Chronicle of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences

Like most other organizations, the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) has endured trying times during COVID: cancellation of events, followed by having to move them to online and then hybrid formats; a reduction in membership fee receipts as a result of members reprioritizing their budgets; delays in delivering services and the difficulties involved in doing so; and in general, disruption to the IIAS business model. All of these have put the organization under heavy strain. The COVID crisis came at a time when IIAS was emerging from another survival crisis whose causes were internal rather than external: revenues had been decreasing for several years; operational expenses were steadily increasing; and the institute governance was in question. Had the COVID crisis come in 2017, IIAS could have folded. As it was, starting in the second half of 2017, drastic changes were made to reverse the situation. These consisted of the following.