Call for Applications: Joint PhD-Training School on “Innovation in Local Government”, 13-17 September 2015, Athens / Greece

From Septemer 13-17, 2015 a joint PhD-Training School on “Innovation in Local Government” will take place. The Training School is organized by the COST Action IS1207 “Local Public Sector Reforms: An International Comparison (LocRef).” in cooperation with the Anargyrion and Korgialenion School of Spetses, the University of Athens, the EUROLOC and EURA Summer school.

About the PhD-Training School:

Local governments all over Europe are in a period of intense reform activity, not least of all because in some countries they have been the level of government most seriously affected by the still expanding global financial and economic crisis. They are simultaneously faced by a variety of – partly contradictory – reform pressures, often aimed at conflicting reform objectives (e.g. efficiency vs. participation). With this background, the PhD-Training School is meant to discuss reforms, experiments and changes in local democracy and local public sector institutions. The course is intended to provide training in theories and methods to be applied in the study of local public sector reforms and democracy, especially in comparative perspectives. The Training Schools overall topic is “innovation in local governance.” Therefore, issues/topics such as governance, networks, enabling authorities, collaborative arrangements and the urban environment (e.g. city-regions, metropolitan areas etc.) and all topics dealing with contemporary modes of decision- and policy-making are welcome. In addition, more “classical” topics dealing with reform themes such as participatory and direct democracy, territorial and functional reforms and (post-) New Public Management reforms are welcome.

Registration procedure: Please submit an abstract that provides a brief outline of your current work (PhD topic/project outline, 300 words max., in English) accompanied by a short CV, electronically by June 30, 2015. To apply for the PhD-grant of the COST Action LocRef and to register, please send your abstract and CV to Sabine Kuhlmann (sabine.kuhlmannuuni-potsdampde), Christian Schwab (chschwabuuni-potsdampde), Nikos Hlepas (nhlepasugmailpcom), Panos Getimis (getimispugmailpcom) and Kristof Steyvers (Kristof.Steyversuugentpbe) and refer to ‘PhD-Training School Grant’ in the subject line. Acceptance of participants and grantees will be notified within July.