Marrakech (Morocco), 19-20-21 April 2010

Call for Papers

Introductory Remarks

The group of Research on Economics and Finance (GREF), based in the Faculty of Juridical, Economic and Social Sciences of Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech (Morocco), in collaboration with other multidisciplinary research structures at the Faculty, will organize from 19-21 April 2010 in Marrakech, an international workshop on “Bridging Research in Social Sciences and Public Politicise in Developing Countries”.

Utilization of research and obstacles which may hinder it currently constitutes one of the most marginalized themes, especially in the developing World. Policy-based research seems to be largely under-exploited in the South even though its role in the development process has received much attention in the recent literature which has highlighted the contribution of knowledge based economy to development and well-being.  Identifying and exploring problems, designing and implementing policies devoted to solve such problems as well as evaluation and monitoring of the adopted policies ineluctably require knowledge utilization.

In developing countries, problems arise not only in the arena of demand for and uptake of research by policymakers but also at the level of research supply. Bridging research and policy in developing countries should be analyzed in terms of evidence-based research supply and demand. Multiple political, institutional, socioeconomic and cultural obstacles may hinder production and consumption of research. 

The workshop planned to be organized by the Group of Research on Economics and Finance (GREF) in an interdisciplinary perspective, in collaboration with other research structures at the Faculty of Juridical, Economic and Social Sciences of Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech, aspires to go toward this direction. In addition to theoretical and conceptual efforts, a variety of methodological and empirical approaches are welcome in order to better understand the context in which research is produced and consumed. In particular, they will help to better grasp why research in the developing World is less used in policymaking and how well actions and reforms may help to bridge research and policy. This research problem is still subjected to received ideas among the communities of researchers and policymakers.

The workshop aims at discussing and addressing these reserach questions through the exploration of factors which may hinder evidence-based research and its uptake by policymakers. The ultimate objective is to formulate policy implications to improve bridging research policy locally, nationally and internationally.

The Workshop Themes

Taking into consideration various sages of the policy cycle, the workshop proposes to focus on the following majors axis which are non-exhaustive in the sense that research proposals dealing with other interesting issues are welcome :

1. Obstacles against Production of Evidence-Based Research:

The choice of this research axis relies on the idea that consumption of research requires production of a research that is targeted, well conseptualized, evidence based and digestible among policymakers.

These obstacles may be identified and assessed using inter-trans-and multi-disciplinary approaches with the questioning of measures to be undertaken in order to improve evidence-based research for policymaking. 

1. Revue and Criticism of Theoretical Models for Knowledge and Research Utilization and Uptake by Policymakers:

Papers proposals may center on the revue and criticism of the following theoretical models on theoretical and empirical fronts:

1. The Rational Model: this model follows a logical and ordered sequence of policymaking phases. It assesses and compare all options, calculating all social, economic and political costs and benefits of a given public policy. Therefore, in attempting to provide policymakers with ‘certainty’, the researcher should explore and present all the possible policy options.

1. The Muddling-Through and Incrementalism Model: This model, based on the concepts of bounded rationality and satisfycing, recognizes the existence of  parctical constraints on the rationality of decisionmaking (unconscious skills, habits and reflexes, people’s values and cultural conceptions, limitations to knowledge and information, etc.). Policymaking is considered as a process of disjoint incrementalism or pragmatic and slow muddling-though. The model presents the decisionmaking process as one which takes small incremental steps towards policy change. In this sense, policy change is seen more as a reform process where decision makers modest or regular decisions rather than sudden, dramatic or fundamental decisions

1. The Knowledge Utilization School in the Sense of Weiss: It is based on the notion of enlightenment of decisionmakers (enlightenment function of knowledge and research). Knowledge is seen as a cumulative process. As soon as knowledge develops over time, it becomes incorporated into decisionmakers’ practices following a process termed ‘enlightenment’. While research is rarely convincing and or comprehensive enough to exercise a determining impact on policymaking, accumulated research findings gradually alter decisionmakers’ perceptions of both the causes of problems and the likely effects of policy interventions.  

1.  The Model of Public Policy Paradigms: According to Hall, a policy paradigm is “an overarching framework of ideas that structures policymaking in a particular field”. Through paradigms, researchers, and decisionmakers more crucially, perceive and apprehend politics, economy and the society as well as the role they mat play in these different spheres. Paradigms permit to define major and urgent problems as well as policies to undertake to solve them.   Acceptance of knowledge and research by policymakers depend in this approach upon political and socioeconomic factors. The ruling elites and influential interest groups determine and select the kind of knowledge and research to be used in the policymaking process through their influence over the existing paradigms. In the paradigms model in the sense of Halll, policymaking, under paradigms constraints, is characterized by longer periods of incremental and gradual changes, punctuated by brief periods of major changes.

1. Exploration and Assessment of Research Utilization across the Public Policy Cycle:

Traditionally, the public policy process may be divided into four neat stages:  i) problem definition; ii) policy design; iii) policy implementation; iv) evaluation and monitoring. Even though this policy cycle model is often considered as excessively linear, it is very useful in highlighting the functions that research may exert in the decisionmaking process.

Paper projects within the framework of this research axis would propose to rethink research utilization and uptake across the various stages of the policy process. In particular, they would aim at questioning the quantity and quality of research for each stage of the policy as taken individually or in a comparative and interactive perspective. Proposals may be conceptual with a neat value added or empirical with a resorting to innovative methodological approaches. In this last case, case-studies are welcome (country-case studies or studies for multiple countries in a comparative manner).

1. The Comparative Stages of Research Utilization in Social Sciences:

The Workshop invite researchers to submit papers concerning cumulative phases of research utilization and uptake in social sciences in the developing World. In particular, these stages may be classified as follows:

1. Production of Research;
2. Transmission of Research to Decisionmakers;
3. Adaptation of Research to the Cognitive, Cultural and Intellectual Levels of Decisionmakers;
4. Research Reference (quotation of research in public reports, etc.) ;
5. Application of Research by Policymakers.

1. Impact of the Political, Institutional, Cultural, Economic and Social Context on the Consumption of Research in Social Sciences in the Developing World :

Paper projects are welcome in this research subarea. They would allow to better understand how the indicated factors hinder decisionmakers’ uptake of research in social sciences.

The subthemes which are non-exhaustive, may be: the role of the quality of democracy, the State of law, democratic governance, the quality of institutions, economic reforms and other reform concerns, research financing, poverty, degree of internalization of research by individuals and populations and its role, linkages between educative systems and research institutions, the role of interest group pressures, etc.   

1. Impact of External Factors on Consumption of Research in Social Sciences:

The (non-exhaustive) subthemes may be : impact of free trade agreements, international contagion effects, impact of the financing criteria imposed by funding organizations, effects of the integration of researchers into foreign research networks, etc.

1. The Role of the Cultural Gap between Researchers and Policymakers:

This subtheme deserves a special inetrest in spite of its possible linkages with certain above-outlined research axis.

The cultural gap simply means that researchers and policymakers have different cultures.  One may even argue that they live and continue to live in two different worlds, especially in developing countries. They maintain a secular dialogue of hollows in the sense that the two communities of researchers and policymakers do not understand each other. How can we understand this cultural gap in the context of different countries? Haw can we break this gap, particularly through a struggling against the existing misunderstanding between the two communities?

The Workshop Deadlines

                        Paper abstract projects should be submitted to the Scientific Committee through email before November, 27th 2009, to the following addresses: Cet e-mail est protégé contre les robots collecteurs de mails, votre navigateur doit accepter le Javascript pour le voir and Cet e-mail est protégé contre les robots collecteurs de mails, votre navigateur doit accepter le Javascript pour le voir . Abstracts should not exceed three pages containing the first and last names of the authors, their occupations, institutional affiliation, research problems, objectives, a summarized critical review of the literature, the conceptual and methodological framework, and preliminary results.

Following the evaluation of abstracts by the Scientific Committee, authors will be informed about the selection results before December, 24th 2009. Following the evaluation of abstracts by the Scientific Committee, authors will be informed about the selection results before December, 24th 2009. Completed research papers should be submitted to the Scientific Committee before February, 12th 2010.  Definitive replies to the selected authors will be communicated no later than March, 12^th, 2010.  The Workshop will be held in Marrakech on April, 19^th, 20^th and 21^st, 2010. It is expected that the best presented research papers will be published in a collective book.

Travel and Accommodation

Participation to the workshop is free of charge. The workshop organizers will attempt to collect financial funds to partially take in charge travelling and living expenses for some authors from developing countries, whose research papers are accepted for presentation at the planned Workshop.

Those who finance themselves their traveling and living and those who are funded by their own institutions or other funding organizations will be requested to pay directly for their bills, including their hotel invoices.

Coffee-breaks, and possibly a gala dinner, will be funded by the Workshop organizers. Further information on the Workshop, including information on the city of Marrakech and scheduled social events, will be available online as soon as possible.

A Synthesis of the Workshop Calendar

The Scientific Committee (to be confirmed)

·         Dr. Brahim MANSOURI, Professor at the Faculty of Juridical, Economic and Social Sciences (FJESS) of Marrakech and Director of the GREF

·         Dr. Abdelmajid ELCOHEN, Professor at the FJESS of Marrakech

·         Dr. Mohamed El FAIZ, Professor at the FJESS of Marrakech

·         Dr. Brahim EL MORCHID, Professor at the FJESS of Marrakech

·         Dr. Fatima-Zohra ALAOUI MOUSTAIN, researcher and consultant in economics and finance

·         Dr. Amina MAGDOUD, Professor at the FJESS of Fez

·         Dr. Julius CURT, researcher  at the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), London, United Kingdom

·         Dr. Azzeddine AZZAM, Professor at Nebraska University, USA

·         Dr. M’Hamed EL MALKI, Professor at the FJESS of Marrakech

·         Dr. Rachid EL ALAMI, Professor at the FJESS of Marrakech

·         Dr. Ahmed EL MOUTAOUASSET, Professor and Vice-Dean of the FJESS of Marrakech

·         Dr. Claude BERTHOMIEU, Director of the CEMAFI, Université de Nice Sophia Antipolis, France.

The Organizing Committee  (to be confirmed)

·         Dr. Brahim MANSOURI, Professor at the Faculty of Juridical, Economic and Social Sciences (FJESS) of Marrakech and Director of the GREF

·         Dr. Abdelmajid ELCOHEN, Professor at the FJESS of Marrakech

·         Dr. Brahim EL MORCHID, Professor at the FJESS of Marrakech

·         Dr. Fatima ARIB, Professor at the FJESS of Marrakech

·         M. Abderrazzak ENNAANAY, student-researcher in business law at the FJESS of Marrakech

·         M. Abdellatif LAKLIDA, associate English teacher at the FJESS of Marrakech

·         M. Abdeljamil ABAOUBIDA, student-researcher in economics and development at the FJESS of Marrakech 

·         Miss Sanaa DARHOUANI, student researcher in management of organizations

·         Miss Sabah WAKADDA, social development executive at the Regional Social Development Agency in Marrakech.