The American Society for Public Administration (ASPA)’s 76th Annual Conference expanded plenary sessions and featured prominent leaders, exploring the theme from both U.S. and international perspectives. The conference honored excellence in public service through the National Public Service Awards. A series of critical issue roundtable dialogues tackled some of field’s most important challenges, from the key issues that state and local governments will face over the next decade to the nexus of public management, the public sector, and the 2016 election.

Professor Tobin Im was both a moderator and presenter in the “Founders’ Forum – From Theory to Practice” session, with a presentation entitled “Government Effectiveness and Competence: International Perspectives.” He presented a paper in the “Critical Issues Roundtable Dialogues” entitled “Do Our Core Public Administration Theories Travel to Chicago and Seoul: Can de Tocqueville Rap and Karaoke?” Professor Tobin Im was also a moderator in the “Social Equity, Justice and Civic Engagement” session, themed “KAPA Panel 1: New Roles of Korean Public Administration for a More Equitable Society.” His paper was entitled “Rethinking Government Competitiveness: A Critical Assessment of Competitiveness Indicators.”