CfP Politics & Society Conference 2017 – Democracy and Governance in the 21st Century
The Department of International Relations, Political Science and Security Studies of the Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Romania and the Alumni FSSU ULBS Association cordially invite you to the 2017 Politics & Society Conference
DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNANCE IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Sibiu, Romania, 2-3 June 2017
Topic description. The 21st century brings in new approaches when dealing with the way democracy is conceived and practiced. On the one hand, broadening participation means new forms of political participation, as well as transforming the political regimes. Under the pressure of new categories of critical citizens, who now have a voice through means of mass communication, new media and various social media channels, the last dictatorships are now undermined. Protests have swept numerous countries and regions, leading to the collapse of authoritarian regimes in countries from the post-Soviet region or Northern Africa. Fearing contagion, some regimes managed to counteract this, consolidating their status of hybrid, incomplete, electoral democracies or even turned into fully authoritarian regimes, making a clear-cut pattern of distinctive trajectories of political regimes during transition.
On the other hand, democratic regimes are now under the pressure of citizens, who are mobilized by informal, opinion leaders or by more formal, political elites. Since democracy needs large public support, mass attitudes and individual and collective resources are now critical. With lighter constraint following the EU accession, it is by no means surprising that political elites in many countries in Central and Eastern Europe stated to overlook the previous political liberal consensus based on constitutionalism and good governance. Mobilizing unsatisfied citizens, populist elites turned against neutral institutions in an effort to dominate the public scene.
The growing complexity of political decision mechanisms in a globalized economy, where new communication patterns make citizens more aware about a large series of previously disregarded issues, put decision makers under pressure and tighter control. Governance is the new lens through which one has to imagine the intertwined interaction between citizens and elites, focusing on various types of hierarchies, market actors and networks of voluntary organizations. This new interaction, which occurs in the framework of a globalizing world, brings in new perspectives not only for national and international security, but for the global market, environment, communication, citizenship and culture.
The conference encourages this perspective and aims to emphasize diverse approaches pertaining to new challenges for representative democracy and governance, in the context of changing regulation patterns and interactions between social and political actors. The organizers encourage contributions, but do not limit them, related to the behaviour of governance actors and networks, to governance and risks associated to new communication strategies by new technological facilities, and not least to global, European and multi-level governance.
Conference tracks
Track 1. Political behaviour
Track 2. States and societies in global governance
Track 3. The governance of security
Track 4. Political institutions and democracy
Track 5. General session
Submissions
Panel and paper proposals can be submitted via the on-line conference system available at conferences.ulbsibiu.ro/crissp
The language of the conference is English.
Deadlines
Application with paper/panel proposals – April 9, 2017
Applicants are notified on the status of their proposal – April 15, 2017
Registration deadline – May 15, 2017
Fees
Early registration fees
- 30 Euro PhD / MA students
- 45 Euro scholars from Romania, CEE, CIS (former USSR), Latin America and Africa
- 60 Euro scholars from other countries
The conference fee covers the conference package, coffee breaks, lunches, and the conference reception.
Contact information
E-mail: conf.crissp@ulbsibiu.ro