EGPA PSG 23 Publishes New Book That Explores Diversity as Strategic Opportunity

Diogo Pereira,

We are thrilled to announce the publication of the book "Diversity as Strategic Opportunity: Exploring New Paths to Good Administration," edited by Anna Simonati, from the Università degli Studi di Trento. This groundbreaking volume, a result of the EGPA Permanent Study Group XXIII on Administration, Diversity and Equal Treatment published by IAP, offers a comprehensive examination of how diversity can be leveraged as a strategic advantage in public administration.


 It is no exaggeration to express how glad I am to see that - only one year after EGPA 2023 Conference - the present volume, which collects the best papers from Lisbon panels, is ready for publication.  Jean-Michel Eymeri-Douzans - EGPA President


The book brings together a multidisciplinary collection of insights and case studies from leading experts in the field. The volume challenges traditional views of equality and discrimination, proposing a progressive perspective that sees diversity not merely as a matter of legal compliance but as a catalyst for enhancing public administration and governance.

With contributions from distinguished scholars and practitioners, "Diversity as Strategic Opportunity" promises to be an invaluable resource for policymakers, administrators, and academics dedicated to fostering inclusive and effective governance.


 The book makes a substantive contribution to our understanding and appreciation of how diversity can and ought to be seen not only as something to be protected by means of non-discrimination rules and mechanisms, but also and indeed primarily as a major source of development and improvement for public administration and the public services. Diversity is indeed a strategic opportunity, and this collective work developed under the leadership of Professor Anna Simonati shows us why and how to make the most of such strategic opportunities for public organizations worldwide.  Edoardo Ongaro - EGPA Immediate Past President


For more information, please visit the link below. 

Disclaimer: 
This book, while resulting from the efforts of IIAS or its entities' study groups, has not been published under the IIAS brand or its official series.


Abstract

The principle of equality has always been considered as one of the fundamental values of modern societies; it compels administration to provide equal treatment to all subjects it enters in touch with, which is normally expressed as a general prohibition of discrimination. However, in recent times, the idea, according to which equality is not based only on protection against discrimination but also on promotion of diversity as a source of richness for society, is widely shared. This book gives a multidisciplinary overview of some of the possible methods and tools which are nowadays experimented by administration, in order to properly face the practical problems connected to diversity.

Resources

The International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) is delighted to share an exclusive video interview with its newly elected President, Srinivas Voruganti. In this insightful conversation, President Voruganti outlines his vision, priorities, and strategic plans to guide IIAS toward becoming a future-ready, inclusive, and globally connected institution.

The EGPA 2025 Conference is just around the corner, and participants joining us in Glasgow, Scotland, UK, from 26 to 29 August 2025 can enhance their experience by downloading the official EGPA 2025 Conference App. The mobile app is designed to enrich attendees’ conference experience by providing tools to plan personalized schedules and receive live notifications throughout the event.

The International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) was proud to participate as a co-host of the Lien International Conference on Good Governance 2025, held on 21–22 July 2025 in Singapore. The conference gathered over 300 participants from around the world, including scholars, practitioners, and policy leaders, fostering a global exchange on resilient, inclusive, and future-ready governance.

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