Call for Papers

2017 PPSA International Conference

May 11-12, 2017

Cebu City, Philippines

Democratic Governance in the Vortex of Change

The tide of populism is rising across the globe. In various countries, voters are electing leaders vowing to fight crime, corruption and joblessness through strongman rule. Globalization facilitated the flow of capital, goods, services, technology and information across borders.  The growth generated from this process did not lead to inclusive development.

In the Philippines, the economy grew by an average of 6 percent over the past six years making it a very strong performer in the Asian region. Key contributions were made by the business process outsourcing services sector and overseas income remittances. A burgeoning middle class triggered a consumption boom. More Filipinos are going to shopping malls, buying cars, and traveling to the provinces and overseas. This worsened traffic congestion in the roads and airports that cannot be addressed by weak urban planning and transport systems. 

The installation of better transparency and accountability mechanisms under the previous administration plugged the leakages in public funds and expanded the fiscal space. However, the slow implementation of infrastructure services and the bad travel experience of citizens in the airports turned them into disenchanted voters. Despite steady growth rates in recent years, the poverty incidence remains high. The lack of an industrial policy prevents the creation of more quality jobs. Manila-centric policies likewise impede the dispersal of more funds to the secondary city-regions and countryside.    

The ascendancy of populism in the May 2016 elections stems from the revolt of the weak – those who felt left out in the process of economic development, as well as those who felt victimized by villains inside and outside government. These voters demanded social safety nets, justice, and clean government to be provided through strongman rule. Ironically, the 1987 Philippine Constitution was crafted in the aftermath of the people’s power movement that overthrew the Marcos dictatorship. It was a repudiation of strongman rule. This became the framework for the promotion of democratic elections, due process of law, human rights, media freedom, and civil society participation in governance.

Democracy is not meant to be just on paper. It springs to life through the rigors of practice. Democracy deepens through strong institutions of transparent and participatory governance that hold public officials accountable. It thrives on a culture of tolerance, diversity, and plurality of voices. Amid the rise of populism, the rules of the game are evolving. The theory and practice of democratic governance is now the subject of contestation in a society caught in the vortex of change.    

Conference Topics

This is an open call for individual papers and panels. The topics may cover but are not limited to the following:

•       Global Wave of Populism

•       Federalism and Constitutional Reform

•       Human Rights and Democratic Governance

•       Civil Society and Citizenship

•       Local Governance and City-Regions

•       Participatory Planning and Budgeting

•       Education and Democratic Citizenship

•       Conflict Mediation and the Peace Process

•       The South China Sea Disputes

•       Fiscal Reform and Social Safety Nets

•       Internet Politics and Social Media

•       Political Dynasties and the Middle Class

•       Political Parties and Electoral Reform

•       Gender, Politics and Development

•       Globalization and Diaspora

•       Sustainable Development Goals

•       Disaster Risk Reduction and Management

•       Dynamics of Philippine Foreign Relations

•       Governance, Crime and Corruption

•       National Security and Transnational Crimes

•       Human Security, Climate Change and Regionalism

•       Methodology for Democracy Assessment

•       Pedagogy for Democracy and Social Justice

•       Other Related Topics       

Submission of Proposals

Those who wish to make a presentation or convene a panel at the conference may send their proposals to ppsa2017conference@gmail.com. The email submission should contain the following heading: paper or panel proposal for the PPSA 2017 conference.

For individual or panel presentations, kindly submit your abstracts (maximum of 500 words) containing the research problem to be addressed and its added value to the existing literature. Panel proposals should also contain a panel description of not more than 500 words, aside from the individual abstracts of the papers included in the panel, and the name of the Panel Chair.  The full name, institutional affiliation and email addresses of presenters should be indicated. Proposals will be peer reviewed. 

No undergraduate paper or panel proposals will be accepted.  

Deadline for abstract proposals: January 31, 2017.  The notification for acceptance of panel and paper proposals will be made on February 28, 2017.

Conference Fees

All participants including paper presenters are required to pay the conference fee of PHP 3,500.00.  

Payments could be in cash, check, or bank deposit. For bank payment deposit, kindly make the transaction to the Philippine Political Science Association, Banco de Oro, Current Account No. 8658002864. Please email the scanned deposit slip to Danica Ella Panelo, PPSA Research Assistant, at depanelo@gmail.com.