62nd Political Studies Association Annual International Conference
In Defence of Politics, 3 – 5 April 2012, Europa Hotel Belfast
- In Praise of Politics and Why We Hate Politics
- The Purpose of Political Science – in education, research and policy formation
- Ethics and Politics– questions of integrity, accountability, honesty, and disclosure in political activity and also political research
- Conflict and Conciliation – approaches to political negotiation and struggle, from theoretical and empirical perspectives
- The People’s Politics – the changing landscape of political engagement and protest
- Politics: Looking Back or Looking Forward – the extent to which politics looks back as well as forward, and what this says about modern political trends
- Leaders and Authority; Citizens and Consumerism – the interplay between elites, iconic figures and power brokers, and citizens, subjects and consumers
International Political Science Association, XXIInd World Congress, Madrid 8-12 July
In a globalising world, everywhere power is being reconfigured, creating opportunities for change:
- New players are emerging on the world stage, reflected in G-20, the ‘BRICs’ and in North-South relations.
- Climate change and the financial crisis have altered global dynamics.
- Transnational governance is taking on new forms, such as the reformed EU and Mercosur.
- Within states, there is increased devolution and the recognition of sub-identities.
- State functions are increasingly being shared with non-state actors such as corporations and non-governmental organisations and are affected by the dynamics of an international society.
- Substantial changes are taking place in social life including gender roles and the nature of the family.
- Religious cleavages refuse to disappear, and may be evolving into a major axis of political and social conflict.
- The Westphalian model of inter-state relations is not sufficient to cope with the challenges of global governance. This emphasises the importance of the dialogue between political science and international relations.
7th International Conference in Interpretive Policy Analysis: Understanding the Drama of Democracy. Policy Work, Power and Transformation. Tilburg University, 5-7 July 2012
The theme of the 7th conference on interpretative policy analysis is Understanding the Drama of Democracy. In the age of mediatisation, network governance, and multi level governance, all public agents, including government officials and academic experts, must now be credible, in addition to being legally legitimated and effective. In such an environment, policy work and its evaluation are not only established through formal positions and legal responsibilities, but are also negotiated through the policy practices of civil organizations, experts, journalists and the general public. The performative dimension of democracy is increasingly important.
Interpretive Political Science 