UKPAC and the IIAS

Background

The United Kingdom Public Administration Consortium (UKPAC) is a consortium of public and private organisations that forms the UK’s national section of International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS).

UKPAC comprises representatives of the National Audit Office, the National School of Government, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, Public Administration International, the Public Administration Committee of the Joint University Council and Electronic Data Systems Ltd. Sir John Bourn, Comptroller and Auditor General and head of the National Audit Office, is honorary President of the Consortium.

The Consortium was formed in 1996 to co-ordinate the UK’s interests in the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS). The IIAS is a non-governmental organisation based in Brussels, which is funded by UNESCO and its 100 member states. The Institute is devoted to all questions that address contemporary public administration at the national and international levels and, established in the 1930s, is the oldest international body in the field of public administration.

First Specialised Conference of the IIAS at the Civil Service College, Sunningdale Park: 12-15 July 1999

One of the early objectives of UKPAC was to bid for the UK to host an annual IIAS conference. Our bid was successful and, between 12-15 July 1999, 365 delegates from 66 countries attended the First Specialised Conference of the IIAS at the Civil Service College, Sunningdale Park.  The theme of the conference, which was chaired by Sir John Bourn and closed by HRH The Princess Royal, was Accountability in Public Administration: Reconciling Democracy, Efficiency and Ethics. The 1999 conference was deemed to be a great success and did much promote the reputation of the United Kingdom in the eyes of the public administration world.

The Sunningdale Accountability Lecture

To build on the unique theme of the 1999 Sunningdale Conference - accountability with an international dimension - the Consortium established a lecture, entitled The Sunningdale Accountability Lecture, to be held every two years. The Rt Hon Neil Kinnock, Vice President of the European Commission, presented the inaugural lecture at the Royal Society of Arts, London in October 2001. He spoke on the subject of Accountability and the Reform of Internal Control in the European Commission to an invited audience of 100 or so senior figures drawn from the various fields of expertise represented by UKPAC members. These included the senior civil service, senior academics, local government, the accountancy profession, representatives of the IIAS and other European and international figures.

The second Sunningdale Accountability Lecture took place in November 2003. The Lecture - Accountability and the Media: The Struggle for "Balance" - was presented by Professor Ben Pimlott.

The third lecture, on the theme of Parliament and the Judiciary: The Problem of Accountability, was presented by Professor Vernon Bogdanor on February 9th 2006. The lecture was introduced by Sir John Bourn, Honorary President of UKPAC and Dr Michael Duggett, Director General of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences, provided some closing remarks.

Professor Robert Hazell delivered the fourth Sunningdale Accountability lecture on 29 January 2008. He addressed the question The Acts of Union - the next 30 years The lecture was introduced by Sir John Bourn, Honorary President of UKPAC; Dr Rolet Loretan, Director General of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences, made some closing remarks.

The UKPAC Competition

Since 2000, UKPAC has run an essay competition open to academics and practitioners. The essay competition winner has had the opportunity to participate in the international conference, with all expenses paid. The winner is chosen from nominations for an outstanding article or chapter in the field of public administration or public management that has been published recently in a professional or an academic journal, or in an anthology.

For further information please contact Terry Caulfield:

c/o National Audit Office
157-197 Buckingham Palace Road
Victoria
LONDON
SW1W 9SP

e-mail: ukpac@nao.gsi.gov.uk