Opportunities: Short Courses, Workshops, Calls for Papers

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Call for Papers: Workshop on the Politics of Non-Communicable Diseases in the Global South, King’s College London and Queen Mary University of London, 2 and 3 October 2015

Over the last ten years, there has been mounting alarm about the growing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) epidemic in the global South and the health and economic burden it represents. International organisations like the WHO have published numerous reports and action plans to tackle this new epidemic. Likewise, governments have expressed concern about this rising threat, recently passing a Political Declaration on the Prevention and Control of NCDs at the United Nations. Public health experts, too, have called for more attention to be paid to this new epidemic, as illustrated by The Lancet’s frequent special issues on the topic. Last but not least, health charities and patient organisations have also voiced their anxiety and recently established, with the support of the pharmaceutical industry, the NCD Alliance to campaign for action against the chronic disease epidemic in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). As these different actors have repeatedly argued, NCDs – usually defined as comprising four conditions (cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory disorders) related to four behavioural risk factors (diet, physical activity, smoking and alcohol) – have become a critical issue for LMICs. Drawing on complex epidemiological data, they point out that more than 60% of deaths worldwide are NCD-related and nearly 80% of these deaths occur in these countries. Such a high prevalence of NCDs, they argue, constitutes one of the major challenges for development in the twenty-first century. On one hand, NCDs are viewed as a negative consequence of socio-economic development, with economic growth and rapid urbanisation having led to the rise of modern lifestyles like smoking and drinking. On the other hand, NCDs are understood to be a serious threat to future development through both their negative impact on the productivity of working age populations and the double burden of disease they place on already overstretched health systems.

While there is a growing public health literature on NCDs in the global South, the interventions by more critical social science researchers have been sparse. Organised by the Department of Social Science, Health & Medicine at King’s College London and the Schools of Politics & International Relations and Geography at Queen Mary University of London, this workshop is a first step towards addressing this gap. We invite political scientists, anthropologists, historians, sociologists, geographers and public health experts interested to examine current initiatives to problematise and govern the chronic disease epidemic in emerging economies to submit abstracts of no more than 250 words to David Reubi (david.reubi@kcl.ac.uk) by 15 March 2015. Among others, submissions may explore the making of chronic disease as a problem of development in international forums and across countries of the global South. They may, for example, examine the narratives through which the problem is framed and analyse the techniques such as epidemiological models and maps that make it possible to view chronic diseases as a development issue. Submissions may also consider the influence of the tobacco, alcohol and food companies in globalising risk factors associated with NCDs as well as the role of the pharmaceutical industry and philanthropic foundations in creating drug markets for chronic diseases in the global South. Alternatively, submissions can also investigate the way health advocates and patient groups in the global South translate, resist and re-appropriate the international public health strategies that aim to mitigate against the epidemic in the global South. Thanks to the generous financial support of the both the Wellcome Trust and the UK Economic and Social Research Council, the organisers will be able to fund travel to and from the workshop as well as accommodation for all the speakers.

When? Friday 2 (4–7 PM) and Saturday 3 (9 AM–4 PM) October 2015. Where? King’s College London, Strand Campus, London, United Kingdom. Organisers: Dr David Reubi (Department of Social Science, Health and Medicine, King’s College London, david.reubi@kcl.ac.uk); Dr Sophie Harman (School of Politics and International Relations, Queen Mary University of London, s.harman@qmul.ac.uk) and Dr Tim Brown (School of Geography, Queen Mary University of London, tim.brown@qmul.ac.uk).

DEADLINE: March 15, 2015

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CODESRIA: ATELIER METHODOLOGIQUE SUR LES SCIENCES SOCIALES EN AFRIQUE

Afrique centrale et Afrique de l’ouest francophones

Date: 17 – 21 août 2015

Lieu: Lomé, Togo

Appel à candidatures : Session 2015

Le Conseil pour le développement de la recherche en sciences sociales en Afrique (CODESRIA) a le plaisir d’inviter la candidature de doctorants et jeunes chercheurs des pays  d’Afrique centrale et d’Afrique de l’Ouest francophones à la session 2015 de son Atelier méthodologique annuel sur les sciences sociales en Afrique. Cet atelier se tiendra du 17 au 21 août 2015 à Lomé (Togo).

Cet atelier est un forum interdisciplinaire qui réunit chaque année, de façon alternée en Afrique centrale ou en Afrique de l’Ouest, une quinzaine de doctorants et jeunes chercheurs en sciences sociales et humaines venant des pays francophones de cette sous-région.

Organisation et langue de travail de l’Atelier

La session sera conduite par un directeur scientifique secondé par une équipe de deux personnes ressources toutes reconnues pour leur compétence dans l’enseignement de la méthodologie en sciences sociales dans le contexte africain. L’équipe pédagogique, outre la préparation effective des cours et des sorties sur le terrain, proposera un recueil de textes sur le thème de l’atelier et discutera des propositions de recherche des lauréats. La langue de travail est le français.

Faiblesse de la recherche en sciences sociales en Afrique

A un moment où se manifeste une complexité croissante des dynamiques sociales sur le continent, une des faiblesses majeures de la recherche sociale contemporaine en Afrique est le peu de considération accordée aux questions épistémologiques et méthodologiques. Alors que le contexte mondial appelle à un plus grand investissement dans le perfectionnement des procédures et outils d’enquête et d’analyses pour une évaluation plus pertinente et plus holistique des réalités, on assiste à une banalisation des protocoles de base de la recherche. Les questions méthodologiques sont parfois instrumentalisées pour satisfaire des considérations idéologiques justifiant ainsi des résultats prédéterminés et prenant le pas sur la science. Il est courant de rencontrer des études dans lesquelles les questions méthodologiques sont ignorées au nom d’une prétendue immédiateté spécifique qui placerait les réalités sociales africaines hors des débats universels sur la validité de la science. Le résultat est que les sciences sociales y sont le plus souvent un mélange de purs discours littéraires sans fondement empirique, ou alors un exposé d’anecdotes masquées par un discours «savant» aussi pompeux que vide. Dans un tel contexte, les connaissances produites perdent toute portée heuristique pour n’apparaître que comme de simples justificatifs, voulus ou non, d’une politique économique, sociale  plus ou moins adaptée. La recherche sociale africaine ne saurait s’accommoder de telles postures. Il est urgent de discuter des fondements méthodologiques de nos connaissances actuelles pour mettre fin à l’impunité scientifique en Afrique et en dehors, et ainsi insuffler un nouvel élan aux sciences sociales africaines à travers le soutien de jeunes chercheurs.

Le devenir des jeunes chercheurs en sciences sociales commence par une excellente maîtrise des procédures de la recherche et leur application patiente à des situations concrètes telles que requises par leur travail sur le terrain, aux archives et à la bibliothèque. Malheureusement, la combinaison des crises prolongées dans les systèmes d’enseignement supérieur et du nombre grandissant d’africanistes qui ont succombé à la tentation de prendre des libertés avec la rigueur méthodologique signifie que les chercheurs sont mal préparés pour la recherche sociale indépendante. Afin de contribuer à la création d’un espace critique conciliant l’empirisme courant avec la rigueur logique des préalables épistémologiques si indispensables à l’avènement de toute imagination scientifique, le Secrétariat du CODESRIA propose de réunir de jeunes chercheurs africains autour de questions épistémologiques et méthodologiques. Une telle perspective commande que soient soumis à la critique du terrain africain les étapes, les outils et les grands courants théoriques contemporains qui y sont engagés. La question principale sera alors la suivante: comment établir un lien fécond entre théories et terrains en tenant compte de l’état des savoirs et des techniques mobilisables et de l’évolution des sociétés africaines? L’opposition habituelle entre méthodes quantitatives et qualitatives repose sur le fait que la pratique scientifique a été alourdie par une fausse perception de la validité des procédures de la recherche: une trop grande fétichisation du chiffre a laissé peu de crédit aux orientations qualitatives perçues comme trop inconstantes par rapport à l’exactitude supposée et à la «dureté» de la souveraine quantification. Or, au-delà des querelles académiques, il nous faut insister sur la recherche de moyens appropriés à l’exploration de la dynamique sociale africaine, extrêmement complexe, qui échappe souvent à la rigide emprise, trop systématique, des approches quantitativistes.

L’atelier est ouvert à toutes les disciplines des sciences sociales qui sont toutes confrontées aux difficultés d’appréhension de la réalité sociale. Le mode de traitement des données recueillies répond à la fois aux contraintes du terrain et aux choix paradigmatiques d’interprétation de ces données. En partant d’une remise en cause de la distinction hâtivement établie entre recherche «quantitative» et recherche «qualitative», l’atelier s’efforcera, par l’examen critique de ce clivage traditionnel, de poser le problème de la mesure dans les sciences sociales. Une telle remise en question devrait nous conduire finalement à interroger les formes et les conditions de «quantification» du «qualitatif». Le caractère non métrique et compréhensif de l’approche qualitative, opposé à celui mathématique et explicatif de la quantification, est-il définitivement certifié?

Contre l’illusion du savoir immédiat, il est impératif de poser clairement les principes méthodologiques de la «construction de l’objet» comme articulation hypothétique d’une reconstruction théorique de la réalité sociale. Cette opération cruciale impose que soient soumis à une intense vigilance épistémologique le statut du chercheur et le rôle systématique des théories et des outils de recherche.

L’enquête en tant que procédure de confrontation au terrain d’un corps d’hypothèses nécessite que soit fait un choix raisonné des instruments techniques de collecte des données, des «faits». Les outils et techniques traditionnels de recherche en sciences sociales tels que les interviews, l’observation, le questionnaire, l’étude des archives et d’autres moins usités comme la photographie, seront passés en revue afin de déterminer leurs potentiels dans la construction de projets de recherche.

Les dossiers de candidature des personnes ressources

Chaque chercheur désirant faire partie de l’équipe pédagogique est prié d’envoyer un dossier de candidature comprenant:

1. Une lettre de candidature ;
2. Un curriculum vitae détaillé et actualisé ;
3. Deux (2) articles publiés sur les questions relatives à la méthodologie de recherche en sciences sociales dans le contexte africain ;
4. Un résumé des questions qu’il souhaiterait aborder en trois (3) cours. Le résumé soumis devra être assez détaillé pour permettre au directeur de l’Atelier de préparer un syllabus pour les personnes ressources et les lauréats.

Les dossiers de candidature des lauréats

Les dossiers de candidature des lauréats doivent comprendre:

1. Un formulaire de candidature dûment rempli;
2. Une lettre de candidature;
3. Un curriculum vitae détaillé et actualisé;
4. Un projet de recherche (trois à cinq pages maximum) présentant clairement la problématique, la pertinence du terrain, le cadre théorique et conceptuel, les hypothèses ou questions de recherche, l’approche méthodologique utilisée ainsi que les problèmes méthodologiques et épistémologiques rencontrés, les techniques d’analyse des données à mobiliser;
5. Deux lettres de recommandation :

1. une du directeur de la thèse ou d’un autre superviseur montrant la pertinence du projet de recherche, l’état d’avancement de la recherche et l(es) approche(s) théorétique(s) et méthodologique(s) utilisée(s) et les résultats attendus;
2. une autre du directeur du département ou d’un autre professeur sur les mérites et le potentiel académiques du candidat.

1. Une lettre d’affiliation institutionnelle;
2. Une photocopie du passeport.

Date limite de candidatures et sélection des dossiers

La date limite de dépôt des dossiers de candidature est fixée au 31 mai 2015. Les dossiers devront être envoyés de façon électronique à: methodological.workshop@codesria.sn . La sélection des dossiers se fera en fonction de leur caractère novateur, de l’équilibre en genre et de la répartition géographique.

Pour vos questions spécifiques, veuillez-vous adresser à :

CODESRIA

Atelier méthodologique  pour les pays d’Afrique de l’Ouest et d’Afrique Centrale francophones

B.P. 3304, Dakar, CP 18524 – Sénégal.

Tel: +221-33 825.98.22/23

Fax: +221-33 824.12.89

Email: methodogical.workshop@codesria.sn

Website:  http://www.codesria.org

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/CODESRIA/181817969495

Twitter: http://twitter.com/codesria

DEADLINE: May 31, 2015

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CODESRIA: AFRICAN DIASPORA SUPPORT TO AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES PROGRAMME

Call for Joint Proposals for Research Networks and Projects in Higher Education, The Humanities and Social Sciences

Under its newly launched African Diaspora Support to African Universities, the Council for the Development of Social Science research in Africa (CODESRIA) is pleased to invite interested scholars universities to submit proposals for joint research projects.

The Programme seeks to mobilize the African academic diaspora to support the teaching of higher education, the humanities and social sciences in African universities and to strengthen the linkages between African academics in the diaspora and African universities. It seeks to mobilize African academics in the diaspora to contribute to the strengthening of African universities, the nurturing of new generations of scholars in Africa in a culture of excellence, and the revitalization of the social sciences, higher education studies, and the humanities. The specific objectives of the programme include the strengthening of PhD programs and the curricula in the social sciences, higher education, and the humanities; contribute to the filling of gaps and dealing with shortages in teaching; PhD supervision and mentoring of young social science scholars in Africa, more generally; as well as in strengthening the relationships and linkages between African academics in the diaspora and the institutions where they are based with African universities.

The Programme derives from CODESRIA’s mandate as the leading pan African social science council of the continent and its responsibility to help address the problem of the shortage of qualified academic staff in many African universities both for teaching and for PhD supervision, particularly with the creation of hundreds of new public and private universities. The consequences of these shortages include the lack of capacity in most of the social science and humanities departments and schools in African universities to organize quality postgraduate programs and conduct research. In some instances, capacity for postgraduate supervision does not exist, and doctoral and masters students take longer to complete their programs due to a lack or shortage of qualified supervisors and mentors.

On the other hand, the existence of a large African academic diaspora has been documented in numerous studies. Many of these scholars are willing to lend a hand in the revitalization of universities in their home countries or elsewhere in Africa. Other highly qualified academics are circulating outside the universities, within Africa itself, and it would be important to have an initiative that taps into the knowledge and skills they have. Therefore, one effective way to address the shortage of qualified senior academic staff and PhD supervision capacity in African universities is to mobilize the academic diaspora to support universities in Africa. The initiative will do this through the following strategies:

• Organizing the joint supervision of masters’ and doctoral students in the SSH;
• Facilitating the review and further development of curricula in the SSH;
• Organizing the sharing of course outlines and relevant literature, and the introduction of new teaching methods
• Enabling diaspora academics to take up short-term teaching engagements at African universities,  as part of their sabbaticals;
• Establishing a College of Mentors of early career academics in African universities, including through joint research and publications
• Enabling diaspora academics and senior African scholars to serve as external examiners in each other’s university departments
• Enabling diaspora academics to serve as directors and resource persons in the various research and training networks that CODESRIA will undertake as part of the proposed initiative.
• Organizing experience-sharing / training workshops for PhD advisors, as well as summer schools for advanced doctoral and post-doctoral students and early career academics.
• Launching a scholar exchange program through which CODESRIA will facilitate the hosting of visiting African professors and guest researchers by diaspora academics, and the hosting of diaspora academics by African universities

The programme is organized around the following activities:

• Visiting Professorships: diaspora academics will visit African universities for durations varying from 15 days of stay to 3 months; the African universities hosting them provide accommodation, or help them rent apartments at reasonable rates.
• Curriculum review and development
• Sharing course modules and relevant literature
• Mentoring and co-supervision of doctoral students (a College of Mentors)
• Summer Institutes
• Advanced workshops for PhD advisors based at African universities
• Joint Research Projects on the African diaspora and diaspora linkages (including scoping studies, and a review of current policies and frameworks for the governance and management of the linkages between African institutions and the diaspora)
• Publications

This particular call targets African scholars in the Diaspora and researchers based at African universities, with a view to creating joint research networks around joint research projects on the kinds of challenges facing African universities that the Diaspora could help overcome; or to the kinds of linkages existing between the Diaspora and African universities; or on any of the issues on the CODESRIA research agenda in ways that would lead to the filling of knowledge gaps and enhance research capacity in African universities.

Each network should involve scholars based at African universities and scholars in the diaspora, cover two or more countries, and undertake research on contemporary issues/challenges that the SSH in African Universities ought to be addressing. Applicants should be those in the SSH disciplines, who have completed their PhD studies or are at the advanced stage of their PhDs.  Proposals revolving around the following broad themes are encouraged.

• Challenges facing African universities that the Diaspora could help overcome;
• Linkages existing between the Diaspora and African universities;
• Diaspora engagements with African universities;
• Policies and Incentive structures for mobilizing the African diaspora to support African higher education and research;
• Strengthening PhD programs in  Higher Education, the SSH in African Humanities;
• Governance : Political, economic, environmental, social etc ;
• Current trends in economic theorization and African development;
• Higher education transformations and research trends in the SSH;
• Gender and African Development in the 21^st century;
• Law and order regimes; including Africa’s insertion into international law;
• Emerging issues in land use and distribution; including issues of Biotechnology,  food production and hunger in Africa;
• Extraction industries and Africa’s sustainability;
• Digital age and cultural reproduction in Africa;
• Political transitions and the fate of the state in Africa;
• SSH and emerging forms of Social Policy regimes in Africa;
• Emergent religious movements and forms of religious fundamentalism;
• The youth in African politics, economics and development discourse.

The joint research networks of African and African diaspora scholars should cover at least one of the following countries: Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and South Africa. Proposals with a strong multidisciplinary orientation and gender and institutional diversity in terms of the composition of group members are highly encouraged.

Eligibility

Interested academics and researchers of the African diaspora and those based in universities located in any of the countries listed above are requested to send in their research proposals, focusing on specific issues revolving around the broad themes identified above.

Application Requirements

1. a) Research Proposal: Each proposal should be between 10 and 15 pages, clearly highlighting the issue(s) to be pursued. It should include: an introduction, problem statement, literature review, objectives of the study, research methodology and the results anticipated from the study.

1. b) Work Outline: A detailed outline and time frame should be provided for each of the proposed activities, bearing in mind that the duration of the grant is 18 months from the date the grant is awarded.

1. c) Budget: Applicants are required to provide a detailed budget – up to a maximum of USD35, 000 – which includes the fieldwork, travel and subsistence costs they expect to incur throughout the duration of the grant.

1. d) Reference Letters: Each proposal should be accompanied by reference letters for each of the network members from the dean of the candidate’s faculty, confirming his /her institutional affiliation and an attestation to the applicant/s capacity to undertake the work if awarded the grant.

1. e) Curriculum Vitae: Each proposal should be accompanied by detailed curriculum vitae, of the applicants showing clearly the candidate’s publications and research undertakings.

1. f) An identified coordinator of the network who will be responsible for the overall coordination of the work and account for the financial aspects of the network and the final scientific output.

g) Commitment Letter: A one-page letter is expected from the coordinator of the group, affirming  his/her readiness to coordinate the work and submit a monograph-length scientific report of between 80,000 and  100,000 words on the outcome of the research carried out. The letter should also show the applicants’ commitment to carrying out all revisions arising from the peer review of their report in a timely manner, and an affirmation of their understanding that the final version of the report may be considered for publication in any of the CODESRIA publication vehicles.

Application Deadlines

Completed application documents should be received by 15^th March 2015. All applications should be addressed to:

African Diaspora Support to African Universities

CODESRIA

Avenue Cheikh Anta diop X canal IV

Dakar, Senegal

Tel: +221338259822/23

Fax: +221338241289

Email: african.diaspora@codesria.sn

The Program is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and by CODESRIA core funders. African universities that are interested in hosting African scholars in the diaspora, and in participating in the programme in other ways, and African scholars who are willing to contribute to the success of the initiative are invited to contact CODESRIA at the above address.

DEADLINE: March 15, 2015

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CODESRIA: DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE INSTITUTE

Topic: Cybersecurity, Sovereignty and Democratic Governance in Africa

Date: 27 July – 7 August 2015

Venue: Dakar, Senegal

DEADLINE: 30^th April 2015

Call for applications: Session 2015

The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) is pleased to announce the 2015 session of its annual Democratic Governance Institute. It therefore invites researchers to submit their applications for participation in this Institute to be held from 27^thJuly to 7^th August, 2015 in Dakar, Senegal.

The Democratic Governance Institute, launched in 1992 by CODESRIA, is an interdisciplinary forum which every year brings together about fifteen researchers from various parts of the continent and the Diaspora, as well as some non-African scholars who are undertaking innovative research on topics related to the general theme of governance.

Organization

The sessions are led by a scientific director who, with the support of the selected resource persons, ensures that the laureates are exposed to a wide range of research and policy issues. Each laureate is required to prepare a research paper to be presented during the session. The revised versions of such papers will undergo a peer review for publication by CODESRIA. The CODESRIA Documentation and Information Centre (CODICE) will provide participants with a comprehensive bibliography on the theme of the Institute. Access to a number of documentation centers in and around Dakar will also be also facilitated.

Languages

The CODESRIA Democratic Governance Institute will be held in French and in English through simultaneous translation.

Cybersecurity, Sovereignty and Democratic Governance in Africa

Cybersecurity is the emerging face of security in both the information society and the knowledge economy. As such, it sheds light on one of the major phenomena in the digital age, which is our strong dependence on information systems in our lifestyles, living conditions and security. Cybersecurity is a phenomenon tied closely to the rapid expansion of information and communication technologies and the blurring lines between the public and private spheres. It has taken global proportions and occurs across the world such that no society, organisation and individual can disregard it. This need for security is inherent in cyberspace, this environment for communication formed thanks to the global interconnectivity of digital data processing equipment. But apart from its technological component, cybersecurity also dovetails permanently with our reality, both in its material and virtual forms.

Today, cybersecurity places us before a huge challenge that analysts have termed “the horsemen of the apocalypse” in the digital era: cybercrime, cyber terrorism, cyber fraud, cyberattacks and cyber warfare. These cyber threats do not only constitute challenges to humanity and its governance mechanisms, but they also show us beyond doubt that our policies, institutions, infrastructure and our defence and security systems are all fragile in nature. Those who use these threats can continue their malicious pursuits for spying, destabilizing people and organisations, perpetrating sabotage or destroying information systems, and provoking fear psychosis. Fortunately though, cybersecurity resonates also with our legitimate needs for protection when we use information and communication technologies to explore, learn, communicate, play or do business. This year, 2015, kicked off with news of cyberattacks and acts of terrorism perpetrated with information and communication technologies, thereby highlighting the shortcomings and weaknesses of security governance systems.

In this environment of growing insecurity, the digital divide is widening to Africa’s detriment and getting trivialized in the same way as poverty. The continent is still not enjoying all the dividends of digital technology, yet it suffers all the disadvantages more than any other. As consumers and not producers of technology and content, some African countries and organisations are excluded from the information society that is supposed to be inclusive, and they participate only marginally in the knowledge economy.

It comes therefore as no surprise that Africa is experiencing a dearth of adequate solutions for its cybersecurity needs, this places a considerable part of the continent in what is termed criminal havens or cybercrime zones. However, although Africa is lagging behind in technology, efforts are being made to pave new inroads to the digital world, as well as to define an intervention framework for all stakeholders. It is in this respect that a Convention on Cybercrime and the protection of personal data was adopted on 27 June 2014 in Malabo.

Without disputing the utility and need for a legal framework in this area, more has to be done to complement this instrument with strategic thinking and forward planning so that it comes into force (after fifteen States parties have signed it) and is operationalized effectively, efficiently and sustainably.

What is the state of governance in Africa in the face of cybersecurity requirements? How do cyberattacks affect the digital sovereignty of African organisations, whether these operate in the public, private or social spheres? Is Africa in a position to develop the capacity for response and resilience to cyber threats? Does Africa have the resources to frame its own vision of cybersecurity and sustain the tenets of said vision in cyberspace?

All these questions are going to be addressed by the participants in the 2015 session of CODESRIA’s Governance Institute, which shall dwell on: “Cybersecurity, Sovereignty and Governance in Africa”.

The overall goal of the 2015 session is to anticipate and analyse governance trends in the face of Africa’s cybersecurity and sovereignty issues and challenges.

To do so, the 2015 session will offer a space for dialogue conducive to the creation of an African research network that can pave the way for the emergence of African responses to the challenges posed by cybersecurity. The session will accordingly pursue several specific objectives, including:

–          To identify the barriers to digital sovereignty by securing the digital and technological sovereignty of States, individuals and organisations (economic dependence, lack of national initiatives, lack of national infrastructure…),and by proposing ways and means to achieve this digital sovereignty;

–          To raise awareness on the need to preserve fundamental rights and civil liberties especially by protecting personal data (defining an appropriate legal framework, promoting social and State-run initiatives to achieve this…);

–          To propose the areas where Africa needs to refine its cyber legislation (freedom of speech, intellectual property, child protection and security…) so as to deepen trust in the information society.

The 2015 Governance Institute will cover a wide range of topics under these five areas:

1. The state of the art and popular beliefs on cybersecurity in Africa

• The conceptual universe: the concept of cybersecurity and neighbouring and related concepts (cyber terrorism, cyberattacks, cybercrime, cyber warfare, cyber threats, etc.);
• African frames of reference on cybersecurity;
• The state of cybersecurity governance (policies and strategies; economic and financial; social and cultural; technological, environmental and legal);
• Digital sovereignty and cybersecurity;
• Cybersecurity and control of trans-boundary flows;
• Cybersecurity and tourism;
• The economics of cybersecurity;
• The culture of cybersecurity in social settings (schools, associations, families, etc.);
• Cybersecurity and traceability in social networks.

2. Transformations and innovations in Cybersecurity

• Cybersecurity and emerging technologies;
• Cybersecurity and critical infrastructure;
• Cybersecurity and the protection of digital identity;
• Cybersecurity and the protection of personal data;
• Cybersecurity and civil liberties;
• Cybersecurity and the protection of users of social networking sites;
• Cybersecurity and technological risks;
• Cyber terrorism and social networks;
• Cybersecurity and e-governance;
• Cybersecurity and e-commerce.

3. Future scenarios on Cybersecurity in Africa

• Cybersecurity and passive governance;
• Cybersecurity and reactive governance;
• Cybersecurity and preactive governance;
• Cybersecurity and proactive governance.

4. Stakeholders in the Cybersecurity ecosystem

• State actors (States, public structures);
• Private sector actors (hardware manufacturers, content producers, dealers, payment institutions, money transfer outlets, etc.);
• Civil society actors (individuals, associations, networks, schools, universities, faith-based groups, opinion leaders, etc.);
• CERTs (computer emergency response teams) and cybersecurity taskforces;
• Certification and standardization authorities;
• Legal provisions on cybercrime;
• Law enforcement and security officers dealing with cybercrime;
• Media and treatment of cybersecurity;
• Cyber regulation and cybersecurity authorities;
• International cooperation on cybersecurity;
• Cybersecurity and work conditions and relations.

5. Towards an African vision of Cybersecurity governance

• African vision statement on cybersecurity governance;
• The ethical grounds for promoting cybersecurity in Africa;
• The strategic goals for promoting cybersecurity;
• Africa’s contribution to the fight against cyber crime;
• Africa’s contribution to the fight against cyber terrorism;
• Establishing a research network on cybersecurity and governance in Africa.

The Director

Professor Abdoullah Cissé, expert on cyberlaw and cybersecurity, will lead the 2015 session of the Governance Institute. As the Director of the Institute, he will carry out the following tasks:

–          Participate in the selection of laureates and the identification of appropriate resource persons;

–          Interact with resource persons and laureates towards adequate preparation for the Institute;

–          Design the courses for the session, including the specification of sub-themes;

–          Deliver a set of lectures and conduct a critical analysis of the papers presented by  resource persons and laureates;

–          Submit a written scientific report on the session;

–          The Director will edit the revised versions of the papers presented by the resource persons with a view to submitting them for publication in one of CODESRIA’s collections. He will also assist CODESRIA in assessing the papers presented by laureates during the Institute for publication.

Resource Persons

Lectures to be delivered during the session are intended to offer laureates an opportunity to advance their reflections on the theme of the Institute. Resource persons should therefore be senior scholars or researchers who have published extensively on the theme, and who have significant contributions to make to the debates on it. They will be expected to produce lecture materials which would stimulate laureates to engage in discussion and debate around their respective lectures and the general body of literature available on the theme.

Once selected, resource persons must:

– Interact with the Director of the Institute and the laureates to help the latter readjust their research questions and their methodological approaches;

– Submit a copy of their course materials for reproduction and distribution to participants no later than one week before they deliver their lectures;

–  Deliver their lectures, participate in debates and comment on the research proposals and the papers of the laureates;

– Review and submit the revised version of their lecture notes or research papers for publication by CODESRIA not later than two months following their presentation at the Institute.

Laureates

Applicants should be PhD candidates or scholars in their early career with a proven capacity to conduct research on the theme of the Institute. Intellectuals active in the policy process and/or social movements and civil society organizations are also encouraged to apply. The number of places offered by CODESRIA at each session is limited to fifteen (15). Non-African scholars who are able to raise funds for their participation may also apply for a limited number of places.

Application for resource persons

Applications for the position of resource person should include:

1. An application letter;
2. A curriculum vitae;
3. Two (2) published papers
4. A proposal of not more than five (5) pages in length, outlining the issues to be covered in their three (3) proposed lectures, including one on methodological issues.

Applications for laureates

Applications for the position of laureate should include:

1. One duly completed application form;
2. An application letter;
3. A letter indicating institutional or organizational affiliation;
4. A curriculum vitae;
5. A research proposal not more than ten (10) pages including a descriptive  analysis of the work the applicant intends to undertake, an outline of the theoretical interest of the topic chosen by the applicant, the relationship of the topic to the problematic and concerns of the theme of the 2015 Institute ;
6. Two (2) reference letters from scholars or researchers known for their competence and expertise in the candidate’s research area (geographic and disciplinary), including their names, addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses;
7. A copy of the passport.

Applications Deadline

The deadline for the submission of applications is 30^th April, 2015. Selected applicants will be notified in the last week of May 2015. Laureates are expected to use the month of June to carry out their fieldwork or collect information to prepare a draft research paper to be presented during the Institute. This draft research paper should be submitted to CODESRIA not later than 15^th July, 2015. Laureates will be expected to work on this document (and not on the abstract of the proposal) and prepare it for publication during the Institute.

Submission of Applications

All applications or requests for additional information should be sent electronically to: governance.institute@codesria.sn.

For specific questions, please contact:

CODESRIA

DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE INSTITUTE

Avenue Cheikh Anta Diop x Canal IV

BP 3304, CP 18524, Dakar, Senegal

Tel.: (221) 33 825 98 21/22/23

Fax: (221) 33 824 12 89

Email: governance.institute@codesria.sn

Website: http://www.codesria.org/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/CODESRIA/181817969495

Twitter: http://twitter.com/codesria

DEADLINE: April 30, 2015