International conference on Conflict of Interest in Central and Eastern Europe, August 2010. Abstracts due 15 April.

The notion of the ‘conflict of interest’ encompasses many various issues, such as corruption, lobbying, nepotism, patronage, clientelism or the activity of informal networks of power. It  appears  in many spheres of social life, ranging from administration, politics, economy, culture to science and technology.

Call for papers: CONFLICT OF INTEREST IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

An international conference at the Institute of Sociology,Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń, Poland

25 - 27 August 2010

Deadline for abstracts: 15th April 2010

Keynote speakers:

Prof. Janine Wedel, George Mason University, author of the Shadow Elite: How the World's New Power Brokers Undermine Democracy, Government, and the Free Market  (Basic Books, 2009)

Prof. dr Andrzej Górski, Vice-President of the Polish Academy of Sciences

The notion of the ‘conflict of interest’ encompasses many various issues, such as corruption, lobbying, nepotism, patronage, clientelism or the activity of informal networks of power. It  appears  in many spheres of social life, ranging from administration, politics, economy, culture to science and technology. 

Although diverse conflicts of interests are studied by social researchers from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) who tend to agree about their ubiquity and importance in post-communist realities of CEE countries, they are usually studied in isolation as separate issues. Conflict of interest is usually studied from legal and administrative perspective, with a view on its legal regulation. Unfortunately social researchers avoid using the term as an analytic tool. The aim of the conference it to fill the gap and ask about the role conflict of interests plays in different areas of  social life in post-communist countries. How important is conflict of interest in the process of transformation to free market economy? Is it only a minor, negligible side effect or an intrinsic, crucial feature, unavoidable for understanding the process of transformation?  Could it be that it is the driving force of transformation?  To answer those questions we invite papers focusing on the following questions (but not only):

• What are the consequences of various forms of conflict of interest for the contemporary condition of CEE? How do they influence social well-being, economic efficiency , political culture, quality of democracy, and civil society?
• What causes these conflicts of interest in CEE? Who are the main actors?
• How effective are the various ways of preventing and fighting conflicts of interest?
• To what degree is conflict of interest in CEE a specific social phenomenon, different from its Western forms?

We encourage researchers from various disciplines of social, political, and economic sciences, as well as legal scholars and historians to contribute papers, both empirical and theoretical, on the above mentioned issues.

 We hope to provide enough time to discuss each of the papers. Therefore,  25 papers will be selected for presentation to last about 30-40 minutes each (including discussion). All papers will be circulated one week before the conference. Selected contributions will be published after the event in a peer-reviewed conference proceeding.

Moreover, a discussion panel with invited guests (including representatives of the newly established in Poland Central Anticorruption Bureau) will be organized, as well as an afternoon poster session.

Deadlines

Abstracts (of no more than 250 words) should be submitted using a registration form on the website www.coi.conference.umk.pl until 15th April 2010. Decisions on abstracts will be made by 30th April.  Papers should be  submitted by 7th August to make them available for all participants.  Full versions of the papers should be sent within one month after the conference in order to be considered for publication in the edited volume.

We strongly encourage young researchers to propose papers for presentations or posters. We also welcome participants attending the conference without presenting a paper themselves. Additionaly one or two parallel sessions in Polish may be organized, if necessary.

Conference fees

100 €/50 € for graduate/PhD students (including conference folder, coffee breaks, lunch sessions).

Organizers

Department of Group Interests at the Institute of Sociology, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland

Polish Platform of Homeland Security

Organizing committee

Prof. dr Andrzej Zybertowicz, Security Policy Advisor to the President of Poland; Institute of Sociology Nicolaus Copernicus University

Prof. dr Emil Pływaczewski,  University of Białystok, Faculty of Law; Polish Platform of Homeland Security

Dr. Radosław Sojak, vice-dean of the Faculty of Humanities, NCU

Dr. Piotr Stankiewicz (secretary of the conference), Department of Group Interests, Institute of Sociology NCU

Accommodation

We have pre-booked a couple of rooms for the participants at a mid-range hotel close to the the conference venue (about 40-50 euro per room). The address and booking instructions can be found on the website, as well as links to other recommended hotels. We also offer cheap accommodation in a student dormitory.

Conference venue

The conference will take place in Torun, a charming city with a medieval old town, ruins of the Teutonic Knights' castle from the 13th century and many gothic churches, which creates a unique, unforgettable atmosphere. The conference venue is located in the heart of the historical city centre. Institute of Sociology NCU has been the organizer of the 7th Conference of the European Sociological Association (www.7thesaconference.umk.pl), which took place in Torun in September 2005.

More info:

www.coi.conference.umk.pl

E-Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Piotr Stankiewicz (secretary of the conference):
Tel. + 48 56 611 36 44, fax. + 48 56 622 4765

Institute of Sociology, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Fosa Staromiejska 1a, 87-100 Toruń Poland

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