CenSE makes an impact at IRSPM 2017

CenSE had a strong impact at the International Research Society for Public Management (IRSPM) conference at Corvinus University in Budapest in April 2017. CenSE Director Stephen Osborne convened a panel on risk governance and innovation in public services that drew a large audience.

The consensus was twofold. First, the practice of risk governance in public services is still in its infancy. Too much focus continues to be upon avoiding risk rather than recognising it as a core element of innovation that needs to be governed – you cannot have innovation without risk. Consequently the key issues are how much risk, for what potential benefits – and to whom does the risk fall? Second, the research community needs to develop its conceptualisation of risk if it is to evolve cutting-edge research that can influence both thinking and policy and practice.

Stephen Osborne and Sophie Flemig’s conference presentation on public-private partnerships is now available:

• Contracting Risk Slides (PowerPoint)
• Contracting Risk Slides (PDF)

You can also access their recent paper on conceptualising risk in public service innovation, co-written with Tony Kinder, from Public Money & Management:

• Risky Business: Reconceptualizing risk and innovation in public services

In a separate panel, CenSE doctoral student Edwina Zhu also presented her work on social enterprises and resilience:

• Can Social Enterprises Achieve Resilience in their Delivery of Public Services and What Are the Contingencies? (PowerPoint)
• Can Social Enterprises Achieve Resilience in their Delivery of Public Services and What Are the Contingencies? (PDF)

Awards

In his role as editor of Public Management Review, Stephen Osborne presented the award for the 2016 PMR Best Paper during the Gala Dinner, which also saw the award of the annual Osborne Prize for Best New Researcher to fellow Scottish researcher Roxana Corduneanu from Glasgow University – an event so momentous that it even made the national newspapers Högskolan Kristianstad and Civilekonomen of Roxana’s home country of Sweden!

CenSE Director Stephen Osborne, the founder and first President of IRSPM, was also duly elected onto the Board of IRSPM to serve for the next three years.