Month: March 2018

One-day Workshop on

Location and Date: King’s College, London, UK, 4th July, 2018  

Organisers: Department of International Development (King’s College, London); Centre for Political Economy and Institutional Studies (Birkbeck University of London) and Centre for Comparative Studies of Emerging Economies (University College London)

Sponsor: King’s College “King’s Together Fund”, Department of International Development

Workshop Agenda (.pdf)

Overview

This one-day workshop aims to bring together researchers from different disciplines to improve our theoretical, empirical and methodological understanding of institutional dysfunctions as well as their relationship with corporate behaviour under various perspectives and aspects. We focus on a specific manifestation of institutional dysfunctionality – wrong-doing by corporate actors, encompassing acts of corruption, fraud, tax evasion, as well as abuses of human rights and environmental damage, but we are also interested in related issues around responses to institutional void.

We welcome works that derive from different academic disciplines (including, but not limited to, political science, economics, development studies, law, sociology and organisational studies), use different units of analysis (individual, firms and organisations, regional, country, cross-country level) and different methodologies and techniques (theoretical, empirical, qualitative and quantitative)

We invite submissions of papers from any relevant discipline addressing issues including but not limited to:

• Corruption and rent-seeking behaviour, bribe payment
• Corporate fraud, tax evasion and tax morale
• Illegal lobbying or unlawful interference in legal and judiciary processes
• Trust, informal institutions and institutional voids
• Human right abuses
• Labour right abuses
• Involvement in armed conflict
• Environmental damage

Application Deadline  

Submit a structured abstract (max. 500 words) by 22 April 2018 to ssees-events@ucl.ac.uk

Structured abstracts: Submitted abstracts need to explicitly follow the following structure:

Research Type: Conceptual, Theoretical, Empirical or Review (select one)

Research Question/Issue: 1 or 2 sentences presenting the focus of the paper

Method: 1 or 2 sentences clarifying the methodological approach chosen, and data source, if the paper is conceptual/theoretical state the main framework your research builds on.

Key Findings/Insights: 1 to 3 sentences explaining the findings or insights derived from your study. This section should highlight the contribution of your work to the broader literature.

Implications: in this section, please state the broader implications of your findings for researchers and/or policy-makers, as appropriate.

Authors of accepted abstract will be notified by 4 May 2018.

Workshop Fees

There is no fee for attending the workshop. Participants will be offered lunch, coffee and snacks during breaks, and are invited to a closing reception with wine and nibbles.

Participants are however expected to cover for their travel and accommodation costs, as required.

Note that a small budget is available to cover travel and accommodation expenses for some of the participants. If you would like to apply for your expenses to be covered, please do write it explicitly on your abstract and provide an indicative budget. Successful applicant for travel and accommodation grant will be notified on the 4^th of May.

 Structure of Presentations:

Every paper presentation will be assigned a discussant. It is thus important that full papers are submitted two weeks before the workshop.

Convenors and Queries

For any queries please contact any of the workshop convenors: Dr Luciano Ciravegna (luciano.ciravegna@kcl.ac.uk), Dr Luca Andriani (luca.andriani@bbk.ac.uk) and Dr Elodie Douarin (e.douarin@ucl.ac.uk)

9th International Conference in Political Economy,

“The State of Capitalism and the State of Political Economy”,

University of Pula, Pula, Croatia,

September 12-14, 2018.

Call for Papers – Social Capital, Public Participation and Democracy

 Panel organised by Social Capital Working Group

 

Asimina Christoforou, Athens University of Economics and Business
Luca Andriani, Birkbeck, University of London

Current economic crises are deeply rooted in an institutional crisis, in a social and democratic deficit.  Nowadays we often question the ability of economic and political institutions to translate people’s needs into social welfare: austerity policies have led to poverty and inequality; public goods and services in crucial areas of health, education and the environment are in decline; decisions in parliaments, elections and referenda are being challenged; human rights, especially those of immigrants and workers, are being violated; outspoken scholars and activists are being persecuted; extremist groups are spreading fear and violence; and civil conflicts and international disputes are spurring threats of war and human extinction.

In light of these developments, we invite proposals for papers to be presented in the Social Capital Working Group’s panels at the 9th International Conference in Political Economy, that examine the potential of social capital to restore democracy by cultivating norms and networks of citizen involvement and public participation. Many studies have pointed to the critical role of social capital in creating values and institutions of democracy and social welfare, by appealing to the work of Tocqueville, Dewey and Putnam. Yet some argue that the prevalence of particularised interests and powerful economic and political elites may foster hierarchical relations, clientelism and corruption and thus hinder broader participation, development and welfare. These are hypotheses that need to be further theorised and empirically tested in order to uncover the relationship between social capital and democracy.

We also encourage contributions that generally address the topic of social capital. We welcome works that derive from various social science disciplines and use different units of analysis (individual, regional, country or cross-country level), methodologies and techniques (theoretical, empirical, qualitative and quantitative).

Please submit your proposal by March 15, 2018.

To submit a proposal, please go to the Electronic Proposal Form (EPF), and carefully follow the instructions. You will need to select the Working Group “Social Capital”. You can find this form by following this link 
For general information about IIPPE, Working Groups, and the Conference: http://iippe.org/wp/

For queries and suggestions, you may contact Asimina Christoforou, Coordinator of the Social Capital Working Group: asimina.christoforou@gmail.com.

 

When: 20 March 2018, 13:00 — 17:00
Venue: Room 101, 30 Russell Square, Birkbeck College, University of London, WC1B 5DT
Booking details: Free entry; booking recommended

The most complex economic challenges of our time – such as ageing population, climate change, the effects of automation and globalisation – result from interlinked scientific, technical, social and individual processes, a comprehensive understanding and addressing of which require interdisciplinary approaches. Besides addressing complex challenges, interdisciplinary research is also particularly likely to produce radically novel outcomes that create innovation opportunities. Policymakers advocate greater interdisciplinarity within academia, calling for more interdisciplinary research centres, for greater funding of interdisciplinary research, and for better ways to map and measure interdisciplinary engagement and outputs.

However, universities are historically not well equipped to support interdisciplinary research, and the incentive systems that underpin most academic activities – including funding, evaluation, academic communication, publishing and career progression – militate against it. Institutions that wish to encourage more interdisciplinarity need to implement adequate initiatives to support it. This workshop intends to bring together experts engaged in the practice, study and evaluation of interdisciplinary research, in order to uncover challenges and best practices in supporting interdisciplinarity within academia.

Tickets can be booked through Eventbrite

For more information please contact either Dr Federica Rossi (f.rossi@bbk.ac.uk) or Dr Luca Andriani (luca.andriani@bbk.ac.uk).

Workshop programme:

1.00-1.30: Sandwich lunch

1:30-1:45 Introduction, prof. Julian Swann, Pro-Vice Master for Research, Birkbeck

1.45-2.45: Panel 1: Running an interdisciplinary research centre: advantages and challenges

Catherine Griffiths, Programme and Research Development Manager, Birkbeck, and Birkbeck Institute for Data Analytics

Prof Susan Michie, Director, Centre for Behavioural Change, UCL

Prof Jacqueline Rose, Co-Director, Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities

Chair: Dr Luca Andriani (Centre for Political Economy and Institutional Studies)

2.45-3.45: Panel 2: What does good interdisciplinary research look like? Views from research evaluators

Dr Lisa Mooney, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange, University of East London, and REF Interdisciplinary Research Advisory panel

Prof. Andrew Pettigrew, OBE, Birkbeck, University of London and University of Oxford

Dr Rachael Kiddey, Assistant editor, Independent Social Research Foundation

Chair: Dr Federica Rossi (Centre for Innovation Management Research)

3:45-4:00 Coffee break

4.00-5.00: Concluding session: Implications for research centres

Dr Sappho Xenakis, Assistant Dean for Research, Birkbeck School of Law

Prof Alex Poulovassilis, Deputy Dean for Research Enhancement, Birkbeck School of Business, Economics and Informatics

Dr Peter Zusi, Director, FRINGE Centre, UCL