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Human Development &
Capability Association

Multi-Disciplinary and People-Centred

Category Archives: External / non-HDCA event/news

WEBINAR: The Right to Science

Thursday April 30, 6pm (Amsterdam time)

The webinar will focus on the most recent developments regarding the ‘right to science’ from the side of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and will feature the participation of one of its members, professor Mikel Mancisidor from the Washington College of Law. Professor Cesare Romano from Loyola Law School and Professor Andrea Boggio from Bryant University, members of the Steering Committee of Science for Democracy association, will lead the discussion.

During the webinar,

  1. You will be introduced to the ‘right to science’ as human right and to the most recent developments regarding its definition and endorsement in the UN framework and beyond;
  2. You will learn about all relevant initiatives of the recently established association Science for Democracy (www.sciencefordemocracy.org) and how you can contribute to them.

To participate in the webinar, please write to Claudia Basta at c.basta@sciencefordemocracy.org.

Call for Presentations: IDEA-UNAULA – Ibague 2021 Congress

Development in times of conflict: ethical pathways towards peace and justice

Medellin, Colombia, February 1st – 3rd, 2021

The UNAULA (Universidad Autónoma LatinoAmericana), Universidad de Ibagué and International Development Ethics Association (IDEA) invite scholars, practitioners, policy makers, and other interested parties to submit proposals for presentations at a conference. The conference will be held in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Find the full Call for Presentations here: https://developmentethics.org/idea-unaula-ibague-2021-congress-development-in-times-of-conflict/

Submissions are due by May 15, 2020

WEBINAR – Gender and Energy Access: Economic empowerment

You are invited to attend the final webinar in a three-part series on ENERGIA's recently completed gender and energy research program: https://www.energia.org/new-three-part-webinar-series-on-gender-and-energy-access/

Webinar 3: Gender and Energy Access
Economic empowerment

TimeThursday, 31 October 2019, 9am ET / 3pm CEST
RSVP: Please click here to register for the webinar

This webinar will focus on ways to advance a local economy by leveraging women’s energy enterprises. Women play a key role in expanding energy access in last-mile communities, yet they are still underrepresented in the energy product and service supply chain. In this webinar, researchers will discuss recent evidence that shows investing in women energy entrepreneurs is good for women, their families, and the growth of their businesses. In addition, presenters will share lessons learned from practitioners on how to best support women energy entrepreneurs in order to maximize their success.

More details on the final reports presented during this webinar can be found below.

APPLY NOW: Master Class “Social Justice and Fair Limits to Wealth” with Prof. Ingrid Robeyns

Munich School of Philosophy, Germany, 17-19 February, 2020

https://www.hfph.de/hochschule/oeffentliche-veranstaltungen/social-justice-and-fair-limits-to-wealth

The Munich School of Philosophy is organizing a philosophical master class for junior researchers (PhD and Postdocs) and advanced students focusing on ethics, political philosophy, and theories of distributive justice.

Prof. Dr. Ingrid Robeyns (Utrecht University, Netherlands) will teach the master class. Texts and discussion at the master class will deal with the issues whether it is morally bad that people have more than a certain amount of economic resources. Philosophical issues with regard to introducing a maximum threshold for individual wealth accumulation are “Is it immoral to be rich?”, “Do wealthy individuals undermine political equality?”, “Is individual wealth accumulation just in the face of unmet urgent needs?” and “Should wealthy individuals contribute to climate mitigation or adaptation?”. You can learn more about the topic on the website of the Fair Limits Project.

The master class has a pre-read format. Texts will be made available one month before the master class. Participants are expected to read these texts in advance. Additionally, each participant is expected to give a short presentation of 10-15 minutes addressing the philosophical questions in one of the texts in order to contribute to the discussion. After that, the sessions of the master class will be devoted to discussing these questions with Ingrid Robeyns.

Application:

Please apply with a short CV (max. 1 page) and a letter of intent (max. two pages) indicating why you are interested in participation and how participation would further you research/study-agenda. Please send your application as one PDF to m.kramm@uu.nl and rebecca.gutwald@hfph.de until November 15th 2019.
If you cannot meet this deadline, but want to participate, please contact us and we will try and find a solution that works for all of us.

Practical Information:

Dates: Monday, February 17th 2020 - 14.00 till Wednesday, February 19th 2020 - 9.00 - Departure
Fees/Costs: The participation fee is 58,- EUR. This includes snacks during breaks, dinner on 17 th lunch and dinner on the 18 th of February.
For overnight stay and breakfast the Akademie offers rooms at a reduced price of 50,- EUR per night. Please indicate in your application whether and for how many nights you would like to stay in the Akademie.
The Akademie offers an alternative menu for vegetarians. If you would like to eat vegetarian food, please include this in your application.
If the participation fee of 58,-- EUR consitutes a financial hardship, students of the Munich School of Philosophy can apply for support at the Verein der Freunde und Alumni der Hochschule für Philosophie pro philosophia e.V. (Association of Friends and Alumni of the Hochschule für Philosophie pro philosophia e.V.).

Organisers:

The masterclass is organized by Prof. Dr. Dr. Johannes Wallacher, Munich School of Philosophy, Dr. Johannes Schießl, Katholische Akademie Bayern, Dr. Matthias Kramm, University of Utrecht, Dr. Rebecca Gutwald, Munich School of Philosophy.

The Community of Advantage Conference

Rome, 21st – 22nd November 2019

The publication of The Community of Advantage (Oxford University Press, 2018) of Robert Sugden is an important event for the scholars working in one of the research avenues open by Bob Sugden in the last 40 years of activity. The HEIRS association and LUMSA University are organizing a two-day conference on Rome to discuss the several aspects related to The Community of Advantage – i.e. reconciling normative and behavioural economics, we-rationality, the moral dimensions of the market, reciprocity, philosophical foundations of liberal economics, etc. With this call, we invite all scholars interested in Bob Sugden’s economics and philosophy to join us in Rome.

http://www.heirs.it/2019/03/20/the-community-of-advantage-rome-2019/

Call for Papers: Health and Poverty – 2020 Salzburg Conference

Call for Papers:

Health and Poverty

2020 Salzburg Conference in interdisciplinary poverty research

2 & 3 July 2020, University of Salzburg

​Submission deadline: 31 January 2020

Conference website: https://www.poverty-conference.org/

The Centre for Ethics and Poverty Research, University of Salzburg, invites the submission of proposals for single papers, thematic panels (2, 4 or 6 papers), and roundtable sessions (3-5 discussants plus 1 chair) in all areas of poverty research but special attention will be given to those concerned with the focus theme of health and poverty.

Health and poverty are interrelated in both rich and poor countries: poverty worsens the subjective health status and leading to a range of diseases and developmental disorders; people with health problems and disabilities are more often poor and socially excluded than the rest of the population. In addition to the search for causal links between poverty and health at the local and global levels, other research questions arise, some of which should be mentioned here as examples: What influence does poverty have on the subjective and objective state of health; how is this experienced and coped with by people in poverty? How can effective and adequate health care be ensured for poor people; which groups of the population are particularly confronted with challenges and difficult to reach? What role do age, gender, sexual orientation, cultural or ethnic identity or social status play in the context of poverty and health?

This conference aims to bring together researchers and scholars from different disciplines, approaches, backgrounds and experiences working on the complex and manifold relation of health and poverty. Papers exploring normative issues of (social and global) justice, human rights or ethics in relation to health and poverty are welcomed. Scholars working in the global south are particularly encouraged to apply.

The registration fee for participants is 100€ and covers the conference folder, a guided city tour on Friday, coffe breaks, two lunch snacks and the conference dinner on Thursday. Students as well as particpiants from countries classified as low-income or lower-middle income economies by the World Bank pay a subsidized fee of 75€.

Conference website: https://www.poverty-conference.org/

Politics of Wonder: Difference and Dignity in Nature and Society (University of Exeter, UK)

The University of Exeter’s Centre for Political Thought and Egenis: The Centre for the Study of Life Sciences are pleased to announce an interdisciplinary half-day workshop on Thurs 12th September 2019, University of Exeter, UK

Synopsis

In her work on the ethics of non-human species, Martha Nussbaum has argued that an attitude of wonder should play a central role in our dealings with the world of living nature. For Nussbaum, wonder at a being’s particular form of life enables us to recognize it as a subject of dignity, worthy of respect and consideration in various ways.

This workshop will explore applications of this idea to human socio-political relations. If wonder at the diversity of life in general can open up our perception of the scope of dignity and respect, can wonder in the context of human difference enhance respect between people? What are the implications for our understanding of political judgment, the conditions of democratic politics, or positive trans-cultural relations? More fundamentally, what should we understand by ‘wonder’, and what roles can it be expected to play in the context of the political?

The workshop will consist of a series of papers addressing these issues, from scholars working in political thought, environmental ethics, philosophy of biology, and related areas. Participants from all disciplines are very welcome. Attendance is free, but space is limited – please contact Jack Griffiths (j.griffiths3@exeter.ac.uk) to register, or for more information.

Confirmed speakers

Prof. Jeremy Bendik-Keymer (Case Western Reserve University, Ohio, USA)

Prof. Amy Linch (Pennsylvania State University, USA)

Dr. Urszula Lisowska (University of Wrocław, Poland)

Prof. Christopher Gill (University of Exeter, UK)

Dr. Jack Griffiths (University of Exeter, UK)

Schedule

Thursday 12th September: 14:00-18:30. Followed by drinks and dinner. There will also be a concluding session on Friday morning (10:00-12:00) for the speakers and any interested participants.

Location: Byrne House, Streatham Campus, University of Exeter.

 

Workshop sponsored by

The Centre for Political Thought: https://socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk/politics/research/centres/cpt/

Egenis: The Centre for the Study of Life Sciences: http://socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk/sociology/research/sts/egenis/

The Economy of FRANCESCO – An International Event

Young People, A Commitment, The Future
https://francescoeconomy.org

The event will take place in Assisi, the place of S. Francesco of Assisi, which has for centuries eloquently symbolized a humanism of fraternity. Saint John Paul II chose Assisi as the icon of a culture of peace, so a fitting place to inspire a new economy. The event is a direct call and invitation (of Pope Francis) to young people for a commitment for the future.

Pope Francis invites young economists and entrepreneurs, change-makers from all over the world and from all the religions to Assisi to make a commitment in the spirit of Saint Francis, in order to make the economy of today and tomorrow fair, sustainable and inclusive, with no one left behind.

A“covenant” to change today’s economy and to give a soul to the economy of tomorrow giving hope to "our" future, benefit the poorest of the poor, the entire human family. A vision necessary for "our" common home” as everything is deeply connected. The safeguarding of the environment cannot be divorced from ensuring justice for the poor and finding answers to the structural problems of the global economy.

In the various historical places of Assisi will be hosted workshops, seminars and lectures. Confirmed keynote speakers include Amartya Sen, Muhammad Yunus, Jeffrey Sachs, Vandana Shiva, and Stefano Zamagni.

Call for Papers: Journal de Ciencias Sociales (Journal of Social Sciences). Special Issue on Social Problems in Latin America. A view from the Capability Approach

Download the Call for Papers in English
Descargar la llamada a presentar artículos/ensayos en español

The Journal de Ciencias Sociales (Journal of Social Sciences) of the Universidad de Palermo- whose Editor is Graciela Tonon- invites researchers, academics and PhD students to send their articles and essays for publication in the Special Issue 2020 dedicated to Social Problems in Latin America: a view from the Capability Approach.

Empirical and conceptual papers are invited in relation to the following topics: Gender, Social Movements, Social Programs, Empowerment, Public Policies, Research Methods, Technology, Innovation, Inequalities, Poverty, Human Rights, Indigenous People, Children and Youth, Elder People, Sustainability, Safety, Education, Health, Disabilities, Migrations, Collective Capabilities.

The deadline for submissions is November 29, 2019. 

The Journal of Social Sciences is the Academic Open Access Journal of the Social Sciences School of the University of Palermo, Argentina. It is an innovative proposal in the field of scientific publishing, with original productions, mainly articles and essays -as a central corpus of the journal- and special sections: International Politics, Book Review and Rescue, and Student Contributions, both in Spanish and English.

 https://dspace.palermo.edu/ojs/index.php/jcs/about (in case the link opens the site in Spanish, you can change it from the right side of it where you will find a dropdown menu to select the language)

Call for Papers: CAPABILITIES AT WORK: EMPIRICAL APPLICATIONS OF THE CAPABILITIES APPROACH FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ENDEAVOURS

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CONFERENCE 2019: TRANSFORMATIVE CONNECTIONS

University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK, 2 July - 4 July 2019

Submission deadline: 12 February 2019

https://www.uea.ac.uk/global-environmental-justice/conference-2019/open-panels-call-for-papers/jorge-llopis

https://www.uea.ac.uk/global-environmental-justice/conference-2019

Convenors:
Jorge C. Llopis, Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern, Mittelstrasse 43, 3012 Bern, Switzerland, and Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Hallerstrasse 12, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Carla Gomes,Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon, Av. Professor Aníbal de Bettencourt 9, 1600-189 Lisboa, Portugal
Flurina Schneider, Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern, Mittelstrasse 43, 3012 Bern, Switzerland

Beginning with the seminal work of Amartya Sen throughout the 1980s (Sen 1979; 1992), with further conceptualisation by Martha Nussbaum (Nussbaum 2000) and many others (Robeyns 2005; Holland 2014), the Capabilities Approach (CA) has been evolving considerably and extending its scope as a conceptual framework for social research. In the last decade, the Environmental Justice (EJ) community has been increasingly suggesting the resort to capabilities as a focus for activist struggles and research endeavours (Schlosberg 2007; Ballet et al. 2013; Holland 2014; Martin 2017; Day 2017). Furthermore, the original focus of capabilities on human well-being has been recently theorised in its relation to EJ (Edwards et al. 2016).

Criticism on the arguably individualistic stance of the original CA has triggered the development of another literature strand - Community Capabilities - either as the sort of collective capabilities needed to support and further enhance individuals’ capabilities (Evans 2002), or as a different scale of capabilities in itself (Schlosberg and Carruthers 2010). In addition, Nussbaum and others have been discussing ways of considering the capabilities of non-humans (Nussbaum 2011; Schlosberg 2013), or that of future generations through the lens of inter-generational justice (Page 2007).

Addressing current environmental challenges, such as loss of biodiversity and climate change, will require a profound societal transformation towards sustainability. In doing so, it is critical to prevent further deprivation of human capabilities, and analyse possible ways of enhancing them. The CA can thus offer new perspectives on contemporary EJ struggles, such as those around nature conservation (Martin 2017), energy poverty and justice (Day et al. 2016; Bartiaux et al. 2018), or climate change and adaptation (Schlosberg 2012; Holland 2017). However, while these recent developments point to the relevance of the CA for exploring EJ issues, the potential for empirical application of the capabilities concept, either on individuals, communities or beyond, has remained underexplored to this date.

With the aim of bridging this gap, this session will especially welcome empirical work drawing on the CA to analyse EJ problematics and struggles. We seek to gather examples of empirical research undertaken across different geographies, disciplines and methodologies. Nonetheless, we are also keen to explore contributions that further elaborate on the significance of the CA for EJ pursuits at a conceptual level.

Submission: If you are interested in contributing a paper to this session, please send your abstract (300 words) to Jorge Llopis (jorge.llopis@cde.unibe.ch) and Carla Gomes (carla.gomes@ics.ulisboa.pt) by 12 February 2019.

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