Experts in Washington Discussed How to Motivate Civil Servants in the Digital Age

From March 28 to April 1, 2025, Washington, D.C., hosted the annual conference of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), a key event for scholars and experts in the field of public administration. This year’s conference was held under the intriguing theme: “Not Robots Yet: How to Keep Civil Servants in Public Service.”

As part of the conference, the Astana Civil Service Hub organized a panel discussion titled “Motivation of Public Servants: Challenges of the Digital Era.” The panel brought together leading scholars and public administration experts to discuss how digital transformation is affecting the motivation and evolving roles of civil servants.

Moderated by Professor Rex Facer, the panel featured opening remarks from Mr. Alikhan Baimenov, Chairman of the Steering Committee of the ACSH; Mr. Darkhan Zhazykbay, Chairman of the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Civil Service Affairs; and Mr. William Shields, Executive Director of ASPA. Mr. Baimenov emphasized that motivation is central to modern governance. “As technology advances, it’s not only technical skills that are needed, but also a strong sense of purpose and dedication to public service,” he said.

The keynote speech was delivered by Distinguished Professor Emeritus James Perry of Indiana University, a renowned expert in public service motivation. He spoke about how digitalization is reshaping the public service landscape and emphasized the need for new strategies to inspire public servants in the digital age.

Other distinguished panelists included Professor Assel Mussagulova of the University of Sydney; Mr. Azamat Zholmanov, Rector of the Academy of Public Administration under the President of Kazakhstan; and Mr. Shukhrat Abdurahmanov, General Director for Performance Management at the Agency for the Development of Public Service under the President of Uzbekistan. The discussion also included contributions from prominent public administration experts such as Chester Newland, Demetrios Argyriadis, Pan Suk Kim, and Saltanat Liebert, alongside graduate and doctoral students from U.S. universities.

The ASPA conference annually brings together scholars, practitioners, and students for in-depth discussions, research presentations, workshops, networking, and more. This year, the conference featured over 100 panels across six thematic tracks.