

Ishtiaq

Jamil

<

ishtiaq.jamil@uib.no

>

Ivan

Kopric

<

ikopric@pravo.hr

>

Liia

Laanes

<

liia.laanes@gmail.com

>

Jaein

Lee

<

leejaein@yonsei.ac.kr

>

Cheryl

Mohamed Sayeed

<

mohamed-sayeedc@ukzn.ac.za

>

Shane Anthony

Mohammed

<

shane.a.mohammed@gmail.com

>

Syeda Lubna Bano

Nadvi

<

nadvis@ukzn.ac.za

>

A

Ranjithkumar

<

ranjannmt@gmail.com

>

Miguel

RochaDeSousa

<

mrsousa@uevora.pt

>

Teena

Roy

<

teenaroy35@gmail.com

>

Jayanta Krishna

Sarmah

<

jayanta1947@gauhati.ac.in

>

Leonid

Smorgunov

<

lvsmorgunov@gmail.com

>

Alexander

Sokolov

<

alex8119@mail.ru

>

Tihomira

Trifonova

<

tiho@gateway.bg

>

Saraswathi

Unni

<

saraunni228@gmail.com

>

Masaki

Unohara

<

nyoru011@gmail.com

>

Jana

Vargovcikova

<

jana.varg@gmail.com

>

Arpita

Wadhwa

<

arpitawdh@gmail.com

>