Events

Nevertheless, the issue of evaluating public policies is neither a new idea, nor a novel practice. It becomes increasingly essential, however, to determine whether the evaluation task is properly conducted. We need to discuss whether the way evaluations are undertaken produces an accumulation of knowledge that is accessible to decision makers, or whether the context in which development policies are implemented severely reduces the usefulness of past experiences for designing future projects.
Can we learn from our own and others’ experiences in the field of development? If so, how can evaluation contribute and how is it that we seem unable to translate these experiences into practice? If not, what are the factors hampering the learning process?

Conference Center Pierre Mendès-France Ministère de l’Economie, des Finances et de l’Industrie , Paris 

One issue, several themes

Whether we consider climate change, transmissible diseases, financial crises or the protection of biodiversity, the comprehensive analysis of vital global issues suffers from deeply ingrained disciplinary boundaries. For instance, when considering regimes of global governance, scholars of International Relations still largely focus on big institutions, big summits and big deals: they provide a « macro » look at these issues while paying limited attention to sub-national actors and dynamics unless they affect international negotiations. In contrast, social scientists working within other disciplinary paradigms provide detailed accounts of how vested local interests and power games affect global issues in situ and have substantial impacts on the implementation of national policies and cooperation programs.  Yet, few of these scholars seem to deploy these fine-grained local data to enrich current thinking about global governance and relevant forms of international cooperation. 

In this context, the analysis of the global impacts of local politics and power relations remains a largely unexplored continent. This analytical domain is still not identified as a research area in its own right, even though it has the potential to engage a vast, multi-disciplinary research community. Social, economic and political research concerning interactions across local and global scales still lacks systematic analysis, conceptual tools and organized debates – notably among policy makers who might be constrained by concerns over national sovereignty. Nevertheless, comprehensive, multi-disciplinary research may reveal relevant global governance schemes yet to be imagined that would supplement, rather than challenge, national sovereignty. All of this argues for a renewed look at how domestic and international socio-economic and political actors interact recursively across scales, including the manner in which local politics is redefined by global actors and constraints.

Your contribution | What is needed and when

We call for papers that investigate domestic power relations, how local interest games generate international impacts, through what channels and mechanisms these impacts emerge, how local politics is redefined by global networks and discourses and whether current forms of international cooperation and global governance regimes are well or ill-adapted to these challenges.

Possible research subjects may include, but are not limited to, the epistemology of scale analysis, climate change, environmental protection, global health, food security, financial crisis, international security, social violence in fragile states, the international trade in narcotics, human trafficking, terrorism, and money laundering.

The organizers welcome contributions from scholars in all fields of the social sciences, including economics, anthropology, political science, philosophy or sociology, who include in their research agenda efforts to  analyze the interaction of local and global issues and interest groups.

Proposals should take the form of extended abstracts that incorporate a description of the selected theme, the research question, the methodology and data, key results, potential policy recommendations, and a short reference list of related empirical or theoretical works. Decisions will be communicated by March 1^st 2012.

We will request the submission of full conference papers ranging between 8-12.000 words no later than 1st May 2012, in order to permit pre-circulation among conference participants. The pre-circulation of papers is essential to the success of this highly interactive conference.

Conference papers will be considered for potential publication as an edited book co-sponsored by AFD and the University of Chicago.

More information

Travel, hotel and per diem expenses of contributors (on a 2 night basis) will be reimbursed. 

Contact persons:

• Pr. Alan Kolata (University of Chicago) a-kolata@uchicago.edu
• Dr. Virginie Diaz Pedregal (AFD) diazv@afd.fr
• Dr. Olivier Charnoz (AFD) charnoz@afd.fr

The University of Chicago is a comprehensive research university with over 2000 full time faculty members working in the physical, biological and social sciences, the humanities, and the professional schools, including medicine, law and business.  The University counts 87 Nobel Laureates, including 8 current faculty members, among its multiple research and educational distinctions.

Go to the University of Chicago website

The French Development Agency (AFD) is France’s international cooperation agency. As a bilateral development bank, it works in over 70 countries providing, in 2010, close to 7 billion euros through various financing tools and across all economic and social sectors. Its Research Department produces and publishes research studies, organizes seminars and conferences, and participates actively in several international networks. One of its research programme (led by Olivier Charnoz) deals with the global impacts of local power relations. 

See the detailed program (in French)

The AFD (Agence Française de Développement), set up in London on 2^nd December 1941 by General De Gaulle, celebrates its 70th anniversary. On this occasion, it organises with the Institut de la gestion publique et du développement économique (IGPDE) a symposium on “France, Europe and Development Aid, from the Treaties of Rome to date”.

PIERRE MENDÈS-FRANCE CONFERENCE CENTER
139, rue de Bercy – 75012 Paris

Thursday, 8th Decembre 2011

 

PROGRAMME 

► To register (acess subject to the number of available seats): click here

Partner website:
http://www.institut.minefi.gouv.fr/  

Ces rencontres se déroulerons le Mardi 29 novembre 2011
de 9h30 à 12h
Palais du Luxembourg (26, rue de Vaugirard, Salle Monnerville)

La maîtrise de l’urbanisation est avant tout un processus : ce n’est pas seulement un éco-quartier ici, une ligne de tramway là ou encore la réalisation d’un bâtiment à énergie passive. C’est avant tout la maitrise politique, à l’échelle territoriale, du processus de concertation et de planification urbaine globale.

Un tel processus conduit à des opérations d’aménagement de quartiers où la maitrise d’ouvrage urbaine, sur la base d’un cahier des charges négocié, oriente et maitrise, par exemple, l’élaboration d’un schéma directeur de transports cohérent, ou encore, la conception d’une réglementation thermique universelle qui s’impose au secteur de la construction. Une éco-ville, c’est donc avant tout un acte politique fort qui relève des responsables qui gouvernent les villes, pour que demain, tous ensembles, nous puissions bénéficier « d’une meilleure vie ».

Pour s'inscrire, télécharger le document de présentation et d'invitation

Pour s'inscrire à la conférence-débat

Ces débats, ouverts aux dirigeants et leaders d'opinion de toutes sphères, visent à mutualiser dans un cadre serein et constructif les informations, points de vue, analyses et propositions sur ces sujets polémiques.

La 7^ème rencontre du cycle aura lieu le lundi 14 novembre de 18h à 20h au Collège des Bernardins, 18 rue de Poissy, 75005 Paris.

Afin de préparer les débats, vous êtes invités à nous faire part de vos avis, analyses et propositions en remplissant le questionnaire préparatoire, de façon à nous assurer que tous les arguments soient pris en compte dans le cadre de la réflexion collective.

Répondre au questionnaire préparatoire   

Synthèses des précédents forums :  

• « Faut-il aider les Etats corrompus ? »
• « Aide humanitaire : comment éviter le piège de l’urgence ? »
• « Croissance et inégalités : le couple infernal ? »
• «  Croissance démographique, migrations et aide au développement : le nouveau défi des relations Nord-Sud ?  »
• «  Sécurité alimentaire : à quelles conditions les paysans du Sud vont-ils pouvoir nourrir leurs villes ?  »
• « Comment organiser l’accès à l’eau pour tous ? »

The meeting will begin with a speech by the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of AFD, Didier Mercier, followed by a presentation of  “Agribusiness for Africa’s Prosperity” made by Kandeh K. Yumkella, and then the reactions of agribusiness experts. This session will be followed by a debate with the public.

The aim of this meeting is to debate with a French audience made up of directors of large corporate groups, civil society involved in agribusiness, foundations and donors, as well as with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.

This session will provide an opportunity to debate the topic of agribusiness, explain the activities of the different stakeholders in this sector and gather the different partners working together on this topic, which lies between agriculture and business activities.

This debate will be held on Thursday 10 November from 2 pm to 6 pm at AFD’s headquarters, 5 rue Roland Barthes, Paris 12e.

Register for the debate

The publication

The book looks at ways in which Africa can migrate from an agriculture-led growth strategy towards a development strategy for the agribusiness sector where demand is market-led. It shows that efforts must focus on increasing added value and on improving productivity throughout agricultural value chains; it suggests that attention must be directed towards all stakeholders in the value chains, suppliers, producers, processors and distributors on local, regional and international markets.

Consult the publication online :

  Find out more about agribusiness