[university-l] FW: [PILN] Call for Papers -- Open Essay Competition (Muabet project, Watson Institute)

Tue Feb 27 11:53:13 CST 2007

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 12:48 PM
Subject: [PILN] Call for Papers -- Open Essay Competition (Muabet
project, Watson Institute)

CALL FOR PAPERS

"Evaluating Intervention: Local perspectives on democracy-building inthe
Post-Yugoslav countries and territories."

An open essay competition.

With funding from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Muabet project at
the Watson Institute for International Studies is organizing an open
essay competition to highlight the value of locally-grounded
perspectives on international democracy-building efforts in the former
Yugoslavia. We invite students, scholars, professionals, activists and
practitioners in the region to submit essays which analyze the social,
cultural, political or economic dimensions of international involvement
in transition. We are particularly interested in essays which
communicate the experience of working with or within international
organizations, either in the non-governmental or the governmental
sector, and which build on that empirical base to offer analytical
perspectives on progress made over recent years. The best essays will be
published in English. The deadline for submissions is May 18 2007.
Essays can be submitted in English, Macedonian, Albanian, Serbian,
Croatian or Bosnian, at http://watsoninstitute.org/muabet/submit.htm .
More details below.

The current situation in the Western Balkans poses a simple question:
does foreign democracy assistance work? Many international evaluations
judge this assistance as successful, based on indicators such as
increased civic participation, reduced incidence of inter-ethnic
violence, socio-economic progress, and increased capacity in civil
society. Yet others argue that these projects are failing, citing the
decline of reformist parties and the return to prominence of
nationalists in Serbia; widespread rioting in Kosovo in March 2004,
lingering dissension over Macedonia's constitutional changes after 2001,
and discussions of a new "European Raj" in Bosnia-Herzegovina. This
contrast highlights the contested definition of democratization, as well
as the difficulties in evaluating outcomes of external democracy
assistance efforts.

In policy and scholarly circles, then, the verdict is unclear, and the
debate more notable for partisan polemics than careful analysis. Between
the rhetorical extremes which see in the Balkans either triumphant
success or abject failure, and which draw sweeping policy prescriptions
from these conclusions, the on-the-ground realities-as witnessed and
experienced, in particular, by citizens of the states and territories
whose futures are under discussion - are often ignored or marginalized.
The essay competition, with the theme "Evaluating Intervention: Local
perspectives on democracy-building in the Post-Yugoslav countries and
territories," aims to address this issue.

Essays should be 6,000 to 7,000 words in length, and can be submitted in
English, or any of the languages of the region. We encourage submission
in electronic format, but will also accept hard copies. We will accept
co-authored essays. As part of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund focus on
"pivotal places," we primarily welcome papers addressing issues around
democratic transition in Bosnia-Hercegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia,
Montenegro, and Serbia.

As noted above, we are especially interested in papers that are grounded
in experience of the interaction between individuals and organizations
involved in democratic transition. Among the potential questions that
papers might address, which we think are important in understanding the
impacts, intended and unintended, of international democracy assistance
are the following:

How does the presence of international organizations (IOs) affect civil
society? For example, do the employment opportunities offered by IOs
increase individuals' skill-sets, with long-term benefits for the
society, or do they weaken local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs),
by hiring away their staff?

How much do international organizations know about the specific cultural
contexts in which they are working? How do they acquire such knowledge,
and what factors inhibit their learning?

How do local understandings of democracy differ from those envisioned by
international donors and staffers? How do those local understandings
shape the ultimate impact of democracy assistance programs?

How do the internal organization and policies of international
organizations influence professional relationships between international
and local staff? In particular, do the internal practices of IOs
encourage or discourage collaborative professional relationships among
international and local staff?

When local staff of an IO or local counterpart offer critical feedback
on designing, implementing, and evaluating democracy promotion projects,
are international staff receptive in listening and incorporating those
ideas? Under what conditions and in what phases of the democracy
promotion process do international staff seem the most receptive to
local input?

These are only suggestions, and we also welcome broader analyses of
international engagement in the region. One example of a reflective,
analytical essay written by a U.S. democracy practitioner, on the basis
of her experiences in the Sand*ak, is available on the Muabet website,
at http://watsoninstitute.org/muabet/docs/Chapter5.pdf .

All essays submitted will be read and adjudged by an international panel
of readers who have long experience either on the topic, the region or
both. On the basis of their evaluation, the best 10 essays submitted
will be published in English in either a special issue of a journal or
an edited volume. Successful authors will also receive financial and
technical assistance for revision, translation and editing and, if funds
allow, will be invited to an international workshop to present and
discuss their work.

The deadline for submissions is May 18 2007. Essays can be submitted in
English, Macedonian, Albanian, Serbian, Croatian or Bosnian, at
http://watsoninstitute.org/muabet/submit.htm . 

Essay Competition website:
http://watsoninstitute.org/muabet/contest.html 
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