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Call for Papers "Governance, Human Rights and Development: Challenges for Southeast Asia and Beyond" 1st International Conference on International Relations and Development Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat University Office of International Development Studies, Chulalongkorn University Center of Human Rights and Social Development, Mahidol University Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development, Chiang Mai University Bangkok (Thailand) 19-20 May 2011 __________________________________________________ The authority and capability of the nation state to centrally determine policies is diminishing, due to a multitude of simultaneous forces. These are both external and internal, consisting of new actors, as well as emerging issues. Globalization and regionalization are two external forces that amplify key issues on a transnational scale, such as sustainability, inequality, human rights, and development. Corresponding to these issues the emergence of a growing number of regional and international actors and institutions is taking place, placing individual states into a network of increasingly complex relationships. New demands on the nation-state emerge from within as well. Often consistent with the issues mentioned above, internal actors (e.g. civil society, minorities, and media) add to the complexity of governance along social, ethnic, religious, and economic lines. Developing countries in Southeast Asia and beyond are thus faced with the dual challenge of 1) dealing with an ever more complex environment of actors and issues and 2) promoting economic growth and sustainable development while fulfilling human rights obligations. The new network of actors poses threats, as well as opportunities to the societies of Southeast Asia. Although global institutions, such as WTO and IMF, effect binding international agreements without inclusion of national stakeholders, other transnational groupings may enhance the bargaining power of its members, such as ASEAN+3 on interests concerning countries along the Mekong river. Segments of national societies call into question the legitimacy of state power, as currently can be witnessed in Thailand (in the Deep South, as well as through anti-government rallies in Bangkok). Alternative ideas of governance in addition or in opposition to the state have been in existence across the region, and in many cases preceded the very notion of national unity and identity. At the same time, civil society raises crucial issues, whose persistence may erode societal integration in the long term, such as political and economic exclusion of segments of society. In addition, pressing economic problems, such as wealth disparities, or economic crises, are no longer the sole responsibility of a developmental state. Instead, these issues are addressed through cooperation or competition of different actors. The ownership of resources, environmental degradation or concerns about corporate social responsibility in turn highlight the issue of economic governance. This poses, among others, the following questions which are to be adressed in the First International Conference on International Relations and Developmen (ICIRD 2011): - What are the effects of these trends for societies in Southeast Asia and in developing countries elsewhere? - What are the institutional changes that are required to cope with these conditions? - What are the comparative experiences of countries undergoing democratic transformations and institutional change? - How can nation states and other governance actors address challenges to their legitimacy? Conference Themes: These are the tentative themes and topics to be addressed in ICIRD 2011. The list is subject to change depending on the submitted abstracts, papers and panel proposals. 1. Transnational Governance - Global Governance - Regionalization/regional integration and institutions - Interactions of regional institutions with international actors - UN reform - World Peace Order - International economic regimes (WTO, IMF, Free Trade Agreements etc.) - Legitimacy of G8/G20 or “green room” politics - Non-governmental international regimes (e.g. Kimberley Process, World Commission on Dams) - Transnational security - Global civil society - International law and jurisdiction - Global media - Transnationalism - Post-Conflict State-Building 2. Challenges to the Nation State - Democracy, civil society and elections - Ethnic and social conflicts - Rule of law, constitutional reform - Crises of legitimacy and national identity - Decentralization and people’s participation - Natural disasters and environmental challenges - Dimensions of security (human vs. national) - Non-state monopolies on violence/alternative forms of security governance - Social movements and civil society - Statelessness and areas of limited statehood - Impacts of technological innovations on governance issues - National and independent media - Cross border issues and migration - Civil-military relations - Education systems’ reform - Systemic corruption in national or organizational contexts - Human trafficking, narcotics trade and organized crime - Paramilitarism and privatization of security 3. Political Economy and Development - Wealth disparities - Rural development - Land reform and land titling - Food security - Economic crises - Corporate social responsibility - Contemporary livelihood strategies and economic security - Regional investment - Economic interdependencies - National development strategies - Remittances - Empowerment of marginalized groups (microcredit, “social business” etc.) - Aid industry and foreign development interventions 4. Peoples, Identities and Spaces - Religious, linguistic and cultural aspects of identity - Gender issues in Southeast Asia - Transnational intimacy - Diffusion of norms (sustainability, human rights, democracy etc.) - Geographies of violence/spatial dynamics of conflicts - “Imagined communities” - Contesting representations of identity - Post Development - Urbanization/megacities Call for Abstracts: Scholars and Graduate level students are encouraged to submit their proposals to: [email protected] Abstracts should consist of max. 500 words and include research question(s) and research method(s). Proposals will be peer-reviewed. The conference committee will send an acceptance letter with scheduling information and other instructions for submitting final abstract statements and full versions of papers. Deadline for abstract submission: 30 October 2010. Full papers are requested by 1 March 2011. Contact: ICIRD 2011 Office Room 339 Faculty of Political Science Thammasat University 2 Prachan Rd. Bangkok 10200 Thailand Phone: +66 (0)2-613-2312 / +66 (0)6-378-6764 Fax: +66 (0)2-226-5652 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.icird.org __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: http://interphil.polylog.org Intercultural Philosophy Calendar: http://cal.polylog.org __________________________________________________
