United Nations Volunteers (UNV) CALL FOR PAPERS for Special Session on Volunteering and Governance, 2014 ISTR

Conference, Muenster, Germany, July 2014 and as input for the 2014 State of the Worlds Volunteerism Report (SWVR) Deadline: 3 February 2014 Discussions on the post-2015 Development Framework repeatedly call for placing people in the centre of development. There is a gap in research and policy discussions on volunteering impact on governance and contributions to peace, poverty eradication, and sustainable development. There has been limited exploration of volunteerism1 despite its strong assets of empowerment, social cohesion and sustainability. Research on participatory governance2 generally focuses on social capital, civil society, and civic engagement, which may or may not include voluntary action. The 2014 State of the Worlds Volunteerism Report (SWVR) will consider the contribution of volunteerism to governance. UNV invites submission of abstracts for quality papers to be presented at a Special Session entitled The impact of volunteerism on governance: shaping the post-2015 Development Framework. Empirical or practically relevant research papers are welcome. Research topics might include, but are not limited to volunteerism and governance in the areas of collaborative governance, human rights, gender, youth, accountability, anti-corruption, conflict prevention and peace building, rule of law, access to information, social capital, poverty reduction, local governance, or multi-track diplomacy. Emerging scholars, under 30 years of age, are strongly encouraged to submit an abstract. UN Staff and Volunteers are most welcome to submit a paper, as are people from NGOs, government, and academia. There will be preference for papers addressing research in the context of the developing South. Needs-based stipends will be available to support attendance to the conference by the selected presenters. Submission of additional full papers may be invited as contributions to the 2014 SWVR. Members of a mixed panel of practitioners and academics will review qualifying abstracts. The abstract must be between 500 and 800 words and submitted online through e-mail to JeandeDieu.Kamanzi@unv.org with Call for Papers_ISTR Muenster in subject line. Include paper title, author name, institutional affiliation, nationality, contact details, research question with brief link to literature and methodology, and main conclusions with indication of supporting evidence. Please indicate if you are an emerging scholar under age 30. Deadlines:
1

500 to 800 word Abstracts submitted by Monday, 3 February 2014 Notify of accepted proposals by early March. Full papers submitted by mid-April

The UN defines volunteerism as performed with free will, for the benefit of the community, and not primarily for financial gain (UN General Assembly 56/38, 5 December 2001, Annex I.1) 2 UNDP defines governance as the exercise of political, economic and administrative authority in the management of a countrys affairs at all levels. Governance is a neutral concept comprising the complex mechanisms, processes, relationships and institutions through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise their rights and obligations and mediate their differences. (//mirror.undp.org/magnet/policy/glossary.htm)