CRRC Armenia 2013 Conference on Social Capital

Because of the utmost significance of the concept of social capital and also the controversies associated with it, the CRRC-Armenia is pleased to announce a special Conference on Social Capital (SC Conference) – Social Capital: Definitions, Applications, Cultural Contexts. The conference will be held on June 5-6, 2013, in Tsakhkadzor, Armenia.

Throughout decades, the concept of social capital has often been used as a conceptual tool of social sciences. Almost all social disciplines have included the social capital in their research frameworks - from development economics to social psychology, from social health research to education attainment studies, from criminology to anthropology. While the social capital concept has generally been accepted in most of the societies and cultures, it has, however, no lack of criticism either. Critics spend their time and direct their intellectual efforts particularly towards the issues of measurement of social capital.

Although different disciplines define social capital differently, they tend to converge in one characteristic of this complex phenomenon. They share the idea that social networks, social contacts (or their absence) affect the productivity of individuals, groups and polities, much like the polity’s accumulated physical capital and educational attainments do.

Identification, establishment and/or strengthening of desirable forms/types of social capital constitute a central concern for any society. These things cannot be achieved overnight. They are bound to raise difficult questions: What type of social capital does a polity have at its current level of economic and social development? How can social capital contribute or hinder a country’s economic and social advancement? What can educational reforms do to speed up, or slow down, the creation of advantageous forms of social capital (e.g., in Armenia, also from the perspective of Armenia’s comparison to other countries)? How do social capital and Internet relate to each other? What are cultural implications of social capital, e.g., in the Armenian context, also in comparison with other South Caucasus countries? Which type(s) of social capital are more conducive to higher economic efficiency and social performance of developing polities? How does civil society impact the formation of a particular type of social capital? How does social capital relate to changes in women’s role in society? Can social capital deepen, and even generate, social inequality? How does social capital impact migration/emigration dynamics? These and a whole range of even more issues, relating social capital to youth studies, civil society, poverty, happiness, crime statistics, health – are all welcome to be presented, discussed and debated at the SC Conference. 

SC Conference Format

Contributors are hereby invited to submit proposals to the SC Conference. The proposed papers should address one of the following broadly defined subjects. Contributors may also choose more narrow subjects closely related to these.

1. Definitional Issues and Typology of Social Capital
2. Social Capital, Democracy and State Cohesion; Connectedness; Social Capital, Social Cohesion, Solidarity
3. Methodology: Evaluation and Measurement of Social Capital; Emerging Research Opportunities
4. Social Capital and Reciprocity: Trust in Social Norms and Institutions.
5. Social Capital and Gender Issues: Prominent Role of Women in Society, Women’s Engagement in Politics and Business
6. Cultural Implications of Social Capital
7. Misunderstanding and Misusing the Social Capital: Negative Social Capital and Reproduction of Inequality

Both empirical papers and theoretical/conceptual contributions are equally welcome.

The SC Conference will serve as a forum for discussion, debates, generation of ideas. The Conference will also be a socializing and networking event, precisely the type of event to promote, propagate and publicize the concept of social capital.

The Conference will include three panels for discussion and debates. The three panels are broadly dubbed “theoretical,” “empirical” and “cultural”

1. The Theoretical Panel will discuss and debate definitional issues and typology of social capital concept, bonding vs. bridging types of social capital, possible relationships between social capital, efficiency of democratic institutions and therefore stability of state cohesion; connectedness and solidarity, social networking, trust in institutions and social norms, accompanied at the same time by possibilities of individual choice – these and related exciting theoretical general musings are the subjects to be raised, debate and pondered upon by the participants to the panel.
2. The Empirical Panel will devote its attention to methodological and practical aspects of measurement of social capital, newly emerging research opportunities. Possible relationships between social capital and the Internet will await consideration. Problems that can arise from misunderstanding and misusing the social capital also fall in this category. Participants will discuss the so-called “negative social capital”, its possible and much debated connection to reproduction of inequality.
3. The Cultural Panel will hold talks of cultural implications of social capital, particularly its manifestations in the contemporary Armenian society. Comparative perspectives and contrasting reviews of South Caucasus states, characteristics of social capital in countries of other culturally diverse regions of the world will be particularly welcome. Social capital and the role of women in different societies, opportunities for women’s economic empowerment in relation to a culture’s social capital are also bound to generate fruitful discussions.

Terms of Participation and Selection Criteria

The SC Conference will host social scientists, scholars, researchers, think-thank and NGO representatives, Master of Arts and PhD students, individuals from academic faculties, government agencies, representatives of international organizations – all those who will demonstrate scientific and professional interest in the above mentioned subjects and related fields. The potential contributors will submit abstracts (no more than 300 words) of their proposed papers. Abstracts can be submitted either in Armenian or in English. No discrimination will be made with regard to race, gender, religion, citizenship, social, political and/or other affiliations of participants.

Abstracts will be submitted by March 7, 2013 to: conference@crrc.am

The Conference Steering Committee (CSC) will select the Conference speakers on a competitive basis. Individuals whose paper abstracts will have been selected by the end of selection process will further be contacted by the CSC to submit full papers.

The CSC will notify authors of accepted abstracts by e-mails by March 29, 2013.

The following criteria will be used to evaluate submitted abstracts:

1. Abstracts should contain no more than 300 words, including the following information: the title, the name(s), contacts, and institutional affiliation(s) of the author(s).
2. Abstracts must bear relevance to one of the subjects described in the Section 2: SC Conference Format.
3. Abstracts must be logically coherent and must accurately reflect the purpose, structure, argument and conclusions of the paper.
4. Abstracts must NOT contain unsupported assertions, ethical judgments, call-ups for violence, terrorism, etc.
5. Citations must be equipped with accurate references to the sources.

Requirements for full papers will be provided individually to the authors of selected abstracts.

The paper should NOT incorporate materials that could be interpreted as a popularization and/or propaganda of an individual, political party, public or international organization.

The best papers and speeches will be published within two months after the completion of the SC Conference.

Conference Languages
The SC Conference will be conducted in Armenian and English. Simultaneous translation will be available. 

Contact Information
For questions please contact Ms. Anna Sarkisyan
Program Manager, CRRC – Armenia
Abovyan St. 52, room 312
(37410) 58-13-30 and 58-14-50
E-mail: conference@crrc.am

http://www.crrc.am/index.php/en/8/999/1297/

5th CEE Forum 2013 in Greifswald

The 5th CEE Forum for Young Legal, Political and Social Theorists will be held from Friday, 3 May to Saturday, 4 May 2013 in Greifswald at the Alfried Krupp Wissenschaftskolleg in cooperation with the University of Greifswald.

The CEE Forum is a platform for young legal, political and social theorists who come from, currently study or work in Central and Eastern Europe or have a research interest in the region. The regional boundaries are understood widely. The target audiences of the conference are young researchers, espe-cially doctoral students and post-docs, without a specific age limit. As in the previous Forums, the conference will be organised in three concurrent panels and will put its special emphasis on two major general topics.

(1) Separation of Powers & Constitutional Review

In the first panel we are going to discuss two core elements of modern constitutional democracies: separation of powers and constitutional review. These ideas are of enduring timeliness in legal and political theory. We especially welcome submissions to answer the following questions: Is the separation of powers still applicable to the complexity of modern polities or is it of mere historical importance? How is this principle realised in the governmental system of the European Union? What is the exact meaning of the term separation and its manifold synonyms and alternatives? What is the “nature” of constitutional review: Is it jurisdiction, politics in the cloak of the law, something in between or even something totally different? What are the borders of constitutional review? How does the relationship between separation of powers and constitutional review look like: What is (or should be) the place of constitutional review in a power-separating order? Is it a part or the top of the judiciary or an own branch?

(2) Constitutional Rights & Obligations

The second panel is dedicated to constitutional rights and obligations. Most modern constitutions provide basic rights and freedoms for individuals and/or groups in order to protect them against encroachments by the state. Additionally, there is some general consent in constitutional theory, which fundamental rights a constitution should at least guarantee. In contrast, obligations are much rarer in the constitutional landscape. Even basic necessities like tax paying are often not elevated to constitutional status. Analogously, it is controversially debated in legal and political theory whether constitutions should impose certain obligations on its citizens at all. Against this background, we are expecting contributions to discuss the following questions: Should constitutions incorporate obligations or do obligations systematically violate the basic principles of liberal and democratic polities? How are constitutional obligations related to constitutional rights – both normatively and empirically? In particular, how do obligations influence liberty rights? Finally, which perspective do concurrent theories of democracy take on constitutional obligations, for instance on the idea of compulsory voting?

(3) Open Panel

In order to meet the diverse interests of the Forum’s participants from different disciplines, the third panel will be open to all interesting topics from the vast area of legal, political and social theory.

The conference language is English. An up to 500 words abstract, indicating the preferable panel, should be submitted in the available application form by 31 December 2012 to cee-forum2013@uni-greifswald.de. Acceptance of the papers will be communicated by 31 January 2013. Participation without presentation is possible as well. In that case the deadline is 20 April 2013; please use the application form, too.

The conference fee for all participants is 50,- €. All participants will obtain conference material, drinks and snacks during the breaks, and altogether three meals. Participants shall make arrangements and pay for their accommodation individually. Please note the information on lodging options and directions.

For all updated information and application forms please visit the conference website: http://www.cee-forum.org/2013

Contact email: cee-forum2013@uni-greifswald.de

13th International Conference on Finance and Banking

13th International Conference on Finance and Banking will be held in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on 12-13 October 2011. Papers are currently accepted for presentation at the conference.

Subject areas of the conference

• Financial Crisis; Financial Theory and Financial Crisis; Regulation and Supervision versus Financial Crisis; Central Banks and their Role in Financial Crisis; Structural
• Impacts of Financial Crisis; Regional Impacts of Financial Crisis; Financial Crisis and Economic and Monetary Union; Impacts of Financial Crisis on Developing Countries;
• Financial Crisis and Transition Countries; Financial Markets before, during and after Financial Crisis; Risk Management and Financial Crisis; Financial Institutions and
• Financial Crisis; Financial Crisis and Economic Policy; Rating Agencies and Financial Crisis

Keynote speakers

• Prof. Dr. Paolo Manasse, Professor of Economics, University of Bologna, Italy
• Prof. Dr. Lubomír Lízal, Member of Board, Czech National Bank

Important Deadlines

• Submission of application and abstract: 31 July 2011
• Notification of acceptance: 5 August 2011
• Payment of conference fee: 31 August 2011
• Submission of receipt confirming the fee payment: 31 August 2011
• Submission of paper: 12 October 2011

Conference costs

• Conference fee: CZK 4 200 or EUR 200 (accomodation not included!)

• Reduced fee for PhD students: CZK 3 000 or EUR 150 (proof of student status shall be submitted to organizers along with application)
• Account number for payments in CZK: 101285316/0300
• Account number (IBAN) for payments in EUR: CZ6203001712800101285316
• Variable symbol: 6209
• Bank: Československá obchodní banka (ČSOB), branch Ostrava, Hollarova 5, 702 00
• Ostrava, Czech Republic
• SWIFT: CEKOCZPP
• Please make money order payment to “ICFB2011” and mention your surname
• The fee includes: presentation of paper, conference materials, conference proceedings (full papers on CD with ISBN), coffee breaks, two lunches, reception and guided walking tour

Contact

• e-mail: icfb@opf.slu.cz
• Please visit the website http://www.opf.slu.cz/kfi/icfb to see photos, proceedings, and other documentation from past conferences.