5th Changing Europe Summer School
Informal Networks, Clientelism and Corruption in Politics, State Administration, Business and Society. Case studies from Central and Eastern Europe; Institute of Sociology, Czech Academy of Sciences Prague; 7 August 2010
organized by the Research Centre for East European Studies (University of Bremen) at the Institute of Sociology, Czech Academy of Sciences with funding from the Volkswagen Foundation
The topic: Informal networks, clientelism and corruption are often seen as legacies of socialism with a strong impact on post-socialist transformations, on the other hand they describe universal phenomena, which can be found in all kinds of societies. Although these phenomena are frequently argued to impede development, some authors
also highlight their potential to make things work by offering a way around red tape and authoritarian pressures.
In order to obtain a better understanding of these phenomena, including their different forms, modes of function, causes and consequences in various societal contexts, the Changing Europe Summer School 2010 wants to offer a forum for empirical research on informal networks, clientelism and corruption with a regional focus on Central and Eastern Europe. Central and Eastern Europe is defined as the formerly socialist part of Europe including all countries of the CIS. Comparative approaches (across countries and across time) are especially encouraged.
The Summer School: Each year the Changing Europe Summer School brings together 20 to 30 young academics (i.e. mainly doctoral students from disciplines like political science, sociology, economics, social anthropology, law, geography and history) working on issues related to countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Participation in the Summer School gives them a chance to present and discuss their research projects and to become better integrated into the academic community.
The core of the Summer School consists of the presentation of doctoral research projects and their discussion with senior researchers of international repute in their respective fields. In addition, there will be several sessions with experts on funding, access to information, publication strategies and policy consulting. The sessions will be framed by lectures and excursions as well as other activities designed to give participants the opportunity to socialize and establish contacts. Selected contributions to the Summer School will be published in an edited volume. The participants will be invited to join our alumni network.
Paper proposals: Paper proposals must be based on original doctoral research projects and may not exceed 1000 words. They must be drafted in English and must connect an empirical question with a theoretical approach and concept in order to be accepted. An international review panel will assess the papers for the conference in an anonymous review process (for more information about the reviewers, see www.changing-europe.de) . The deadline for receipt of paper proposals is 10 January 2010. Please submit your proposal according to the guidelines at www.changing-europe.de.
Costs: Funding by the Volkswagen Foundation covers accommodation and participation fees. Participants will have to cover their travel costs themselves. Location: Institute of Sociology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague Information: More information about the Changing Europe Summer Schools is available at
www.changing-europe.de
Please quote 10 Academic Resources Daily in your application to this opportunity!
