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News
In search of responsive government
The CPS - Blue Bird Policy Paper "In search of responsive government. State Building and Economic growth in the Balkans" has been published.
Making Federalism Work - A Radical Proposal For Practical Reform
A new paper by the European Stability Initiative (ESI) is available online.
Conferences: Developing Cultural Identity
in the Balkans: Convergence vs. Divergence
The Centre for Southeast European Studies (CZES) at Ghent University invites you to a conference entitled "Developing Cultural Identity in the Balkans: Convergence vs. Divergence" held in Ghent, Belgium on December 12-13, 2003.
Call for Papers and Invitation to Participate: Democracy and Human Rights in Multiethnic Societies
The Institute for Strengthening Democracy in Bosnia calls for papers and invites people to participate at the of the Seventh International Seminar "Democracy and Human Rights in Multiethnic Societies" on 12-17, July, 2004, in Konjic, B&H.
South East European Studies Programme (SEESP), St. Antony's College, University of Oxford
The South East European Studies Programme was established in 2002 at the European Studies Centre, St Antony's College. It focuses on the study of contemporary political and socio-economic dynamics in the region, including the post-communist Balkan countries, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus, the region's relationship with the EU, as well as the relations between the countries themselves.
Through its activities and research output, the programme seeks to foster academic analysis on current events and to come up with policy-relevant prescriptions. By bringing together academics, policy makers and students, it aims to support the debate on transition, reconstruction, development, conflict resolution and European integration and to promote mutual knowledge and understanding in areas of tension and conflict.
The programme, which has been initially funded by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is seeking other sponsors.
Travails of the European Raj: Lessons from Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Journal of Democracy has just published an article written by ESI analysts Gerald Knaus and Felix Martin in their personal capacities, Travails of the European Raj: Lessons from Bosnia and Herzegovina. It can be found at journalofdemocracy.org. It was also refered to in a recent article in the Guardian newspaper in the United Kingdom (Running Bosnia like a Raj).
Call for Applications: Roles, Identities and Hybrids. Multiple Institutional Cultures in Southeast Europe within the Context of European Unification
The Centre for Advanced Study Sofia (CAS) is announcing its call for applications for fellowships in the international research project "Roles, Identities and Hybrids: Multiple Institutional Cultures in Southeast Europe within the Context of European Unification" for the academic 2003-2004 year.
Read the Call for Applications (MS Word Fromat)
Conference summary: Border Crossings in the Balkans
The OU Balkan Society, a society of postgraduate students in Oxford working on the Balkans, organised a multidisciplinary conference on Borders and Border Crossings that took place in Oxford on the 17-18th May 2003. The aim of this meeting has been to bring together academics and young researchers from the Balkans and Europe working on various aspects of the Balkans, and to provide a focus for discussion and exchange of ideas among disciplines.
SAR Policy Warning Reports / Papers on Governance
The Romanian Academic Society (SAR) is pleased to launch the first issue of the Policy Warning Reports (PWR) / Papers on Governance -- analytic materials monitoring the socio-political and economic developments in Romania, aimed at identifying situations with crisis potential. This series follows the Early Warning Reports produced by SAR in the last two years with funds mainly from UNDP, after institutional constraints made impossible for the main sponsor to continue its commitment to independent monitorization.
European Commission adopts Annual Programme for Serbia and Montenegro
The European Commission has adopted its Annual Programmes for the state of Serbia and Montenegro. In 2003, within the Community Assistance for Reconstruction, Development and Stabilisation (CARDS) Programme, the Commission will spend a EUR 229 million in Serbia and EUR 13.5 million in Montenegro to support its reform and modernisation efforts for Good Governance, Economic Reconstruction and Civil Society Development.
GDN Bridging Research and Policy project
Below
is the call for project proposals from the GDN Bridging Research and Policy project.
The programme is worth US$ 1 million.
Call for Applications - Transatlantic Networking for the Future of Southeastern Europe
The TRANSFUSE Association
is searching for young professionals to participate in its activities who should
bring a fresh perspective to the discussion of future developments in Southeastern
Europe. The Association's activities will allow these professionals to participate
in a strong inter-disciplinary network across the region, linked to Western Europe
and the United States.
Deadline for applications is April 25, 2003.
New working papers on social inclusion by Laidlaw Foundation
Laidlaw Foundation has just released three new working papers on social inclusion:
- The Role of Recreation in Promoting Social Inclusion by Peter Donnelly, Professor in the Faculty of Physical Education and Health, and Director of the Centre for Sport Policy Studies at the University of Toronto.
- The Dynamics of Social Inclusion: Public Education and Aboriginal People in Canada by Terry Wotherspoon, Professor of Sociology and Head of the Department at the University of Saskatchewan.
- Poverty, Inequality and Social Inclusion by Andrew Mitchell, Program Director with the Community Social Planning Council of Toronto, currently on leave at the University of Toronto working on a project "Social Assistance in the New Economy", and Richard Shillington, self-employed, and conducts social policy research.
These papers can be downloaded from the Laidlaw Foundation's website.
GASPP 6 Seminar: Globalisation, Regionalisation and the Making of Social Policy in South Eastern Europe
The sixth international GASPP seminar will be held in conjunction with the South East European Research Centre (SEERC) based at City Liberal College, Thessaloniki, Greece between September 18 and 20 2003.
Zivilgesellschaft im östlichen und südöstlichen Europa in Geschichte und Gegenwart
A conference of
the Herder Institute in Marburg, Germany on April 2-3, 2003.
Detailed program of the conference
Early Warning Report, Romania 1/2003
The latest issue (January 2003 ) of the monthly national Early Warning Report produced by the Romanian Academic Society (SAR), an independent think tank based in Bucharest, has just been released. You can find it, as well as other back issues, at the following addresses: http://www.undp.ro/governance/e_warning_reports.htm
Alternatively, we can email you the zipped file (about 300k) upon request. Please wirte to: office@sar.org.ro
Blue Bird Publicity
Hurst Books on the Balkans, Greece, Turkey and Central and Eastern Europe
Working Document: Greek Presidency Priorities for the Western Balkans, 13 January 2003
The Balkans are a key priority for the Greek Presidency. Following the Copenhagen decisions on enlargement and considering progress made in the region, but also its fragility, it is important for the EU to keep the Balkans high on its agenda. The Union must increasingly assume a leading role in the area, in support of stability, development and integration. The European prospect, eventually leading to EU membership, must be visible and credible to the peoples of the region. For their part, the Western Balkan countries will have to take on and implement the commitments set within the Stabilisation and Association Process. Progress in their road to Europe will be the result of their own efforts and performance.
SEEMO activities in 2003 andthe statistics of press freedom violations in 2002
The year 2002 has not only been a very busy one for the Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), but also a very successful one. Awards have been presented and seminars successfully organised. Judging by SEEMO's calendar, 2003 will be a lively year too.
Western Balkans 2004: Assistance, cohesion and the new boundaries of Europe. A call for policy reform.
A paper prepared by the European Stability Initiative for a brainstorming on Balkan policy with the European Union High Representative for Foreign Policy Javier Solana, on November 5, 2002 in Brussels.
The paper is addressing the problem of Western Balkans facing a looming crisis of social and economic dislocation, which puts at risk some of the European Union's most important interests in this strategic region. The crisis is seen as emerging just as existing European assistance is being scaled down, and just as the countries of the region find themselves excluded from the European enlargement process. The European Union should send a strong signal to the countries of the Western Balkans that the promise of Europeanisation is not an illusion.
The European Union's Zagreb II summit planned for June 2003 under the Greek presidency is the ideal opportunity to send such a signal, and should mark a turning point in relations between the Union and the Western Balkans. This paper explores how it could do so.
Early Warning Report, Romania 6/2002
The latest issue (September/2002) of the monthly national Early Warning Report produced by the Romanian Academic Society (SAR), an independent think tank based in Bucharest, has just been released. You can find it, as well as other back issues, at the following addresses: www.sar.org.ro/ewr.htm
Alternatively, we can email you the zipped file (about 300k) upon request. Please wirte to: office@sar.org.ro
Call for Applications: Ethnobarometer/SSRC Exchange Program
The
Ethnobarometer Program of the Italian Social Science Council (CSS), in collaboration
with the Program on Global Security & Cooperation of the Social Science Research
Council (SSRC), will conduct an exchange of young Eastern European and American
scholars. The exchange will be limited to students seeking advanced degrees in
the social sciences and pursuing research on issues of inter-ethnic relations
and ethnic conflict in Southeast Europe. The exchange program offers a total of
eight 3-month fellowships (four Eastern Europeans and four Americans). The fellows
will be placed in institutions appropriate to their knowledge base and research
skills, starting in February or March 2003.
Each fellowship will cover the
cost of trans-Atlantic travel and a per diem.
Eligibility:
- Be Ph.D. candidates, preferably in one of the following disciplines: political science, sociology, anthropology, history, law
- Be citizens of an Eastern European country
- Possess an excellent knowledge and fluency in the English language
- Show that they have been/are presently engaged in research on issues of interethnic relations, ethnic conflict, including issues of human rights, migration and democratisation processes when relevant to inter-ethnic relations
- Submit a curriculum vitae and a brief statement describing the research interests they would like to pursue during their 3-month tenure at an American center; preference will be given to those candidates whose interests are relevant to the research areas of the Ethnobarometer Program, as described in www.ethnobarometer.org
- Submit two reference letters
- Submit a personal statement of how the fellowship would aid their careers, and their intention to pursue relevant work beyond the fellowship tenure
- Commit themselves to submit, not later than 30 July 2003, a report on the work done during their stay in the US. The report must discuss also the contacts they established with other scholars at their host institution and, more generally, their participation in the American academic and intellectual life, and indicate whether they expect such contacts and participation to foster future collaborative projects.
Applications must be addressed to the Italian Social Science Council by e-mail (cssroma@libero.it) at the latest on 25 October 2002. The originals of the applications and their annexes must be sent by regular mail. Applicants will be informed of the decisions of the Selection Committee by 15 December.
Call for application: NEXUS Project
The Centre for Advanced Study in Sofia (CAS) is announcing its annual call for applications for six Associate Fellowships in the international NEXUS research project "How To Think About The Balkans: Culture, Region, Identities", for the academic 2002-2003 year.
http://www.cas.bg/id/call_app 20031.doc
Southern Adriatic Transfrontier Co-operation Forum
The
EastWest Institute (EWI), the Council of Europe and the OSCE have the
pleasure
of inviting you to a conference on transfrontier co-operation in
the border
regions of BiH, Croatia and Montenegro.
The Conference
will begin with plenary addresses and panel presentations on
the 28th September,
and will continue on Sunday 29th September with Working
Group sessions focused
on Transfrontier cooperation in the fields of Fire
Fighting, Water Management,
Garbage Disposal and the Environment, Small and
Medium Sized Enterprise and
Tourism Development, and Youth Cooperation
respectively. These Working Group
meetings constitute practical follow-up to
consecutive Round Tables focused
on the above-listed issues, organized as
part of EWI's ongoing Project in
the region.
The organizers intend with this conference
to further develop work underway
in the Southern Adriatic region to foster
mutually beneficial, systematized
cross-border cooperation in locally identified,
common-interest fields. The
event therefore situates itself within a longer-term
process supported by
the EastWest Institute's Programme on Transfrontier Cooperation
and local
Project office in Dubrovnik, Croatia, the OSCE field offices in
the region,
as well as the Council of Europe, in the framework of its transfrontier
co-operation programme.
Contact: Martina Kratochvílová
(mkratochvilova@iews.org), Bohdana
Dimitrovova (bdimitrovova@iews.org)
Early Warning Report, Romania 4/2002
The latest issue (June/2002)
of the monthly national Early Warning Report
produced by the Romanian Academic
Society (SAR), an independent think tank
based in Bucharest, has just been
released. You can find it, as well as
other back issues, at the following
addresses:
http://www.sar.org.ro/ewr.htm
http://www.undp.ro/governance/e_warning_reports.htm
Call for authors of country reports for the "Regulations on conflict of interest at local governments" project
The "Local
Government Policy Partnership" (LGPP) is a joint program of the Department
for International Development (UK) and Local Government Initiative, Open Society
Institute (Budapest). The objective of this cooperation is to produce comparative
policy studies on selected local government issues. Beneficiaries of the policy
proposals are national government ministries, local government associations, research
and training institutions. The partner countries are Czech Republic, Hungary,
Poland and Slovakia, but depending on the topics more countries are involved in
some projects.
Analytical papers with policy proposals are produced by the
participating country teams, under the professional coordination of the editor
and project manager. Country studies should respond on the local problems, the
primary target audiences are the national and local policy makers. But at the
same time the country studies should be comparable, providing information for
general conclusions and policy proposals for other countries in the Central Eastern
European region. Information on previous LGPP projects are available at
Download the Call (PDF)
Call for Participation: "Balkan And Intra-Balkan Migrations" - International Session Of Doctoral Studies
The French
School of Athens-Studies on Modern and Contemporary Greek Society section
is organising an international doctoral studies session which will have as its
theme "Balkan and intra-Balkan Migrations".
Its aim is to assist
in the training of young researchers specialising in this field, and to facilitate
international scholarly links by bringing senior researchers into contact with
Ph.D candidates and young researchers for a period of a week on this theme. These
international doctoral study sessions are conceived as an opportunity for high-level
training and as a forum where contacts can be established with the aim of creating
international interdisciplinary networks. Fieldwork and laboratory visits are
also planned alongside the scientific exchanges.
Download
the Call in English (PDF)
Call for applications: LGI Policy Fellowship 2002-03
The
purpose of the LGI Policy Fellowship program is to provide experts and
professionals
from the region the opportunity to work with a multinational
team of fellows
on comparative research. The fellowship program is aimed at
developing policy
research and strengthening regional capacity by developing
policy networks
throughout the region. The expected outcomes - policy
studies and recommendations
- will support democratic governance and public
administration reform in the
region.
http://www.osi.hu/ipf
International IDEA Releases New South Eastern Europe Policy Brief
A
Policy Brief commenting on the results of the International IDEA-sponsored South
Eastern Europe (SEE) Public Agenda Survey Report released in March 2002, is published
today. The Policy Brief, the second in a series of regional policy documents published
by International IDEA, is available online.
Written
by Mark Thompson, the Policy Brief looks at the SEE Public Agenda Survey Report's
findings on public attitudes to critical issues of political and economic reform
in the region, and outlines a number of policy recommendations addressed both
to the international community at large and international organizations active
in South Eastern Europe.
http://www.idea.int/balkans/index.htm
2nd Tirana Summer School in Political Science, July 2002
http://www.shekulli.com
or
http://www.seep.ceu.hu/alpsa
IIE Announces Research Grant Opportunity
The Institute
of International Education's IIENetwork has created this research opportunity
to help universities around the world become more globally connected. The topic
for this year's program is "Challenges in Internationalizing Higher Education
in Southeastern Europe: Policy and practice." IIE wishes to support policy-focused
research that will in turn help other institutions in their internationalization
efforts. Submission deadline: July 15, 2002
http://www.iienetwork.org
(see "Research Grant Program 2002" box at lower right)
New ICG report on Serbia and Montenegro
Still Buying Time: Montenegro, Serbia And The European Union. 7 May 2002
Download PDF
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