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Reply to: Ivan Gomza, Conference coordinator, political.conference@ukma.kiev.ua

National University "Kyiv-Mohyla Academy"
Department of Political Science

CALL FOR PAPERS

International conference
"THE ELECTORAL PROCESS: DEMOCRATIC THEORY AND UKRAINIAN REALITY"
October 25-27, 2012
NaUKMA, Kyiv, Ukraine

Free elections often serve as a distinctive feature of political democracy. Still, according to numerous theoretical and empirical studies, post-Soviet societies deviate considerably from normative images of democracy and suffer from abuses with manipulative electoral technologies. Ukraine clearly represents these post-Soviet realities, and the Ukrainian case can offer a tentative field for studying some peculiarities of post-Soviet transitions and its electoral processes. On the eve of new parliamentary elections in Ukraine, we would like to conduct a critical re-assessment of theoretical challenges and examine practical problems linked to Ukrainian electoral shortcomings.

This international conference is also timed to celebrate 20 years of political research at the National University "Kyiv-Mohyla Academy". The creation of the NaUKMA political science department is an achievement of both Ukrainian and foreign scholars. We would like to focus the analytical inquiries of those individuals involved in the creation of political science at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy on the challenges of the electoral campaign 2012.

The Conference Organizing Committee welcomes proposals and abstracts for sessions which critically address any of the topics listed below:

1. Elections during post-Soviet transformations. The role of elections in democratic transition. Electoral participation as realization of social, fractional, class and private interests. Advantages and disadvantages of electronic elections. Case-studies of electoral processes.

2. Elections as social and political processes. Recent public choice models. Public administration and elections. Civil society institutions and their role in public management. The impact of political and civic education impact on elections. Ideological elements in the electoral process.

3. Electoral systems and electoral technologies. Electoral systems' differences and their causes. Institutional and neo-institutional approaches contemporary electoral systems. Political parties' impact on free elections. Elections in hybrid regimes. Political technologies. Political propaganda and political advertisement.

4. The dynamics of electoral processes in Ukraine. The electoral system's evolution: political and economic determinants since Ukraine gaining independence. The Ukrainian party system. "Clean" and "dirty" electoral technologies: their effectiveness in comparison.

5. Round table: "The effects and results of the Ukrainian electoral campaign 2012: social and political dimensions"

Eligible participants
The organizing committee kindly invites submissions from scholars in political science, sociology and legal studies as well from political analysts and active members of civil society.

Conference languages
The working languages of the conference are Ukrainian and English.

Timetable
Please, find below a schedule for the submission of paper and session proposals, notification of acceptance, submission of the final draft of the presentation, and conference registration:

- July 1, 2012 - September 15, 2012: abstracts for papers and session proposals submission;

- by September 25, 2012: selection of papers based on abstracts and notification of chosen speakers;

- October 25-27, 2012: conference.

Abstracts (Times New Roman, 14, 1.5 points, max. 3 pages) should be submitted in English or Ukrainian via e-mail: political.conference@ukma.kiev.ua

Last Name, First Name
Address
PAPER TITLE
Abstract
Full text
Notes

Conference Fees
The conference fee (100$ or 70 Euro) covers the abstract's translation, a copy of the Conference Proceedings, sending a printed copy of the proceedings to the author (for those who will not be present at the conference personally), publication and organizational expenses. The fee is to be paid in loco, upon to your arrival to Kyiv.

Please, note that we were unable to secure funding for the conference. We are thus not able to fund services that you may be used to, or expect to be provided with, from attending other conferences. We would kindly ask participants to cover their travel and accommodation expenses themselves through their universities and other organizations.

If you would like to attend the conference as either a paper giver or listener, please, sign up, if possible, at this Facebook event site: https://www.facebook.com/events/425441767499211/

Further questions can be directed to:

Ivan Gomza
Conference coordinator
iv.gomza@gmail.com

Sincerely,
Organizing Committee
political.conference@ukma.kiev.ua
Department of Political Science
http://www.ukma.edu.ua/index.php/fakultet-sotsialnikh-nauk-i-sotsialnikh-tekhnologi/kafedra-politologiji

https://www.facebook.com/events/425441767499211/