www.esf.org Central and Eastern Europe beyond Transition: Convergence and Divergence in Europe Forward Look Final Conference Berlin, 16 February 2011 Karen Henderson, University of Leicester, Silvia Miháliková, Comenius University
Dec 30, 2015
www.esf.org
Central and Eastern Europe beyond Transition:
Convergence and Divergence in Europe
Forward Look Final ConferenceBerlin, 16 February 2011
Karen Henderson, University of Leicester, Silvia Miháliková, Comenius University
www.esf.org
Origins of project
• ESF Strategic Workshop Budapest May 2008 ‘Beyond Transition’
• Looking at future research agendas
• Decision to apply for ESF ‘Forward Look’
• Scientific committee from different EU countries and social sciences
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ESF Forward Looks
• Flagship activity of ESF’s strategic arm
• Medium to long-term analyses of future research agendas
• Aim of defining research agendas at national and European level
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General objectives
• Summing up the ‘state-of-the-art’ of research in selected disciplinary areas of the project
• Defining the scientific challenges in the field
• Presenting a vision for medium and long term research directions
• Identifying stakeholders key to realising the vision
• Providing targeted recommendations for actions
• Defining follow-up mechanisms
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Why a Forward Look?
• Previous ESF initiatives have looked at research infrastructure in CEE
• The FL will look at the content of research agendas
• Setting new frontiers in social science research on Central and Eastern Europe
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Why now?
• 1990s: ‘transition phase’ looked at fall of communism and analysing subsequent changes
• 2000s: ‘consolidation phase’ where European integration begins to dominate research agendas
• Forward Look: Post-integration agendas
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Why ‘convengence and divergency’?
• The FL considered research agendas looking specifically at CEE countries AND...
• ...hopes to input into transnational research agendas, which means reassessing convergence and divergence
• Removing the normative assumption that convergence with Western Europe is the major aim of social development in CEE…
• …and looking at the domestic dynamic of change
• The CEE countries are not the ‘other’ in the EU; post-communist democratisation after 1989 is one of the most common democratisation paths in the EU
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Foci of research
• Assessing the consequences of the communist experience
• Investigating the consequences of rapid transition and radical social change (positive and negative)
• Critically evaluating the effects of the EU integration process
• Foresight into future developments
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Areas addressed
• Economics• Social structure• Democratic institutions• Local governancewithin CEE states that are ESF
members
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Some major challenges
• Tight timeframe for the project• Complex nature of ‘state of the
art’ survey• Adaptation of foresight methods
for broad geographic and discipline field
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Work schedule
• Oct 2009: First Scientific Committee meeting
• Dec 09: Survey begins (Dec 09-July 10)• 4-5 Feb 2010: Workshop I, Bratislava• 13-14 May 2010: Workshop II, Leicester• 24-25 June 2010: Workshop III, Sofia• Feb 2011: Consensus conference, Berlin• June 2011: Publication of Science Policy
Briefing and final report• Oct 2010-April 2012: Outreach activities
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Challenges of the foresight method...
• Difficult for social scientists - immediately identify methodological complexities
• So identify current issues rather than factors causing change
• Very broad thematic area• Imposed external agenda
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Output
• Creativity – where are we going – a CEE perspective
• Generating new research questions: challenging assumptions on relations between old and new EU
• How should future research be structured?
• What new inputs are required?
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Today and tomorrow...
• Overview of other agenda-setting exercises in Europe
• Introduction of the survey• Tomorrow’s scenarios• Project recommendations
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