Dimensions of Poverty

2016-12-20

This conference seeks to assemble fresh theoretical perspectives on absolute and relative poverty within and between nations. It addresses questions in three sections which are aligned with three different dimensions of poverty research. These are: the normative categories of measurement and their uses in measurement practice; the blind spots and global asymmetries within academic poverty research itself; and the role of normative theorists in public debates on fighting global poverty through public policies and private donations. All three sections will feature keynote lectures by highly distinguished academics who have contributed groundbreaking work to the conference issues. Each section will also feature talks from experts who will be addressing an array of more specific research questions.

We wish to encourage submissions from philosophers and social scientists which contribute to a comprehensive understanding of poverty in theory and practice. In three sections, we will discuss how a multidimensional account can replace or complement monetary measurements, whether a new ethos of global poverty research is needed, and how academics might initiate or influence political reform processes such as the SDG implementation. Confirmed keynote-speakers include Sabina Alkire (OPHI, Oxford), Sakiko Fukuda-Parr (New School, N.Y.C.), Varun Gauri (World Bank, Washington DC), Stephan Klasen (University of Göttingen), Onora O’Neill (University of Cambridge), Sanjay Reddy (New School, N.Y.C.), Mitu Sengupta (Ryerson, Toronto), Leif Wenar (King’s College, London), and Jo Wolff (UCL, London).

The conference team invites submissions for workshop papers from all levels of qualification and relevant disciplinary fields.Please send both a short (300 words) and a longer (1000 words) abstract of your contribution to the organizers (Valentin Beck, Stefan Gosepath, Henning Hahn, Robert Lepenies) at dimensionsofpoverty@gmail.com until January 31st of 2017, with your name, institution affiliation, and contact information on both submissions, together with a short biographical sketch. We expect to be able to make a financial contribution to travel and accommodation expenses for those otherwise unable to obtain funding. Childcare will be offered for the duration of the conference. The conference is hosted jointly with the Haus der Kulturen der Welt. A selection of the papers of the conference will be published in the new book series "Poverty and Philosophy" by Springer.

Further information available on the conference website: http://www.justitia-amplificata.de/en/events/conference-dimensions-of-poverty.html