2018 was a great year for APPAM. It was the 40th anniversary for our annual Fall Conference and there were several activities devoted to celebrating this anniversary, including the 40 for 40 fellowships. The Journal of Policy Analysis and Management (JPAM) got a new editor and had the highest number of submissions in its history. We had two public policy camps, pipeline events for undergraduates, designed to introduce the field to promising underrepresented undergraduates who might not otherwise be familiar with it. Membership numbers and conference attendance continued to increase, and both reached their highest levels in APPAM history.
The Annual Report is an opportunity for members to understand what we have been up to in the last year. The Annual Report debuted five years ago, with the idea that members want and need a concise snapshot of the most important APPAM information, packaged in a way that is easy to understand and condensed enough that it can be read quickly and easily.
Ensuring the membership is fully informed of the Association’s work, providing the membership with a better understanding of the progress APPAM is making towards its strategic goals and providing a report card on the condition of APPAM’s health and strength are the goals of this annual report. We will continue to be as transparent and forthcoming as possible as we work to make APPAM stronger and better, each and every year.
Critical Indicators: 2016 - 2018
The Critical Indicators report was created in 2012 and is one of the most important tools the APPAM leadership uses to assess the performance of the organization. By analyzing several factors like membership numbers, budget surpluses or deficits, JPAM performance statistics and Fall Conference statistics, among others, the Policy Council can quickly discern areas of strength and identify trends.
The Critical Indicators include the last 3 years of figures, for comparison. Revenue growth in 2018 was 10%. Membership continues to grow at a swift pace, averaging 12% growth each year for the last three years. Submissions to the Fall Conference and JPAM continued to increase.
Below are charts demonstrating our progress in the areas of membership, budget and revenue, JPAM submissions, and Fall Research Conference attendance and submissions.
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Programming Highlights for 2018
The APPAM leadership and staff have devoted significant time and energy to a range of activities. Below is a brief description of some of the major achievements, beyond the core activities of the annual Fall Research Conference and the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management (JPAM).
International Conference
APPAM’s
International Conference, Public Policy for Sustainable Metropolitan Development took place July 19 – 20 in Mexico City, Mexico. This was APPAM’s third annual APPAM planned international conference and was hosted by University of Texas at Austin. There were 53 sessions and 166 papers presented. 212 people attended and discussed a wide range of topics around sustainable development, how the adoption of the “New Urban Agenda” and United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals impact policy.
Webinars
APPAM produced three webinars in 2018. They covered important topical issues like opioids, DACA and student loan debt and featured APPAM members presenting important research and analysis. All APPAM members can
watch the webinars on demand here.
Public Policy Camps
There were
two Public Policy Camp events in September 2018; one hosted by University of California, Riverside and one hosted by Syracuse University in New York. The public policy camps were created to introduce the field of public policy to a group of students who might not otherwise be familiar with it, as well as increase the pipeline of diverse students into APPAM institutional member graduate public policy and public affairs schools.
Each event hosted about 50 underrepresented undergraduate students from their respective locales for the day to discuss the study of public policy and analysis, what a career in policy might look like and how diversity impacted their studies and career paths.
Regional Student Conferences
APPAM held two
student conferences in 2018, one in Washington, DC and one in California. Student conferences are research conferences for students and provide an important opportunity for students to present their research, get important feedback and make important connections with other students and professionals in the field. 270 students attended and almost 200 papers or research in progress were presented in almost 50 sessions. The support of APPAM institutional member schools in the regions where the conferences are held make these conferences possible.
Institutional Member Forums
APPAM held two
institutional member forums in 2018 hosted by Duke University and Mathematica Policy Research. Institutional member forums are opportunities for our institutional members to jointly host an in-person event with APPAM on an important policy research issue. The 2018 forums covered state and research university partnerships in the opioid crisis, and the intersection of data science and social science.
New in 2019
APPAM has had a busy 2019 thus far and has much good to anticipate going forward. Here are a few things we are especially excited for:
• The
2019 Fall Conference in Denver. The theme is
Rising to the Challenge: Engaging Diverse Perspectives on Issues and Evidence. We hope the theme will encourage a conference with conversations that reach across disciplinary, methodological and ideological divides, against the backdrop of the one of the most beautiful American cities.
• We will increase the number of important policy conversations on our website so that even if you can’t attend APPAM events in person, you can be part of the conversation online, via
webinars, podcasts and digital content from in-person conferences.
• APPAM continues to manage the
American Society of Health Economists (ASHEcon) and engage in some joint events for our members in common. Starting in mid-2019, APPAM will begin managing the
National Tax Association (NTA) operations, including conferences, membership, website, financial administration, social media and all governance functions. This new management relationship will help APPAM with resources to continue engaging in projects that support our mission and also extends APPAM’s reach and influence.
• 2019 will see a revamp for
APPAM.org, with the hope that information will be easier to find and access.