PPOL Divisional Seminar Series - Neuro Public Administration: Advancing Public Management and Policy through Neuroscience
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Dear Colleagues and Students,
The Division of Public Policy (PPOL) cordially invites you to attend the first Divisional Seminar of the 2026-27 Academic Year, entitled "Neuro Public Administration: Advancing Public Management and Policy through Neuroscience". We are privileged to host Bert George, Professor in the Department of Public and International Affairs from the City University of Hong Kong, for the talk.
Abstract:
Public management and policy research experienced a strong growth in experimental research, particularly in the past decade. While such research has been useful in understanding causality in the field, it has been dominated by survey experiments. Such experiments are apt at helping to understand attitudes, intentions, and perceptions but fail to provide objective measurements of cognitive and behavioral effects. In comes Neuro Public Administration (NPA). In this talk, Professor Bert George will highlight the reasons why NPA is needed, the core foundations of NPA and specific examples of how to "do" NPA as public management and policy scholar. To do so, he will draw on several experiments conducted at his lab. Overall, this research approach seeks to employ neuroscientific theories, methods, and concepts to better understand administrative behavior. It can advance our thinking on policy issues by investigating the biological foundation of policymakers', public managers', citizens' and other stakeholders' behavior.
Bert George is Professor at the Department of Public and International Affairs and Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at the City University of Hong Kong. His public management work especially focuses on strategic planning in public organizations, red tape and administrative burden, and Neuro Public Administration. He is Co-Editor in Chief of Public Management Review and former Editor of Public Administration Review. Bert has published over 60 articles, most in leading journals in the field of public administration and has received several awards for his work including by the American Society for Public Administration. He is on the Stanford top 2% Most Cited Scientists list, and his work has been cited by the OECD, World Bank, US White House, European Commission as well as governments and nonprofits across the globe.
Register now to join us via Qualtrics Survey on or before Tuesday, 22 September 2026, 5:00 pm. All are welcome!