REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS:
Local Government Lab 2023

November 28, 2022

The Rockefeller Institute is seeking proposals for its annual Local Government Lab: A Forum for New York State Researchers, Practitioners, and Policymakers

Conference to be held on Friday, March 24, 2023 at the Institute

Proposal submission deadline extended to Friday, January 13

The Rockefeller Institute of Government is seeking proposals for individual and full-panel presentations of completed and in-progress work for its annual one-day gathering of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers engaged in applied local government work or research. Projects may include empirical analysis or applied research, case studies, and innovative projects involving one or more local governments, school districts, or other special-purpose governments.

We welcome research on a wide array of topics, including local government reorganization, policy development, citizen participation, finance, management, service delivery and service costing, competitiveness, employment, pensions, regionalization, federalism, home rule, local government in the courts, service delivery innovation, intergovernmental management or service delivery, new or innovative information technology, innovations in regional and state programs, and outreach to local governments. For 2023, organizers are particularly interested in research or projects that address racial and economic diversity issues in local governance, social justice, and the use of federal program funding to promote racial, economic, and climate justice at the state and local level. Examples of topics of interest include:

  • Engaging diverse perspectives in community decision-making;
  • Short- and longer-term impacts on local governments of recent federal finding from American Rescue Plan Act, Investment in Infrastructure and Jobs Action, and the Inflation Reduction Act;
  • Addressing the shortage of affordable housing at the local level; and
  • University partnerships with industry and local government.

We welcome proposals from university faculty and professional staff, state and regional professionals who study and work with local governments, practitioners, or members of the consulting community.

Past presentations and programs can be found on our Local Government Lab webpage. Reports and presentations may be selected, with author permission, for posting on the Rockefeller Institute website as a presentation or working paper.

By Friday, January 6, 2023 Friday, January 13, 2023 (deadline extended!), please submit a brief abstract (between 150-500 words) of your proposed paper presentation. Full panel submissions should include the panel title, paper abstracts, and a short biographical summary for each participating panelist. Selected presenters will be notified by late January. Submission assumes that one of the authors will attend and present in person at the conference hosted by the Rockefeller Institute of Government in Albany, NY. Presentation materials and papers for those selected will be submitted electronically by March 16, 2023.

Submit your abstracts here. Please send any questions to conference organizer Lisa Parshall at [email protected].