With a rich history dating back to 1939 and the publishing of Clarence Streit’s book “Union Now”, our organization continues to flourish as a source of academic exploration of those issues that tend to either harmonize or destabilize the global community.
We call on world scholars to come together to help bring clarification and solutions to issues that disrupt peace. Further, we help ensure that this information becomes available to young graduate students who are sponsored by our Frank Fund scholarship program so they can include contemporary thinking into their own research projects and in turn help to contribute to the body of knowledge that supports political leaders around the world in their responsibility for critical decision making.
The work of our scholars and students is carefully captured and edited for publishing (with due credit) so that it becomes an archived body of knowledge, assessible for future reference.
Call For Papers
The Future of Federalism in the Era of Polarization
Annual Conference
Monaco, Monte Carlo, 28-29 October 2019
Populism, protectionism and radical right-wing movements have become an inextricable part of the political landscape across the globe. In an open democracy, are they in conflict or in an interplay with the federalist principles? What are the roles of national governments and international diplomacy in this context? These and other questions will be debated by scholars, academics and practitioners during the annual AI event in Monaco, France.
Graduate Student Conference
The Ashburn Institute, an independent NGO committed to the promotion of democracy and international peace, will convene a graduate student conference.
The Future of Federalism in the Era of Polarization and Populism
Subtopics:
1. Populism and federalism: conflict or interplay in an open democracy.
2. Tracking the sources: differences and commonalities of the rise of populism in various countries and regions of the world (focus: comparative or individual studies incl. Great Britain (Brexit), United States (recent elections), France (“Yellow Vests”), populist movements in Spain, Italy, events in Venezuela, etc.
3. Sovereignty vs nationalism (focus: protectionism and immigration policies and their economic, social and political consequences in different world countries).
4. The role of international diplomacy in the era of rising populism and protectionist politics (focus: diplomacy and the world’s peace (NATO, nuclear disarmament, USA-North Korea, Iran, China, European Union), assuring (non)military protection of independent states, achieving international trade and other international agreements (Paris Agreement, Fair Trade).
Conference dates: October 28-29, 2019
Venue: Fairmont, Monaco
Proposal deadline: June 7, 2019
The Conference Committee will select approximately 20 papers for conference presentation. About half of the participants will come from the USA. The Ashburn Institute will cover the cost of travel (including international) and lodging for all graduate students-authors of Conference accepted papers.
The conference will consist of two full days of panel sessions on Monday, October 28 and Tuesday, October 29, and will conclude with a keynote address. Participants should plan to arrive on Sunday, October 27 and depart on Wednesday, October 30, 2019.
How to Apply
Graduate students from all relevant fields are invited to submit a paper proposal along with a cover letter providing the details of their program of study. Paper proposals in MS Word or PDF format should include the list of key words and the abstracts containing 400-500 words. Larger proposals will not be reviewed or accepted. Proposals need to outline the nature of research and explain how the topic of research relates to one of the Conference topics listed above.
Please register online and submit your proposal along with your cover letter via email to the Ashburn Institute (aiconference2019@gmail.com) by June 7, 2019. International students are encouraged to apply earlier to expedite the visa application process.
The conference committee will reach a decision by July 15, 2019. All participants will be expected to provide complete papers (7,000-8,000 words) electronically by September 20, 2019. The highest quality papers will be selected for inclusion in an edited conference volume.
All students selected for their paper inclusion/presentation at the 2019 AI Conference are required to present a proof of their student status during the fall 2019 (US students with OPT status are also eligible), e.g. a proof of academic enrollment, a letter from the University/college/department dean indicating the name of the university, program and the list of the courses attended.
The electronic copies of these documents are to be emailed to AIconference2019@gmail.com as soon as they are available and by September 2019 the latest, the hard copies are to be submitted to the conference organizers before the first day of the Conference.
About Ashburn Institute
The Ashburn Institute is an independent research and knowledge management institute committed to the study of democracy, international peace, and transatlantic integration. Its history dates back to 1940, when Clarence K. Streit founded a non-profit organization, then called Federal Union, Inc. The inability of international institutions to avoid the World War II urged Streit to publish his book Union Now advocating for the unity of democratic nations that would help prevent military conflicts.
