Policymakers around the world face complex challenges – challenges such as climate change, increased migration, lingering effects of the Great Recession, population aging, changes in family formation, growth in the demand for educated workers, rising health care costs, and increased economic, political, and social inequality. The theme of this year’s conference is what we can do to address these challenges, drawing on our knowledge base in public policy analysis and management but also bringing in new perspectives – in particular, from other disciplines and other countries.

APPAM has always emphasized including diverse participants and perspectives in the Fall Research Conference. This year, we will continue to expand on that diversity by encouraging papers, panels, and roundtables that include presenters, chairs, and discussants from a range of disciplines (such as public policy, social policy, public administration, management, economics, sociology, education, public health, social work, psychology, statistics, history, political science, environmental sciences, science and technology, and others) and countries. As policy challenges become increasingly complex and global, the goal of the conference is to make sure we draw on the widest range of knowledge to understand those challenges and help formulate appropriate responses.