At the time APPAM was founded in the late 1970s, the plan was for the organization to be predominately an institutional membership association. APPAM would bring together the resources of public policy schools and policy research organizations to support a new conference and a new journal (JPAM). These activities were seen as important professional opportunities for an emerging field of policy and management research. At that time, institutional membership offered a way for the fledgling association to raise the financial resources necessary to launch. Within a few years, the growing body of individual members asked for and achieved a voice in APPAM’s governance, gaining the right to directly elect the Policy Council. Today APPAM continues to attract new institutional members who appreciate the conferences and the journal, lending their support to both. 

APPAM’s dues are dictated by a member's salary. In an effort to be sensitive to those members new to the public policy community, APPAM created three tiers of dues, all dependent on a member’s salary.

A person can remain a student member for 5 years. They must be enrolled at an accredited university in a program of public policy or public affairs to be a student member. A student membership is only $40 annually and includes a subscription to JPAM, the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. 

All APPAM individual members are eligible to vote in the Council election. Since 2004, the election is held online for one month beginning in the middle of November.

Among the three members selected by the general membership, one will be a self-identified practitioner and the other two slots filled by academic members. (In 2013, the membership voted to reduce the size of the Policy Council from 40 to 29 members by 2017.)

Furthermore, members of the Council often serve on the Fall Conference Program Committee. This means that APPAM members have significant representation on the Council, and the Council itself is involved in APPAM’s most important activities. For these reasons, participation in the Council election is a substantive opportunity for members to determine what the Association does.

The Journal of Policy Analysis and Management (JPAM) is produced 4 times a year. It is available in print and online. Every member of APPAM receives issues of JPAM 4 times a year.

JPAM is produced through an editorial office by an editor and their team. The editors serve five year terms and apply through a proposal process for the position. The editors are chosen by APPAM’s Policy Council. Maureen Pirog, the current editor of JPAM, will maintain her editorship through June of 2014. 

JPAM is produced through an editorial office by an editor and their team. The editors serve five year terms and apply through a proposal process for the position. The editors are chosen by APPAM’s Policy Council. Erdal Tekin is the current Editor of JPAM

In 1985, APPAM created the Committee of Institutional Representatives and asked each member institution to appoint a representative to the committee. To date, the chairs of the Institutional Representatives have been the following:

Anita Summers, University of Pennsylvania (1985-1989)
Irwin Feller, Penn State University (1989-1991)
Charles Metcalf, Mathematica Policy Research (1991-1993)
Glen Hahn Cope, University of Illinois-Springfield (1993-1995)
Jack Krauskopf, New School (1995-1996)
Mark Kamlet, Carnegie Mellon University (1997-1999)
Susan Schwab, University of Maryland-College Park (1999-2001)
Eugenia Toma, University of Kentucky (2001-2003)
Michael Luger, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (2003-2005)
Michael O’Hare, University of California-Berkeley (2005-2007)
Sandra Archibald, Univeristy of Washington (2007-2009)
Carolyn Heinrich, University of Wisconsin (2009-2011)
Joseph Cordes, George Washington University (2011-2013)
Michael Shires, Pepperdine University (2013 - 2015)
Juliet Musso, University of Southern California (2015 - 2017)
Patty Troppe, Westat (2017 - 2019)

Note: Affiliations listed were at time of service as chair.

The new chair is nominated by a three-person committee appointed by the outgoing chair from among the Institutional Representatives. The nominee is presented to the Institutional Representatives at their annual spring meeting, and, if approved, serves for two years as chair and as a member of the Executive Committee of the APPAM Policy Council. A person can serve multiple terms as chair.

The APPAM president-elect appoints the Program Committee each year. The 35 to 40 members of the committee are selected because of their expertise in the topic areas of the conference, and several people are often placed on the committee to review proposals in a large area like education or health. The APPAM president-elect often recruits many members of the Program Committee from among the APPAM Policy Council. This enhances the role of the Council in the management of APPAM’s most important annual event.

We will accept panel, roundtable, paper, and poster proposals for the conference from February 3 - April 6, 2016.  You can go directly to the submission system by clicking here or visit the submission information page on the APPAM website for more information.

Proposals go through the following process:

Your proposal is assigned to a specific policy area, based on the primary category chosen during the submission process.

All the proposals will be supplied to the Fall Conference Program Committee for review. The committee members may recommend to the APPAM president-elect that your proposal be accepted, rejected, or modified. The president-elect makes the final decision on all proposals.

You will be notified by e-mail in mid-July about the status of your proposal for the conference. If accepted, the APPAM office will include your proposal in the preliminary and final conference programs, and send you information about your responsibilities as a conference participant.

Accept or reject notifications will be sent to all submitters in mid-July. 

Beginning in 1985, APPAM has held every conference in an odd-numbered year in Washington, DC. This pattern emerged because of the interest of practitioners in the Washington area (and especially federal government officials) in the research presented at the Fall Research Conference. The conferences held in Washington, DC in recent years have been strongly attended by non-academics. In 2003, APPAM surveyed several leadership groups and the individual membership regarding whether to continue the every-other-year pattern in Washington, DC, and found that all were in support of that arrangement.

The Fall Research Conference typically occurs over the first Thursday through Saturday of November each year, although occasionally the conference may occur in the last week of October or the second week of November to avoid conflict with Halloween in the United States. The following sample schedule indicates key dates in the annual cycle of the conference; note that these dates may be modified in any specific year.

Fall Research Conference: Example Schedule

The APPAM president-elect appoints the Program Committee each year. The 50 members of the committee are selected because of their expertise in the topic areas of the conference, and two or three persons are often placed on the committee to review proposals in a larger topic area such as education policy or public management.

On average, 30% of the members on one year's committee will serve the next year. This overlap enhances the institutional memory and management experience of the proposal review process.

The APPAM president-elect often recruits many members of the Program Committee from among the APPAM Policy Council. This enhances the role of the Council in the management of APPAM's most important annual event. The Program Committee reviews all proposals submitted to the conference and makes recommendations to the president-elect regarding what to accept for sessions. Ultimately, the president-elect has final authority over the composition of each conference.

The APPAM president-elect appoints the Program Committee each year. The 50 members of the committee are selected because of their expertise in the topic areas of the conference, and two or three persons are often placed on the committee to review proposals in a larger topic area such as education policy or public management.

On average, 30% of the members on one year's committee will serve the next year. This overlap enhances the institutional memory and management experience of the proposal review process.

The APPAM president-elect often recruits many members of the Program Committee from among the APPAM Policy Council. This enhances the role of the Council in the management of APPAM's most important annual event. The Program Committee reviews all proposals submitted to the conference and makes recommendations to the president-elect regarding what to accept for sessions. Ultimately, the president-elect has final authority over the composition of each conference.

All Fall Research Conference proposals must be submitted online using an online system. Persons submitting individual papers may designate they will or will not accept a poster session if offered one. APPAM asks that all proposals provide abstracts and complete contact information for persons linked to the proposals. APPAM does not ask for completed papers at the time of submission nor expect that the papers be finished until about a month prior to the meetings.

Here are some tips for improving a proposal to increase the chances of getting accepted:

• Propose a complete panel rather than an individual paper. The program committee consists entirely of volunteers. By proposing a complete panel, you are simplifying their work considerably, especially if the proposal shines in terms of its overall quality and coherence. When you submit an individual paper proposal, you are speculating that there will be several other papers submitted on a similar topic, and that the program committee will have the opportunity to assemble an ad hoc panel.
• Propose a panel that builds on the conference theme. The program committee appreciates proposals that reflect the theme set by the APPAM president-elect. The theme is traditionally broad enough to encompass a wide variety of proposals, and usually about 25% of all submissions directly reflect the theme.
• Propose a panel that includes some senior researchers who are known to the field. Junior-level researchers may not be able to recruit these individuals to present papers but they may find it relatively easy to find senior people to serve as panel chairs and discussants.
• Propose a panel that is diverse along several dimensions including institutional affiliation, gender, race/ethnicity, and national emphasis. APPAM has a policy of not accepting panels for the research conference in which all of the paper presenters have the same institutional affiliation. Any such panel proposal will be revised before being accepted. APPAM also has made a conscious effort to encourage gender and racial/ethnic diversity in all areas of the conference, and that effort will intensify in future years.
• Show off your data. The APPAM conference is the place to bring new data to bear on crucial research questions. Papers and panels that demonstrate new data for the inspection of the APPAM community always are of great interest to the program committee.
• Co-author with seasoned APPAM participants. By attending the APPAM conferences, you will have the opportunity to network with some of the most influential researchers in public policy and management. Hopefully, that networking will translate into opportunities for collaboration on future research to be submitted to the conference.

APPAM will provide visa invitation letters upon request to authors accepted to present papers or to otherwise participate in sessions at the Fall Research Conference. Please note that all persons participating on the program are required to register for the conference. Other persons interested in attending the meetings must pay a non-refundable registration fee if they wish to request a visa letter. To request a visa invitation letter, please contact Beth Weems at [email protected].

The theme of the 2016 conference is The Role of Research in Making Government More Effective. This theme was selected by APPAM President-Elect Carolyn Heinrich.

As a recognized 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, APPAM is permitted to engage in limited lobbying and cannot make lobbying one of its central missions. However, APPAM is an affiliated member of the Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA), which represents the views of the social science research community to the federal government to encourage public support for research. 

You should apply for the Student Fellowship.

You should apply for the Student Fellowship.

 You should apply for the Student Fellowship.

You should apply for the Student Fellowship.

You should apply for the Young Professionals Fellowship.

Please see the last five years of Equity and Inclusion Fellows below:

2023 Undergraduate Fellows
2023 Student Fellows
2023 Young Professional Fellows
2022 Undergraduate Fellows
2022 Student Fellows
2022 Young Professional Fellows
2021 Student Fellows
2021 Young Professional Fellows
2020 Fellows
2019 Fellows
2018 Fellows
2017 Fellows
2016 Fellows
 

APPAM Career Connections is available to all members and public.

Institutional Members can enjoy complimentary 30, 60, or 90 days postings.  Upgrades to featured posting will have a small fee.  Non-member institutions will be charged a fee for posting open jobs.

Job seekers do not have to be APPAM members and all functions of the job board are complimentary.

Basic posts on Career Connections are free of charge for APPAM Institutional Members though upgrades to featured jobs will have a small fee. Employers that are not institutional members will need to pay for a 30, 60, or 90 day posting. 

Job Seekers can use Career Connections for free.

You can control who sees your resume. 

When uploading your resume, you may select “Yes, add my resume to the Resume Bank” which means all employers with an active job posting will have access to your resume and could reach out to you.

Additionally, you may select “No, allow only this employer to view my resume.” and it will not be added to the Resume Bank.

To have a resume removed from the Resume Bank, please contact [email protected].

To apply for a position, please select 'Apply' on the top right part of the posting's page.  If the employer has added a Quick Apply option, you will be able to apply directly within Career Connections. If they have not added Quick Apply, please follow the employer's instructions as laid out in the posting description.

Career Connections is organizaed by the following industry types:

• Academic
• Government
• NGO/Non-Profit
• Non-Academic Research
• Other

Please email [email protected] to confirm whether or not your organization is a member.

Only the institutional representative's APPAM credentials will automatically waive the posting fee.  If you're part of an institutional member organization but not the institutional representative, please contact your representative and ask for the discount code to waive the fee.

Not sure who your institutional representative is?  Email [email protected] and we can point you in the right direction.

Only if you are employed by an organization that is also an institutional member.  Complimentary postings are a benefit of our institutional memberships and as such, the only organizations able to waive the posting fee.  Any organization that is not a member will be charged a posting fee.

In order to submit you will need the names, email addresses and affiliations of presenting authors. You will also be asked to submit the following:

1. Panel Title
2. Overall Panel Abstract (no more than 500 words)
3. Paper Titles (3-4)
4. Paper Abstracts (no more than 500 words each)
5. Presenting Author Contact Information
6. One chair and one or two discussants
7. One session organizer

A strong panel contains three or four papers, a chair and at least one, but no more than two, discussant(s). A panel with four papers is encouraged to have two discussants but again, only one is required. The panel abstract ties the papers together and clearly indicates how the panel relates to the conference theme and the selected policy area. Strong panels include a diverse range of participants, crossing lines of gender, race, affiliation and research methods and perspective.

One of the most challenging aspects of putting together the fall conference is identifying knowledgeable attendees who are willing and able to serve as chairs and/or discussants. By requiring you to identify a chair and discussant at the time of submission you are assisting committee members and staff in creating complete and focused panels early on. When including a chair and discussant on your panel, make sure the people identified know you have listed them. We contact all listed chairs and discussants when we sent out acceptance notices and it is very difficult to explain to listed participants that they were listed as a chair or discussant by the submitter when they were unaware and are unwilling to participate. When selecting chairs and discussants, please make sure they know they will be required to pay a registration fee to participate in the conference.

Roundtable submissions are discussion-based sessions that require the following:

• Roundtable Title
• Abstract of the Session (no more than 500 words)
• 2-4 Speakers with contact information
• One Moderator with contact information (who is not a speaker in the session)
• One organizer with contact information

All acceptance and rejection notices will be sent out in late-July.

Sometimes, upon careful review, the Program Committee decides that a panel would be stronger if certain papers or participants were removed or replaced. This happens for reasons of diversity, to increase panel cohesiveness or to vary perspectives on a certain topic. When this happens they put together an altered panel using other papers available to them in order to create the strongest possible program for attendees. When altering a panel, program committee members may also change the panel title, replace the chair and/ or discussant(s) and reclassify the panel as belonging to a different policy area.

You will be asked to select a primary policy area, based on the policy areas identified for the Fall Research Conference. However, you will be asked during the submission process if you would like to identify a second area that your submission may fit into as well. Conference attendees will be able to search for your session using both policy areas in the online program. 

If you are experiencing technical difficulties, please contact please contact [email protected].

No. You can start your submission now and finish it at a later date. Upon beginning your submission, you will receive an email with an access link that is unique to your proposal. Keep this email and you will be able to use the information provided to login and complete your submission at a later time. Your submission must be completed by the submission deadline. If any part is incomplete after the deadline, your submission will be deleted and not considered for inclusion in the conference.

Chairs introduce the session topic & speakers, explain the format of the panel, help keep speakers on time, and ensure there’s at least 20 minutes of audience Q&A at the end.

Discussants read assigned panel papers and prepare thoughtful questions and feedback for their designated ~20 minutes. Discussants should encourage ample audience participation, ensuring there’s at least 20 minutes for audience Q&A at the end.

More information on chair & discussants can be found in our Participant Guidelines that will be posted in late July. Call for Volunteers can be found here.

Fully submitted panel submissions have an average acceptance rate of 66% compared to 47% for single paper submissions. Check out the Single Paper Listing under the Submitter Menu in the All Academic submissions system to find other similar papers and re-submit your work as a panel. This listing includes the policy area, abstracts, and contact information for each single paper submitted for inclusion in the Fall Research Conference.  

The Single Paper Listing will be opened in mid-February, and will be updated weekly through the submission deadline.

If you submitted a single paper that you now want to use as part of a panel, you need to withdraw the paper and resubmit it as part of the panel. Papers cannot be submitted twice.

All active conference participants must register, pay the full conference registration fee, and attend your scheduled session.

• Active session roles include:
  • Panels – Chairs, discussants, presenting authors
  • Roundtables & Workshops – Moderators and speakers
  • Posters & Papers – Presenting authors
• Inactive session roles do not need to register or attend the conference. These roles include:
  • Panels – Submitters, organizers & co-authors
  • Roundtables & Workshops – Submitters & organizers
  • Posters & Papers – Submitters & co-authors

Full papers do not need to be shared until one-month before the conference. Most authors choose to upload their papers into the Online Program so they’re available for download. If you do not want your paper to be made public, you will be required to share it directly with your discussant so they can prepared feedback.

The 2025 APPAM Fall Research Conference is scheduled to be fully in-person at this time.

APPAM is seeking workshop proposals that will take place during regular conference programming over a 90-minute timeslot. Workshops should be interdisciplinary, hands-on and interactive or focused on a special interest or skill training topic. Workshop proposals must include one moderator/facilitator and up to four speakers.

The APPAM Conference Submission Portal will be your access point for all your submissions and sessions you are part of. Please make sure that you use the same email address for all associated a role, such as presenting author, session chair, or moderator.  With this portal, you can view and modify all your abstract submissions and associated roles in one place.

No, a paper can only be submitted once. All paper submissions are automatically considered for all submission types. Any duplicate submissions will be removed.

Yes, APPAM Communities proposals, one-hour informal gatherings based on a shared interest topic, will open early May through late June. Notices will be sent in late July. APPAM will also seek Late-Breaking Roundtables, timely policy-related research topics that have arisen since submissions closed in April, from late August through late September. Notices will be sent in mid-October.

New in 2025, co-authors can only be added after the paper is accepted to the conference.

The APPAM president-elect is the chairperson of the Program Committee and selects the theme for that year's Fall Research Conference. APPAM began the practice of selecting themes for the Fall Research Conference in 1994. The theme shapes several aspects of the conference, including the special symposia, outreach by APPAM to research on new topics, and the overall response to the Call for Proposals.

All registrations in advance must be completed at APPAM.org. Registrations can be made using Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express cards. 

Please note that during the registration process, you will be given the opportunity to print an invoice for your registration should you not wish to pay online. You must send that invoice, along with your payment, to the APPAM office if you choose this option. 

No, the conference is fully in-person in National Harbor, MD.

As of right now, the registration fee includes all sessions & special events, such as:

• Daily exhibit hall refreshments Thursday – Saturday morning (coffee, tea, and light breakfast fare) and afternoon refreshment breaks (coffee, tea, and snacks) on Thursday & Friday (no RSVP required).
• Thursday afternoon includes a complimentary Membership and Awards luncheon (RSVP required during registration).
• Thursday evening includes a Presidential Address with hors d'oeuvres and drinks.
• Lunch is not provided Friday, but Friday evening includes a complimentary Poster Reception with hors d'oeuvres and drinks.
• Saturday afternoon includes a complimentary poster luncheon.

Unregistered guests may attend on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Gaylord has a lactation Lounge available on the Lobby Level. See more Family Resources information.

Wifi is available in the hotel common areas. Please see below for Wi-Fi login information:
Network: APPAM_Annual
Password: 2024APPAM

Guests without an RSVP may join the Wellness Sessions on a first-come, first-served basis.

Private family restrooms are located throughout the Gaylord property. Check the custom maps in the mobile app for the closest location.

You must wear your badge at all APPAM events throughout the conference.

Guests are able to purchase lunch, snacks, or coffee at the Potomac District Cafe & Market at the Gaylord.

The Quiet/Prayer room is open from 7:00 AM to 6:30 PM on Thursday, November 21 and Friday, November 22, and on Saturday, November 23 from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM in Chesapeake 11 (Ballroom Level).

Registration is located in Potomac AB on the Ballroom Level and open at the following times:

Wednesday, November 20
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Thursday, November 21
7:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Friday, November 22
7:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Saturday, November 23
 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM

The Headshot Lounge will be open at various times in Potomac AB from Thursday, November 21 through Saturday, November 23. See the event listing for full details.

This headshot service is complimentary, first-come, first-served, and participants will receive their headshots on the spot.

The Equity & Inclusion Fellows meet up is for current fellows only.

No, sessions will not be recorded at the conference unless special permission has been given to a session's presenter.

A small number of spaces will be available on a first come, first serve basis. Arrive at 6:45 pm.

See below for the included meal times and locations.

Thursday, November 21
8:00 am – Morning Refreshments / Potomac Foyer until 10 AM, then inside of Potomac Ballroom AB after 10 AM
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm Membership Awards & Lunch / Potomac Ballroom CD
2:45 pm – Afternoon Refreshments / Columbia Potomac Ballroom AB
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm Presidential Address & Awards / Potomac Ballroom CD
6:30 pm – 7:00 pm Presidential Toast / Potomac Ballroom Foyer
7:00 pm – Various affiliate receptions – most are open to the public

Friday, November 22
8:00 am – Morning Refreshments / Potomac Ballroom AB
2:45 pm – Afternoon Refreshments / Potomac Ballroom AB
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm – Poster Reception / Potomac Ballroom AB

Saturday, November 23
8:00 am – Morning Refreshments / Potomac Ballroom AB
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm – Poster Luncheon / Potomac Ballroom AB

Onsite parking is available.

Guests may choose from valet or self-parking.
Self-parking rates:
0-1 hour $18
1-3 hours $28
3 hours - daily max $36
Valet Parking rates:
0-2 hours $40
2 hours - daily max $59

Rates are subject to change without notice. For a full list of parking options, please visit parking.nationalharbor.com.

Yes. But please note that if you choose to have both a Career and a PhD Program table, you must have separate staff for both tables as the tables will not be next to each other.

Any national or local organizations who hire bachelor, masters, or PhD graduates, as well as experienced professionals, in the fields of policy, data science, public affairs, economics, statistical analysis, and other relevant public policy research fields.

APPAM Institutional Members can utilize complimentary meeting space, to conduct private meetings or interviews. The boardroom space is available on a first come, first served basis and the form will be available in the spring.

Onsite meeting space is not available to non-member institutions. Learn more about institutional membership benefits, such as discount fair table & sponsorship rates, complimentary meeting & affiliate reception space, and much more, here.

Full conference registration is not required for table staff. APPAM will offer two complimentary fair-only access passes to the Career and PhD Fair tables.

Yes! The APPAM exhibit hall is open all day Thursday and Friday, as well as Saturday morning. There's daily refreshments, a poster reception, and a poster luncheon, as well as the headshot lounge, inside of the hall. Exhibitors receive complimentary fair table space as well!

Additionally, there are various special event and branding opportunities available here.

APPAM will host 1,000 student members at our Annual Fall Research Conference, all of whom have the opportunity to participate in the Career and PhD Program Fair. This diverse group of student members are from top undergraduate, master’s, and PhD programs around the country studying policy, public management, public affairs, economics, health policy, political science, and data science. Many APPAM student members are on the job market and ready to begin their post-graduate careers. Additionally, the 50 diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) travel fellowship recipients will be on hand to meet with potential employers, as well as local students and recent graduates from area schools. 

This diverse group of student members are from top undergraduate and master's programs. Many APPAM student members are looking to pursue their PhD and are on the search for the right program. Additionally, the 50 diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) travel fellowship recipients will be on hand to meet with potential graduate schools and PhD programs, as well as local students and recent graduates from area schools.

Employers & PhD programs must complete the forms at the links above. You will be sent an invoice & more details shortly after.

Students and job seekers can sign up during the conference registration process - opening in late July. This is a complimentary conference event.