The Maastricht School of Management and Club de Madrid International Workshop will take place on March 29-30, 2012 at the Maastricht School of Management, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
A shared society is one in which individuals share an equal capacity to participate in economic, political and social opportunities regardless of their religion, ethnic or linguistic group, and where as a consequence relations between groups are peaceful. Photo by Gates Foundation from Flickr.

The costs of social divisions, and of missing out on the shared society dividend may be significant and the ultimate consequences for the sustainability of human economic and social life, devastating. Despite this strong case, too many states are hampered by social divisions and characterized by intolerance, racism, marginalization and persecution of groups. In this light the Club de Madrid in collaboration with the Maastricht School of Management (MsM) will convene a two day workshop to review and consolidate the current state of knowledge on the impact of shared societies on economic performance and advance understanding of the underlying dynamics of that relationship.

Topics

The workshop intends to cover, inter alia, the following topics
• The definition and measurement of a ‘shared society’
• Can a shared society index be constructed and what can it tell us?
• What is the relationship between shared societies and its various measures (e.g. social cohesion, social capital) and economic growth and development?
• What are the non-material benefits of shared societies?
• What are the contribution of migrants to economic growth and development?
• How does discrimination affect a society’s economic prospects?
• What are the effects of marginalization of minorities?
• How does women’s full participation in economic activities contribute to human wellbeing?
• What are the economic costs of conflict and war?
• How much does a shared society contribute to greater fiscal resource mobilization?
• Can shared societies adapt better in the face of climate change?
• Are shared societies less vulnerable and more resilient, for instance in the face of natural or man-made disasters including economic shocks and speculation? What will be the fallout from the global financial crisis for equitable development and social divisions?
• How can political change in the Middle East be supported to build shared societies?

Keynote Speakers
A number of international experts in the field will be invited as keynote speakers. Further details will follow.

Invitation to Submit Papers
Original papers dealing with the economics of shared societies are herewith invited. The deadline for abstracts is 19 February 2012.

Abstracts, accompanied by a CV, should be submitted to [email protected]. A selection committee will review all proposals. Preference will be given to original papers since all selected papers will be considered for a special publication. Applicants will be notified by end February 2012 whether or not their submissions have been successful. For accepted abstracts, full papers will be required by 21 March 2012. The selected participants’ travel and accommodation costs will be covered.

Please download the Call for Papers in pdf format here.

About Maastricht School of Management
For sixty years, Maastricht School of Management has been a leading international institution for postgraduate education. According to its mission – enhancing the management capacity of professionals and organizations in and for emerging economies and developing countries – MsM offers internationally accredited, English management education. Over the years, MsM has become a Center of Excellence for emerging economies and developing countries.

About Club de Madrid
The Club de Madrid is an independent non-profit organization composed of 86 democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 60 different countries, constituting the world´s largest forum of former Heads of State and Government, who have come together to respond to a growing demand for support among leaders in two key areas: democratic leadership and governance; and response to crisis and post-crisis situations. Both lines of work share the common goal of addressing the challenge of democratic governance and political conflict as well as that of building functional and inclusive societies, where the leadership experience of our Members is most valuable.

For further information about MsM and the Club de Madrid see www.msm.nl and www.clubdemadrid.org