Call for Papers for 2007 SOG Conference:

Governance Crisis in Comparative Perspective

at
The Department of Public Administration
College of Political Science and Economics
Korea University
Seoul, Korea
(Sponsored by the Korea Civil Service Commission)
October 11-12, 2007

Overview
The notion of good governance has received a wide attention in many countries. Good governance is a product of the quality of decisions and actions by public officials and enhances the trust of the public in the polity and its leaders. The latter, especially, signifies the importance of a nexus between the state and civic society and between the state and the market. A governance crisis can emerge from the tensions and deterioration of such nexus. Unlike a conventional wisdom that a governance crisis is more likely to occur in least developed or transitional countries where political stability and maturity of a society and economy are rarely found, a governance crisis can come into sight in politically, economically, and socially developed countries as well. A governance crisis can not only be detrimental to the public trust towards the government but also be a source of economic stagnation and social instability.

We invite papers for a 2007 SOG conference to probe the notion of good governance in comparative perspective. In particular, what constitutes good and bad governance, and to what extent has a governance crisis contributed to the current economic as well as political conundrums in many countries? Have there been any collaborative and institutional efforts to address this issue and to overcome potential future challenges? What are the major conditions that have contributed to a governance crisis in many developing as well as industrialized countries? Is there any uniqueness in comparative perspective?

We anticipate that a session probing the theoretical issues associated the organization of governance will open the conference. It will then be followed by a series of panels addressing specific governance issues in different countries around the world.

Detailed conference topics include:

• Nature of Governance: Good and Bad Governance:
• Politics of Good Governance: The Role of Bureaucracy, Legislature, and Court
• Public Integrity/Ethics in Government
• Responsible Governance and Citizen Participation
• Crisis of Local Governance
• Executive Failures in Comparative Context
• Other related topics

Paper Submission
The deadline for paper proposal submission is June 30, 2007 and the completed paper will be due on September 10, 2007. All submitted proposals will be reviewed by the conference committee for their overall quality and the contribution to the conference theme. Proposals should be sent electronically to Professor Sung Deuk Hahm, hahm33@hotmail.com or hahm333@hanmail.net

Financial Support
In line with the SOG guideline, we assume responsibility for most on-site costs for selected overseas participants. In addition to on-site costs, economy class round-trip airfare for all selected paper presenters will be also covered.

The coverage by the conference organizer will include

1. Economy class round-trip airfare for all selected paper presenters;
2. Hotel accommodation (Holiday Inn Seoungbuk or CJ International House at Korea University) for 4 nights (October 10 – 13, 2007);
3. Breakfasts at the conference site (October 11 – 12, 2007);
4. Lunches at the conference site (October 11 – 12, 2007);
5. Formal dinners at the conference site hosted by the Chairman of Korea Civil Service Commission, the Korean Deputy Prime Minister and the President of Korea University (October 10-12, 2007); and
6. A closing reception at the conference site (October 12, 2007).