About Us

The Institute of Public Administration and Politics is a research institute with the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Iceland. Its work focuses on research and evaluation work; research dissemination; organizing public administration training courses; and hosting public lectures on current affairs.

The Institute was founded in 2002 and its mission has from the beginning been to strengthen ties and promote dialogue between the academic community and the governing bodies of society: the public administration, both at the national and municipal levels, political parties and business organizations, as well as third sector organizations. The Institute has formal cooperation agreements with Reykjavik city municipality and the Prime Minister’s Office, and has worked on a number of cooperation projects with the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Interior, Icelandic Association of Local Authorities, Icelandic Centre for Research, and Association of Directors of Government Institutions.

The Institute organizes a variety of short training courses, as well as public lectures and symposia, on matters regarding public administration and management. The target group for these courses and lectures are officials and staff in the public administration of government ministries, government agencies and local municipalities.   

At the university level, the Institute focuses on promoting graduate studies, practical training and research in the field of public administration within the Faculty of Political Science, as well as to promote cross-disciplinary collaboration within the University of Iceland in the field of public administration and political science.

The Institute‘s research projects are headed by members of the Faculty of Political Science, while the Institute’s role focuses more on the management and coordination of research projects and actives, and on overseeing dissemination of research results.

The Institute’s evaluation and administrative audit projects are often carried out with input from members of the Faculty of Political Science and from the University‘s Social Science Research Institute.

The Institute is governed according to the University of Iceland’s regulation no. 569-2009 and to bylaws no. 546 from 2010 regarding the Institute. It has a governing board of seven and permanent staff of two.

Research dissemination is a prominent part of the Institute’s work. The Institute is the publisher of the scholarly journal: The Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration (Stjórnmál & stjórnsýsla in Icelandic), which publishes original research on Icelandic politics and policy related subjects. Articles with a broader political science relevance may also be considered, especially articles of a sufficiently high standard with a comparative focus or containing theoretical and methodological innovations. The journal is open to submission from political scientists and researchers in related fields dealing with politics, public administration and policy relevant issues.

Journal articles are published in English or Icelandic. Articles in Icelandic are accompanied with abstracts and bibliographic information in English. Publication dates on the web are: mid-June and mid-December. A printed edition of the two volume issues is published the following year. Submission deadlines are as follows: 1st of April for the June issue and 1st of October for the December issue. 

Tel: +354 525 5434
Tel: +354 525 5454
Email: stjornsyslaogstjornmal@hi.is

The Institute’s office is located in Gimli - 241 at the University of Iceland, Sæmundargata 10, 102 Reykjavík.

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