Programme
WEDNESDAY, 24 June 2009
Hotel Hilton, Le Diplomat Room, Bucharest
1:00 pm – 1:45 pm: Buffet Lunch
2:00 pm – 3:30 pm: Opening of the Conference
Words of Welcome by Boris Marte, Member of the Managing Board of ERSTE Foundation
Setting the Scene:
Andreas Treichl, Chairman of the Managing Board of ERSTE Foundation
Ivan Vejvoda, Executive Director of the Balkan Trust for Democracy and Member of the Board of Trustees of ERSTE Foundation
Opening Speech
Traian Băsescu, President of Romania
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm: Coffee break
4:30 pm – 5:00 pm: Key Note Speech
Claus Offe, Professor of Political Sociology at the Hertie School of Governance
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm: Opening Panel:
20 Years of Freedom: Who Is “In” and Who Is “Out”?
An opening panel that will take a closer look at the “wider picture” of social cohesion and social inclusion in CEE: who is losing, who is winning? And how can we help the losers to turn into winners?
20 years of freedom have given new changes and possibilities to people in CEE to develop economic and social initiatives: a vibrant civil society sector has emerged and the economy, until mid-2008, has seen growth rates otherwise known only in Asia’s emerging markets. Since late 2008, however, most CEE countries are experiencing economic stagnation or even contraction. Have these developments contributed to an improved social cohesion? Or, have inequality and the potential for social tension actually increased? What are the new dividing lines in CEE countries? What are today’s determinants of status, civic, and economic membership in CEE countries? Is it age/generation, ethnicity, education, old connections, or newly established networks?
Moderator: Boris Marte, Member of the Board, ERSTE Foundation
Speakers
Vladimir Gligorov, Associate Economist at the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies
Sonja Licht, President of Beogradski fond za političku izuzetnost (Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence)
Claus Offe, Professor of Political Sociology at the Hertie School of Governance
Ivan Vejvoda, Executive Director of the Balkan Trust for Democracy
THURSDAY, 25 June 2009
The rooms for the panel sessions will be announced on Wednesday and will be clearly posted in the Hilton Hotel
9:00 pm – 12:30 pm: FOUR PARALLEL PANELS
9:00 pm – 12:30 pm: PANEL 1
20 Years of Economic Transformation: What Social Consequences for the Years to Come?
20 years of freedom have given new changes and possibilities to people in CEE to develop economic and social initiatives: a vibrant civil society sector has emerged and the economy, until mid-2008, has seen growth rates otherwise known only in Asia’s emerging markets. Since late 2008, however, most CEE countries are experiencing economic stagnation or even contraction.
The panel will be setting the frame in socio-economic terms, addressing the change in domestic economies, labour markets, and key social institutions. The panel will look at the effects of both long-term transformation since 1989 and the recent financial and economic crisis. This should lead to an assessment of reform needs and future challenges as well as major shortcomings in public policy and regulatory efforts.
Moderator: Michael Landesmann, Director of Research of the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies
Speakers:
Ivo Bićanić, Professor at the Faculty of Economics, University of Zagreb
Vladimir Gligorov, Associate Economist at the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies
Janos Kornai, Allie S. Freed Professor of Economics Emeritus at Harvard University and Permanent Fellow Emeritus at Collegium Budapest
Jože Mencinger, Chair Legal and Economic Science, Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana
9:00 pm – 12:30 pm: PANEL 2
Alternative Financial Services: Economic Participation for Everyone?
Considering that there are still millions of people in CEE who do not have access to any or adequate financial services and are therefore still excluded from fully participating in the economic development of their societies, we want to consider some of the following questions:
What are the challenges in enabling meaningful economic participation of as many CEE citizens as possible? What financial infrastructure is needed to ensure financial inclusion? Following the traditions of savings banks and recognizing models such as Mohammad Yunus’ Grameen Bank, what are the
specific models that can assure financial inclusion for the societies of CEE?
What role will innovative financial services play for the development of new sectors in social service provision and sustainable, socially responsible industries? What are the visions of a major retail bank in the region and what challenges will it face in turning them into reality? Are there alternative models that can—in time of crisis—provide new routes to economic and also social integration and participation?
Moderator: Franz Karl Prüller, Programme Director Social Affairs, ERSTE Foundation
Speakers
Anca Ciobanu, Chief Executive Officer, good.bee Credit, Romania
Elaine Kempson, Director, Personal Finance Research Centre, University of Bristol
Sava Dalbokov, Chief Executive Officer, good.bee Holding, Austria
Oana Petrescu, Member of the Board, Banca Comercială Română
Hans Reitz, Founder of the Grameen Creative Lab and Creative Adviser to Prof. Muhammad Yunus, Germany
9:00 pm – 12:30 pm: PANEL 3
Private Initiative – Governmental Provision: What Future for Social Service Provision in CEE?
This panel will look at changing social security systems and the provision of social services. It will assess the political and economic framework for public sector development in CEE countries. And it will outline the challenges for both social security systems and adequate social service provision.
What is the future capacity of CEE countries to provide adequate social security and social services, given the effects of fiscal reforms as well as of the recent economic crisis?
Is the legal / fiscal frame enabling private social initiative and the establishment of philanthropic activities? What is the role of social entrepreneurs in the provision of professional and effective social services?
Moderator: Stefan Wallner, Secretary General, Caritas Austria
Speakers:
Francis Davis, Member of the Jury, Fellow at Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford, Visiting Fellow in Social Policy at the LSE
Georg Fischer, Head of Unit for “Social Protection, Social Services in the Directorate General for Employment and Social Affairs at the European Commission
Jaroslava Marhankova, Research Fellow, University of West Bohemia, Plzen
Mariana Nedelku, Secretary of State, responsible for social assistance and family affairs Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Protection, Romania (invited)
Andrij Waskowycz, President, Caritas Ukraine
9:00 pm – 12:30 pm: PANEL 4
Transitions in Central and South Eastern Europe – Changing Gender Roles
Presentation of research papers
As part of the activities connected to the 20–year anniversary of the fall of communism in Europe, ERSTE Foundation has commissioned nine research projects under the above title. They focus in a comparative and transnational perspective on the developments of gender relations, of the social constructions of femininity and masculinity, and of the position of women in Central and South Eastern Europe in the past 40 years, with 1989 as reference point. Aspects of cultural distinctions as well as reciprocal influences with the immediate neighbourhood (other countries belonging to the Former Soviet Union, Western European Countries, or Turkey) are part of the research projects. They focus on analysing discourses, finding data and are doing this in multidisciplinary and multi-methodological approaches.
The social and cultural paradigm shifts concerning gender roles and relations, which took place in a period of four decades and which especially went along with the changes of political systems after the fall of the iron curtain, or which were affected by the post-Yugoslav wars in the South Eastern regions, have had an impact on a very wide range of social and socio-economic features of the societies in the region.
The Conference on “The Future of Social Change” provides the first opportunity for the researchers to get together and to present their ideas and research progress to each other as well as to an interested audience. This will happen in a separate panel as well as within the thematic framework of some of the other panels.
Moderator: Caroline Hornstein-Tomić, Member of the Board of Trustees, ERSTE Foundation
Karl Kaser, University of Graz, Austria
Krassimira Daskalova, St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia
Speakers:
Judit Acsády, Researcher, Sociology Research Institute, HAS, Budapest
Oana Băluţă, Project Assistant, University Teaching Assistant, Faculty of Journalism, University of Bucharest
Zora Bútorová, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Public Affairs, Slovakia
Slavco Dimitrov , Research Assistant and Project Coordinator at the Visual and Cultural Research Centre, Euro-Balkan Institute, Macedonia
Milena Kirova, Chair of the Department of Bulgarian Literature, Cultural Anthropology and Gender Studies at the University of Sofia
Enriketa Pandelejmoni, Univerisity Lecturer at Faculty of History and Philology, Univeristy of Tirana, Albania
Lynette Šikić-Mićanović, Research Associate at the Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar in Zagreb, Croatia
Tatiana Zhurzhenko, Associate Professor at V. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Ukraine
12:30 pm – 2:00 pm: Lunch break
2:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Hotel Hilton, Le Diplomat Room, Bucharest
Presentation of the Music Project “Hopes: Promoting Talent among Disadvataged Children”.
A Social Enterprise Cooperation between good.bee and Banca Comercială Română (BCR)
2:30 pm – 5:30 pm: THREE PARALLEL PANELS
2:30 pm – 5:30 pm: PANEL 5
Demographic Challenges: Towards a New Contract between Generations?
This panel will assess the demographic developments of the last 20 years and their foreseeable consequences in the coming decades for social development, economic competitiveness, and social security.
What are the perspectives in light of shrinking populations and an increasing share of retired people? How might this affect the relations between the generations? How will the younger generations cope with the challenges of rising dependency ratios?
Moderator: Rainer Münz, Head of Research & Development at Erste Group Bank AG and Senior Fellow at the Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWI)
Speakers
Reiner Klingholz, Director of the Berlin Institute for Population and Development
Igor Guardiancich, Research Fellow, European University Institute, Social and Political Science Department
Boguslava Elzbieta Urbaniak, Researcher at the University of Łodz
Judit Acsády, Researcher, Sociology Research Institute, HAS, Budapest
2:30 pm – 5:30 pm: PANEL 6
Education: A Chance for All?
This panel will assess the future needs of the educational system and its ability to provide adequate formation to all CEE citizens.
What are the challenges for formal and informal education systems to foster inclusive societies? How can educational systems enable people to make informed choices and determine their future place in societies? How can schools in the 21st century prepare for political as well as economic participation and build both human and social capital? What role can lifelong learning play in societies characterized by aging work forces and ethno-cultural diversity?
Speakers:
Dženana Alađuz, Director of InfoHouse, Sarajevo
Sandra Pralong, President of Synergetica Foundation
Ilse Simma, Head of Social Policy and Research Department, Caritas Austria
Milena Kirova, Chair of the Department of Bulgarian Literature, Cultural Anthropology and Gender Studies at the University of Sofia
2:30 pm – 5:30 pm: PANEL 7
Social Inclusion: A Place for All in our Societies?
This panel will address the distributional consequences of socio-economic transition. It will identify marginalised groups today as well as the position of the majority towards social integration and the perspectives for improved social cohesion. Did 20 years of economic development lead to greater inclusion or exclusion? What are the possible gains for CEE societies of improved social and economic participation of hitherto marginalised groups? How can we showcase these gains?
Moderator: Sandra Breka, Programme Director, Robert Bosch Stiftung
Speakers:
David Morris, National Social Inclusion Programme, United Kingdom
Mihaela Miroiu, Professor of Political Science, National School of Political Studies and Public Administration, Bucharest
Suzana Bornarova, Research Fellow, Fasculty of philosophy, University SS. Cyril and Method, Macedonia
Suzana Dobre, Research Fellow at the Institute of Sociology, Rumanian Academy of Sciences
Claus Offe, Professor of Political Sociology at the Hertie School of Governance
FRIDAY, 26 June 2009
Hotel Hilton, Le Diplomat Room, Bucharest
10:00 am – 12:00 am: CONCLUDING PLENARY
This panel will summarize the inputs into the conference, drawing out from them questions, challenges, and recommendations for political, civil society, and economic leaders.
In addition, each of the six thematic panels will be asked to formulate two challenges or visions/perspectives that will be presented at the start of the concluding panel. The speakers will be asked to refer to them but also to add their own views and insights to the general question of the conference: the Future of Social Change.
Speakers:
Erhard Busek, President of the Board of Trustees, ERSTE Foundation
Sandra Breka, Programme Director, Robert Bosch Stiftung
Caroline Hornstein-Tomic, Member of the Board of Trustees, ERSTE Foundation
Michael Landesmann, Director of Research of the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies
Rainer Münz, Head of Research & Development at Erste Group Bank AG and Senior Fellow at the Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWI)
Franz Karl Prüller, Director ERSTE Foundation
Stefan Wallner, Secretary General, Caritas Austria
12:00 am: Farewell Buffet Lunch