3rd International Conference on Democratic Governance in the Developing World

"Advancing Democratic Governance in the Developing World: The Role of Conflict, Complementarity, and Collaboration in Fostering Democratic Ideals, Practices, and Institutions."  

The purpose of the 3rd International Conference on Democratic Governance* is to explore the various dimensions – political, economic, social, spiritual, and cultural – needed to advance and sustain democratic governance in the developing world. Specifically, the conference will bring together an international group of scholars and practitioners from diverse disciplines (e.g., public administration, political science, economics, sociology, business, law, journalism, international relations, and others) to collectively examine the role of conflict, complementarity, and collaboration in fostering and sustaining democratic ideals, practices, and institutions. Although many developing countries have transitioned to some sort of democracy over the last several decades, actual democratic consolidation and democratic governance have remained elusive. In part, this is because democratic ideals, practices, and institutions have not fully taken root and become institutionalized in the day-to-day practices of politicians, public administrators, civic leaders, and citizens. As a result, many developing countries struggle to adequately address conflict (in numerous forms), foster collaboration across sectoral, jurisdictional, and other boundaries, and otherwise nurture complementary democratic forces. In turn, ineffective practices for dealing with conflict, complementarity, and collaboration have led to poor performance, opportunistic behavior, corruption, and other challenges that weaken the quality of governance and undermine democracy. 

At this conference panels will address  numerous themes and issues, such as: Democratic Ideals, Practices, and Institutions; Conflict Resolution and Collaboration as Democratic Ideals and Practices; Contextual and Cultural Determinants of Conflict Resolution and Collaboration; Representation and Participation as Democratic Ideals and Practices; The State-Civil Society-Market Balance; and Scenarios of Democratization in the Developing World.

Click here to register for the conference.

This two-day conference  is being organized and financially sponsored by the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC), an interdisciplinary research institute housed in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. Additional conference organizers include the Rwanda Governance Board and Cheyney University of Pennsylvania.

*The 1st International Conference on Democratic Governance: Challenges in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East was held in 2012 at the University of Pennsylvania. The 2nd International Conference on Democratic Governance: Accountability and Youth Engagement for Sustainable Development was held in 2014 in Kigali, Rwanda.