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Corruption in Eastern/Southeastern Europe and Latin America

OPPORTUNITY.DETAILS OPPORTUNITY.DESCRIPTION
Deadline: 31 January 2017
Open to: researchers from disciplines such as history, anthropology, economics, political science or sociology
Venue:
29 June – 1 July 2017, IOS Regensburg, Germany

Description

In much of today’s media discourse, corruption serves as a short-hand explanation for almost every political problem. Low levels of development, social injustice, a lack of security or even setbacks in the struggle against terrorism – in all these fields corruption is seen as a key factor operating in the background.
The social sciences, and to some degree the humanities as well, have responded to this trend by intensifying research on the topics of corruption and governance. While previous research has often been quantitative and normative, newer work takes the difficulties and complexities of transforming „corrupt” into „clean” orders more seriously and tries to understand why certain practices persist even if the institutional framework is changed. Other scholars, particularly in the humanities, explore discourses on corruption, considering them a political strategy against those labeled as „corrupt”.

Eligibility

  • Researchers contributing from disciplines such as history, anthropology, economics, political science or sociology which reflect these current shifts and try to go beyond them;
  • Qualitative approaches, focusing on practices and perspectives of „corrupt” actors and public discourse on corruption;
  • Researchers interested in more diachronic perspectives, trying to understand how the current notion of corruption came into existence, exploring what historical settings encouraged or discouraged “corrupt” behavior, and delving into the development of anti-corruption measures;
  • The conference strongly encourages comparative perspectives.