[Tps] TPS/ECPR Policy Network- Call for Papers: 3rd International Conference in Interpretive Policy Analysis

[Navdeep Mathur]

3rd International Conference in Interpretive Policy Analysis

Democracy, Governance, and Methods

Dates: 19-21 June 2008
Location: University of Essex, Colchester, UK
Call for Papers Deadline: 10 December 2007
Website:http://www.essex.ac.uk/centres/TheoStud/Conference_III/interpretation_in_policy_confere.htm
<http://www.essex.ac.uk/centres/TheoStud/Conference_III/interpretation_in_policy_confere.htm>

All Inquiries to: ipol at essex.ac.uk <mailto:ipol at essex.ac.uk>



Organizing Committee

David Howarth, University of Essex (UK)

Aletta J. Norval, University of Essex (UK)



Methodology Workshops Organizing Committee

Sarah Hartley, University of Essex (Organizing Chair)
Katharina Paul, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Jason Glynos, University of Essex
Dvora Yanow, Vrije Universiteit (Amsterdam)


Advisory Board

Frank Fischer, Rutgers University, New Jersey (US)
Herbert Gottweis, University of Vienna (Austria)
Steven Griggs, University of Birmingham (UK)
Maarten Hajer, Universiteit van Amsterdam (NL)
Navdeep Mathur, Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad, IN)
Henk Wagenaar, Leiden Universiteit (NL)
Dvora Yanow, Vrije Universiteit (Amsterdam, NL)


Keynote Speakers

Professor Jean Hillier (University of Newcastle, UK)
Professor Ernesto Laclau (University of Essex, UK/Northwestern University, US)
Professor Eva Sørensen (Roskilde University, Denmark)
Professor Keith Topper (Northwestern University, US)
Professor Mark Warren (University of British Columbia, Canada)


Interpretivism today comes in many shapes and sizes. It is a broad
church that challenges mainstream positivism and scientism in the name
of a methodological pluralism that is sensitive to meaning, historical
context, and the importance of human subjectivity. Following two
successful conferences in Birmingham, UK (2005) and Amsterdam (2006),
the Third International Conference in 'Interpretive Policy Analysis'
will be held at the University of Essex on 19-21 June 2008. This
conference will focus on the relationship between governance,
democracy, and critical policy analysis, as well as methodological and
practical research issues in the interpretive tradition. These themes
will be particularly evident in the plenary sessions, which are
focused on new forms of governance and their impact on various modes
of policymaking, rethinking the theory and practice of democracy, and
debating different methods of interpretation and critical explanation.

The relationship between governance, democracy, and critical policy
analysis raises a host of interesting questions. Consider the precise
character and configuration of new forms of governance and their
impact on policymaking. How can we characterize new forms of
governance today? What is decentered governance? What is the
relationship between governance and issues of representation,
deliberation and novel forms of political engagement? How can we
explain and evaluate the rise of network governance? At the same time,
new issues pertaining to the environment, bio-politics, security,
multiculturalism, and so on, pose important challenges to the
articulation and evaluation of policies. How are issues of risk and
novelty factored into our understandings of policy change? What is the
role of performativity and engagement in policymaking and democratic
governance? Do new forms of governance suffer a democratic deficit? In
short, a range of new issues and problems have led to a questioning of
traditional models of government, administration and policy-making.

It is clear, then, that the issue of democracy and democratization is
a pressing issue in the present. Not only are there worries about a
growing democratic deficit, but there is much talk about democratizing
policymaking and governance today. How do different models of
democracy impact on critical policy analysis? What are the
similarities and differences between aggregative, discursive, and
agonistic conceptions of democracy? How do these accounts of democracy
speak to issues of representation, participation, and conflict in
modern societies? What is radical democracy? Do critical models of
democracy suffer from an institutional and policymaking deficit? What
is the relationship between normative/evaluative and
descriptive/explanatory research in this field? How does one think
about democracy, policymaking and public spaces? In short, the issue
of democracy not only raises a crucial set of normative, evaluative
and explanatory issues in conducting policy analysis, but it also
poses questions about the role of the interpretive researcher and
practitioner and their community.

An equally important set of methodological issues is posed by new
forms of democratic governance, especially in the interpretive
tradition. Interpretivists have elaborated a range of innovative
methods and research techniques to challenge mainstream positivism and
unthinking quantitative approaches. They have also stressed the role
of reflexivity and subjectivity in the process of conducting research
and analyzing social processes. Yet, there is still a range of
approaches that are compatible with the interpretivist outlook. Some
stress the role of self-interpretations or focus exclusively on the
beliefs and desires of individual agents; others emphasize the role of
mechanisms in explaining policy change; yet others have developed the
role of logics, discourse theory and rhetorical analysis to critically
explain policy processes and specific outcomes. What is the difference
between self-interpretations, mechanisms and logics? What is the
relationship between qualitative and quantitative methods? What new
qualitative approaches and methodologies are becoming available for
interpretive policy analysis?

Conference papers might engage one or more of the following themes:

* The contribution of a particular theoretical or philosophical
approach to critical policy analysis (e.g., pragmatism, hermeneutics,
post-structuralism)

* Clarification of approaches in use (e.g., varieties of discourse
analysis or narrative analyses; the role of rhetoric and metaphor)

* Case studies from particular policy issue arenas (e.g., the new
challenges of environmental politics and policymaking; bio-politics;
local governance; asylum or immigration policy; food policy; urban and
regional planning)

* Methodological issues in doing critical policy analysis (e.g.,
reflexivity in policy analytic practices; getting, and using, feedback
from 'informants'; issues in using new recording technologies;
evaluating software programmes)

* The relationship between policy analytic practices and democratic
and/or other theories of governance

* Interpretive perspectives on key topics (e.g., community conflict
resolution practices; policy evaluation; leadership; network
organizations; other public management questions)


Plenary Sessions

Plenary sessions will be organized around a number of key themes, including:

'Governance, Participation, and Performativity'

     Professor Jean Hillier (University of Newcastle)
     Professor Eva Sørensen (Roskilde University)

     Chair: Professor Maarten Hajer (Universiteit van Amsterdam)

'Democracy and Critical Policy Analysis'

     Professor Mark Warren (University of British Columbia)
     Professor Frank Fischer (Rutgers University)

     Chair: Dr Aletta Norval (University of Essex)

'Debating Method: Interpretations, Mechanisms and Logics'

     Professor Ernesto Laclau (Northwestern University, University of Essex)
     Professor Keith Topper (Northwestern University)

     Chair: Dr David Howarth (University of Essex)


Proposals for Papers, Panels and Roundtables

The conference organizers welcome proposals for individual papers;
full panels (with papers); and roundtables (focused on discussion of a
common theme rather than the formal presentation of papers). Paper,
panel, and roundtable proposals (short abstracts) should be sent to
ipol at essex.ac.uk <mailto:ipol at essex.ac.uk>  no later than 10 December
2007. Inquiries may also be sent to that address. For those paper
proposals that are accepted, full papers will be due one month prior
to the conference date. There will be a pre-conference dinner for all
doctoral students who wish to attend the evening before the
conference. Please indicate if you would like to participate in this
'no host' event.

Further information for paper-givers will be available on the
Conference website:

http://www.essex.ac.uk/centres/TheoStud/Conference_III/interpretation_in_policy_confere.htm

Papers from the conference may be considered for a special issue of
Critical Public Policy: Analysis and Practice, General Editor - Steven
Griggs (s.f.griggs at bham.ac.uk); Reviews Editor - Pauline Jas
(p.e.jas at bham.ac.uk); Forums Editor - Navdeep Mathur
(navdeep at iimahd.ernet.in <mailto:navdeep at iimahd.ernet.in> ).


Methodology Workshops

Some of the sessions will be devoted to methodological workshops. The
90-minute workshop sessions feature specialists in different aspects
of interpretive analysis. The format of the workshop sessions builds
on the idea of a "master-class" as practiced in musical studies, where
two senior researchers (or "specialists") will meet a small number of
early career researchers using a particular methodological strategy or
technique. The focus will be on questions raised by researchers, and
their research will be treated as case studies to generate and engage
a set of methodological questions.

The workshops aim at (1) creating a setting where early career
researchers can benefit from focused interaction with experts in their
field and (2) generating questions about and exchange experiences with
interpretive methods, such as expert interviewing and discourse
analysis. The sessions will be facilitated by fellow early career
researchers, and the discussants will be established and renowned
names in the field of interpretative policy analysis, such as Frank
Fischer, Maarten Hajer, Navdeep Mathur, Jacob Torfing, Henk Wagenaar.
The sessions are fully incorporated into the regular conference
program, and the sessions are open to all conference participants, in
order to create a collaborative learning environment for all involved.

In order to take part in a workshop session, early career researchers
invited to present their work in one of these will be asked to
introduce their research project in a 2-3 page summary, pointing to
the particular difficulties or methodological questions that arise
from their research and/or field experience that they would like to
explore in the workshop. Please note it clearly in your inquiry if you
wish to be considered for inclusion in a Methodology Workshop. The
deadline for inquiries is 10th of December 2007. For additional
questions, please do not hesitate to contact the chair of the
Methodology Workshop Advisory Board (ipol at essex.ac.uk
<mailto:ipol at essex.ac.uk> ) marking your inquiry clearly for
attention: Sarah Hartley.

Conference Site

The University of Essex is located in the ancient market town of
Colchester and near the picturesque village of Wivenhoe in northeast
Essex. It is about 45 minutes from London by rail, 30 minutes from
London's Stansted Airport by cab or about an hour by bus. The
conference programme will offer opportunities to enjoy the traditional
villages and countryside in this scenic part of England. More
information about accommodation, costs, and venue is available on the
website (http://www.essex.ac.uk/centres/TheoStud/Conference_III/interpretation_in_policy_confere.htm