RC37 - Rethinking Political Development

Updated Announcement

International Political Science Association (IPSA) Joint Workshop on Rethinking Political Development: Multifaceted Role of Elites and Transforming Leadership to be held on November 7-8, 2011 in Winter Park (near Orlando), Florida, USA

Workshop Organizers: Professor Dr. Zillur R. Khan and Dr. Yan Vaslavskiy, respectively Chair and Member, IPSA/RC 37: Rethinking Political Development. Zillur R. Khan is Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin and Adjunct Professor, Rollins College, U.S.A. and Dr.Yan Vaslavskiy is Deputy Head of Events at Global Policy Forum, Russian Federation and Board member, Russian Political Science Association, and from IPSA/RC 2: Political Elites are Professor Dr. Oxana Gaman-Golutvina, Chair of the Department of Comparative Politics, MGIMO-University, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia; Chairman of Scientific Council; President of Russian Political Science Association, and Professor J. Higley, Professor of Political Science, University of Texas, respectively Member and Chair of IPSA/RC 2 Local Host and Organizer is Professor Robert Moore, Chair, International Affairs, Rollins College, Florida, USA

Title: Rethinking Political Development: Multifaceted Role of Elites and Transforming Leadership in Political Development Dates: November 7-8, 2011

Deadline for Submission of Panel/Paper Proposal with Abstracts: May 1, 2011 Rationale for the Workshop: The workshop will bring together international scholars to explore myriad roles of leaders and elites in enhancing the capacity for effective governance by rethinking political development from different perspectives. In constructing or reconstructing theories of leadership, elites and institutions for political development participants will examine, analyze and critique various issues of policy making and implementation facing the rapidly changing and adjusting political communities, particularly in emerging BRIC and Indonesia, Malaysia, South Africa and Turkey, among others. Reorienting the whole concept of development to better the quality of life in an uncertain world should be a challenge- intellectual, political, socio-economic and ideological -for both scholars and practitioners of Political Science and related fields participating in this workshop.

Panels will range from rethinking theories of leadership and elites in political development, to strategies and tactics for providing a common ground for negotiated settlement of controversial public policy goals and methods of their implementation, to resolving issues of identity, diversity and national security in evolving processes of globalization with widening gaps in benefits, particularly for the emerging countries from the Middle East to South-South East Asia to Far East, to dilemmas of freedom and security, to securing justice as basic fairness in inter-ethnic, inter-ideological and inter-state relations, to finally pushing the limits of political development to create a new MAP, i.e., Mutually Assured Peace, replacing MAD, i.e., Mutually Assured Destruction with SANE, i.e., Serve Appropriate Needs Effectively at whatever level. Could the unresolved legacies of local and regional conflicts in the globalizing process redefine sovereignty itself as seemingly happening in politico-economic experimentations in America, Europe, India and Russia, and the political upheaval occurring in the Middle East? Following are some suggested panels:

1. How elites and leaders could strike a balance between localism and nationalism to alleviate poverty.

2. Regional cooperation as a socio-political-economic strategy to transform the state-society relations to a new model of a positive national sovereignty---the sovereignty of the citizen and the service-provider character of state institutions.

3. The extent to which a pragmatic approach to ideological controversies over detached vis-à-vis inclusive secularism with a special emphasis on religious tolerance can shape the relationships between Western and Islamic World.

4. Defining the multifaceted role of elites and leaders in raising the consciousness of stake holders to a level at which coordinated action to resolve burning problems can happen, replacing counteractive rhetoric, against the backdrop of demographic, ecological and energy crises being faced by mostly developing countries.

5. A possible fifth panel may take up terrorism and how elites and leaders in Western and non-Western countries, particularly countries with Muslim majority or large minority like India should define and confront it at different levels.

6. Could elites and leaders of Muslim majority countries meet their development needs by co-operative and progressive openness?

7. Could they engage in fruitful cooperation with the West in developing green energy, including nuclear based ones without posing a threat to the West?

8. Another panel may concentrate on socio-politico-economic Justice in the context of rethinking political development focusing on the emerging world.

Expected Format, Content, and Output: The expected format is a two-day workshop to be held at Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida. The workshop will consist of six to eight panels (6/8 x 3 paper-givers), with one discussant and one chair per panel. Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus has been invited to inaugurate the Workshop as Chief Guest. Dr. Zillur R. Khan, Chair of RC 37 of International Political Science Association and Professor Dr. Oxana Gaman-Golutvina, President of Russian Political Science Association and Member RC 2/IPSA will serve as Keynote Speakers addressing the need of rethinking the role of leadership in transforming development into a continuous search for Justice and freedom for common good. Hosting the Workshop will be Dr. Robert Moore, Chairman of International Affairs of Rollins College, who will preside over the inaugural session The results of the workshop will be communicated within the International Political Science Association (IPSA) and wider academic communities (as well as outside it to practitioners and policy-makers) via the subsequent publication of an edited book. Following the workshop, an edited book prospectus will be sent to leading academic publishers that have published books either focusing on a similar topic or employing a compatible theoretical approach, such as Cambridge University Press, Cornell University Press, Duke University Press and McGill-Queen’s University Press. Commercial peer-reviewed presses, such as Oxford, Routledge, Lynne Rienner, and Palgrave Macmillan, will also be considered.

Logistics and Funding: Local costs of the meeting will be covered by the local host: providing space for the workshop, and food and accommodation for participants. Travel expenses of participants may be partially reimbursed on need basis. It is understood that in accordance with established IPSA rules, IPSA funds may only be used for contributing to the travel expenses of paper-givers on a “fair” basis taking into account special needs, not for paying honoraria.

Scholars from Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Lebanon, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, and USA are expected to participate in the workshop. Abstract of paper/panel submission deadline is May 1, 2011.

Distinguished Participants:

1. Prof. Sushma Yadav Professor of Public Policy & Governance & Chair Professor, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Chair In Social Justice Indian Institute of Public Administration I.P. Estate, Ring Road, New Delhi - 110 002 (O)011-2346 8337, (Tele-fax)011-23766396 (M) 09810074667

2. John Higley Professor of Government & Sociology Jack S. Blanton Chair in Australian Studies Director, Center for Australian & New Zealand Studies The University of Texas at Austin Chair, IPSA Research Committee on Political Elites

3. Theodore P. Wright, Jr., Professor Emeritus, the State University of New York at Albany, New York, USA

4. Oxana Gaman-Golutvina Chair, Department of Comparative Politics MGIMO-University, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Chairman of Scientific Council; President, Russian Political Science Association, Russian Federation

5. Rounaq Jahan, Professor of Political Science and South Asian Studies Columbia University, New York, USA

6. Shelley Feldman, Professor, Development Sociology Director, Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA

7. Robert Wirsing, Professor of Political Science, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., USA