|
 Program
List of papers accepted
Full description of the workshop
This workshop is held concurrent with (but independently of) the Joint Sessions of Workshops organized by the European Consortium of Political Research (ECPR). It is sponsored by the Centre for the Study of Civil War CSCW) at the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO), the Polarization and Conflict Network (PAC), the Department of Political Science at the University of Iceland (HI), the Chair in International Relations at the University of Konstanz, the Department of Sociology and Political Science at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), and the Standing Group on Political Geography (SGPG) of the ECPR.
Co-convenors of the workshop are Nils Petter Gleditsch (CSCW, NTNU, & PAC), Indridi Indridason (HI), Gerald Schneider (Konstanz & PAC), and Halvard Buhaug (CSCW).
Short description of the workshop
Polarization is a social or political process whereby powerful groups (e.g. parties, classes, alliances of states) move increasingly apart from each other, e.g. ideologically or economically. Comparativists have frequently associated growing antagonism between contending social forces with the breakdowns of political order and the rise of authoritarianism. Some international relations scholars have similarly argued that a bipolar distribution of power increases the likelihood of conflict in the world system. Social and political polarization are also seen as root causes of government termination, increased strike activities, various forms of civil strife, inefficient public good provision and a lack of economic growth. Various studies have also shown that the level of socioeconomic polarization is growing in some states like the United States or Ukraine, while tensions have waned in other countries. The papers presented at the workshop are expected to examine the polarization–conflict nexus and inquire whether the various forms of conflict can be traced back to a common or at least to a similar causal mechanism. We invite both theoretical and empirical work that addresses this interrelationship in a comparative and systematic fashion; contributions will include large-n statistical studies, comparative case studies and mixtures between the two approaches. Participants are also encouraged to discuss measures of polarization and compare them to indicators developed to study political fractionalization and inequality.
Program
One session at the meeting will be devoted to the Cyprus conflict, with mainly local speakers. The rest of the program will consist of papers selected from those submitted to the conveners.
Participants
The workshop is co-sponsored by the EU-funded research network on Polarization and Conflict that mainly unites political scientists and economists. We aspire to recruit some of the political scientists that are part of this network, but participation is open. We generally seek the participation of theoretically-oriented scholars from both comparative politics and international relations. Papers will be mainly theoretically motivated and will try to advance our understanding of the nexus between polarization and conflict, as well as large-n research designs to test the various propositions in this interrelationship, and comparative case studies to understand why some situations of high polarization are linked to political conflict and others are not. The selection of participants will be based on the quality and relevance of their paper proposals. All the participants will present a paper and also act as a discussant on another workshop paper. Practicalities
The workshop will be held on four consecutive days (Wednesday–Saturday), approximately 9–17 every day. The meetings will be held in the Classic Hotel, which is located near the green line dividing Nicosia between the Greek and the Turkish zone. 30 rooms have been reserved for the participants at the same hotel at a rate (subject to minor revision) of CYP42 (appr. USD 85) for a single room and CYP 52 (appr. USD 105) for a double. Participants are expected to stay for the duration of the workshop. Hotel bookings through our quota will be accepted for the full period of five nights (arriving Tuesday evening, departing Sunday morning). Upon request we can book beyond these days, extending your stay prior to the meeting or afterwards. Participants are, of course, also free to make their own bookings at other downtown hotels. The Holiday Inn is also quite close to the workshop venue and costs about 30% more. Because of the ECPR Joint Sessions of Workshops taking place at the same time, independent hotel bookings should be made early.
The organizers are not in a position to offer financial support for participation in the workshop. (Participants in the PAC network can apply to their national nodes for financial support.)
There is a non-refundable 150 USD fee for participating in this workshop. This will cover renting a meeting room, lunch and coffee breaks. Hotel room, travel, and dinners are at your own expense.
Venue
Fulbright Center (UN buffer zone) by Ledra Palace, Nicosia, Cyprus
There are PowerPoint facilities and an overhead projector available.
Andrew John Feltham
Centre for the Study of Civil War
PRIO
Hausmanns gate 7
0186 Oslo
Norway
Tel: +47–22 54 77 25 (direct line), +47–22 54 77 00 (switchboard)
e-mail: andrew@prio.no
Hotel address
Classic Hotel
94 Rigenis Str.
P.O. Box 21758
1513 Nicosia
|