DISC Launching conference
Launching conference
“The Qualities of Old and New Democracies”
June 18-19, 2008
at
Central European University
Budapest, Hungary
The purpose of this launching conference is to initiate a dialogue about the ‘qualities’ of democracy in the 21st century. This event, in the heart of Budapest, attracts prestigious researchers and policy experts from different world regions to engage in in-depth panel discussions on various topics relevant for old and new democracies, such as clientelism, inequality, or corruption. Bringing together diverse disciplinary, regional, and theoretical approaches, DISC aims at contributing to a reshaped research agenda for understanding democracy in the contemporary world.
Final conference schedule (in pdf format)
Wednesday, June 18 (Auditorium)
8.30-9.00 Registration
9.00-9.15 Welcome
Yehuda Elkana, President and Rector of CEU
Carsten Schneider, Founding Director of DISC
9.15-10.45 Normative and Empirical Dimensions of the Qualities of Democracy
Jeff Isaac, Indiana University, USA
Democracy and its Quality, Or Thinking What We Are Doing When We Promote Democracy
Bo Rothstein, Göteborg University, Sweden
The Quality of Government
Kai-Uwe Schnapp, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany
The Bertelsmann Reform Index: A New Measure for the Quality of Democracy
Moderator: Ágnes Bátory, Central European University, Hungary
10.45-11.00 COFFEE
11.00-12.00 Conversation with George Soros: Some Insights into the Concept of Open Society
12.00-13.30 LUNCH
13.30-15.30 Labor and the Qualities of Democracy
Dorothee Bohle and Béla Greskovits, Central European University, Hungary
Labor, Welfare and Democracy in Central Eastern Europe
David Ost, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, USA
Labor, Democracy, and Today’s Democratic Discontents
Barbara Stallings, Brown University, USA
Global Pressure, Local Response, and Labor Outcomes in Developing Countries
Discussant: Philippe Schmitter, European University Institute and Central European University
Moderator: Erin Jenne, Central European University, Hungary
15.30-16.00 COFFEE
16.00-18.00 Clientelism and the Qualities of Democracy
Herbert Kitschelt, Duke University, USA
Clientelism and Democratic Governance: Gauging Procedural “Qualities” of Democratic Accountability in Comparative Perspective
Philip Keefer, World Bank, USA
Clientelism and Political Market Imperfections in Democracies
Susan Stokes, Yale University, USA
Is Clientelism Bad for Democracy?
Discussant: Steven Wilkinson, University of Chicago, USA
Moderator: Erin Jenne, Central European University, Hungary
Thursday, June 19 (Popper Room)
9.00-10.30 Integration and the Qualities of Democracy
Péter Balázs, Central European University, Hungary
Democracy Deficit in the European Union after the Lisbon Treaty
Andrés Malamud, Centre for Research and Study in Sociology, Portugal
Regional Parliaments in Europe and Latin America: Between Empowerment and Irrelevance
Discussant: Uwe Pütter, Central European University, Hungary
Moderator: Nenad Dimitrijevic, Central European University, Hungary
10.30-10.45 COFFEE
10.45-12.30 Social Networks and the Qualities of Democracy
László Bruszt, European University Institute, Italy
Developmental Associations in the Central and Eastern European Countries
John Kelly, Columbia University, USA
Mapping the Networked Public Sphere
Balázs Vedres, Central European University, Hungary
The Coevolution of the Political Field and Politicized Business Networks in Hungary, 1987-2006
Discussant: Károly Takács, Corvinus University, Hungary
Moderator: Robert Hancké, London School of Economics and Central European University
12.30-13.45 LUNCH
13.45-15.15 Inequality and Qualities of Democracy
Terry Karl, Stanford University, USA
Democracy: A Good Deal for the Rich?
Ronald Rogowski, University of California Los Angeles, USA
Growing Inequality and the Quality of Democracy
Discussant: Anil Duman, Central European University, Hungary
Moderator: Nenad Dimitrijevic, Central European University, Hungary
15.15-15.45 COFFEE
15.45-17.30 Institutional Reform and the Qualities of Democracy
Ferdinand Müller-Rommel, University of Lüneburg, Germany
From Typologies to Dimensions: Conceptual Reflections on Parliamentary Democracies in Central Eastern Europe
Bruce Cain, University of California Berkley, USA
Trends in Political Reform
András Bozóki, Central European University, Hungary
Political Dilemmas of Reform in a Democracy
Discussant: Zsolt Enyedi, Central European University, Hungary
Moderator: Robert Hancké, London School of Economics and Central European University
17.30-17.45 COFFEE
17.45-19.00 Roundtable: The Future of Democracy - An Agenda for Research and Revival
Thomas Carothers, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, USA
Herbert Kitschelt, Duke University, USA
Philippe Schmitter, European University Institute and Central European University
Carsten Schneider, Central European University, Hungary
Policy experts active throughout the program:
Philip Keefer, World Bank, USA
Maarten Keune, European Trade Union Institute, Belgium
Roland Kováts, Freedom House Europe, Hungary
Bálint Molnár, Freedom House Europe, Hungary
Daniel Smilov, Centre for Liberal Strategies, Bulgaria
Luis de Sousa, Centre for Research and Study in Sociology, Portugal
Julia Szalai, Hungarian Academy of Science, Hungary
Keynote speaker: Saad Eddin Ibrahim, Democracy and Human Rights Activist
Conference forum with participant abstracts and paper sketches prepared for the conference (password protected)