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Call for Papers
"Good Governance"
Bejing International Conference
Institute of Philosophy, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Beijing (China)
24-26 October 2008
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The complex dynamics of economic growth, social
transformation, cultural change, educational advance and
legal development over the past quarter-century have raised
important questions in China about good governance. Wisdom
in answering these questions will help China to continue to
consolidate its internal confidence and extend its external
influence as a strong and stable power, while faulty answers
will impede development in both domestic and international
affairs. Finding the right answers for China will require
caution and realism in a strategy of improving institutions
and policies in light of competing theories of good
governance, but must also pay due regard to the immense
practical difficulties facing Chinese society in the midst
of unprecedented rapid transformation. Chinese philosophers,
social scientists and other intellectuals have a role to
play in exploring the terms and consequences of proposals
for good governance in China, and they can be assisted by
the experience of foreign colleagues, especially those
enunciating influential accounts of good governance and
those dealing with practical problems of large-scale rapid
transformation in their own countries.
1. Objectives: The Conference will focus on the concept,
theories, principles and values of good governance and their
application in Chinese or in other contexts. The Conference
will also discuss proposals of improving governance in China
or other Asian countries. During the Conference free
exchange of opinions and viewpoints and mutual understanding
between participants from different cultures and countries
on good governance will be promoted.
2. Participants: The conference will include invited
participants and selected participants responding to this
call for papers. Invited participants will be key speakers
at plenary sessions. Other participants, after their
abstract is accepted and registration fee is paid, will be
speak at plenary or concurrent sessions. We welcome
philosophers, social scientists and other scholars to come
to Beijing to participate in our Conference.
3. Provisional Schedule:
24 October 2008
Registration
Social Event
25 October 2008
Opening Ceremony
Plenary Session:
Concept, Theories and Principles of Good Governance
Good Governance: A Question of Ethics or Efficiency?
Plenary Session & Concurrent Sessions:
Good Governance: Issues in Transitional Countries and
China
Good Governance and Corruption
Social Event
26 October 2008
Plenary Session & Concurrent Sessions:
State Good Governance and Corporate Governance
Good Governance in Different Cultures and at Different
Levels
Plenary Session:
State Good Governance and Party Good Governance
Role of Citizens and Media in Good Governance
Closing Ceremony
Social Event
4. Dates and Venue: The Conference sessions will be held in
Beijing Saturday and Sunday, 25th and 26th October 2008. The
Conference hotel will be announced later.
5. Language: The working languages of the Conference are
Chinese and English. There will simultaneous interpretation
at the conference in these languages.
6. Abstracts and Manuscripts: The abstracts by invited
speakers and those responding to the call for papers should
be sent to the Secretariat c/o Mr. Zhou,
[email protected] by email by 31 August 2008. The format
of the abstract should be as follows:
The title of the abstract
Name of the author
Institution and academic position of the author
Email address
The text of the abstract
The full text of presentations should be sent to the
Secretariat c/o Mr. Zhou, [email protected]) by email by
25 September 2008. Presentations by invited speakers will be
20-30 minutes and by those answering the call for papers
will be 15-20 minutes.
7. Registration: Registration will be 09:00-18:00 on Friday
24 October 2008 Invited speakers will be exempted from the
Registration Fee. Other participants are required to pay a
Registration Fee CNY 2200 (approximately GBP 150, or EURO
220, or USD 300, depending on exchange rate at the time) to
the Registration Desk. Students are required to pay CNY
1100.
8. Hotel Reservations: Information regarding hotel
reservations will be provided later. Accommodation for
invited speakers will be provided by the Conference for
three nights: 24-26 October 2008, with extra nights and
other costs paid by the speakers. Other participants will
pay for their own accommodation.
9. Formal Invitation for Entry Visa: After receiving the
abstracts, we will issue formal letters of invitation by 24
September 2008 to submit with visa applications by invited
speakers and other participants whose abstracts have been
accepted. Participants needing an invitation in order to
apply for a grant should submit their abstracts as soon as
possible to allow us to process their invitation early. We
will send you further information later.
The following questions indicate some central issues to
consider for the conference, but speakers are welcome to
focus on other topics relating to good governance.
1. Is there a single theory of good governance or is good
governance an accumulation of smaller scale theories that
need not have bearing on one another? If there is one
theory, what are its principles?
2. How are issues identified as issues of good governance?
3. Is good governance a question of ethics or a question of
efficiency?
4. Are the principles of good governance the same for all
societies?
5. What questions of good governance emerge in the
transition from a command economy to a market economy?
6. Do considerations of good governance pose different
demands and different constraints on the executive, the
legislature and the judiciary?
7. How does a concern for good governance affect the balance
between confidentiality and openness in governmental
decision-making?
8. Does good governance have different features at different
levels of society: nation, province, city, township or
village?
9. How are political questions of good governance related to
questions of the corporate governance of firms?
10. What kinds of lobbying are compatible with good
governance?
11. Does an account of good governance help to determine the
nature, scope and limits of regulatory regimes? What other
considerations are relevant to shaping regulatory regimes?
12. Can good governance help to control the level and kinds
of corruption in society?
13. What are the consequences of a theory of good governance
for the distribution and control of power and influence in
society?
14. In a one-party, two-party or multi-party system, can
there be good state governance without good party
governance? What are the features of good party governance?
15. What part do citizens and groups of citizens play in a
system of good governance?
16. How can a concern for good governance be entrenched in
the attitudes and practices of citizens?
17. What is the role of the media in maintaining standards
of good governance?
Contact:
Bejing International Conference on Good Governance
Organizing Committee
Institute of Philosophy
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Beijing
China
Email: [email protected]
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http://interphil.polylog.org
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