International Conference "Open Political-Economic Systems: Globalization and Institutional Change" Call for Papers In the 21st century, the arena for people's activities has expanded to transcend national boundaries. Traditional geographical borders often seem to have lost their significance when considering such contemporary international and regional issues as political-economic integration and cooperation, global terrorism, and global environmental protection. The governmental policies adopted by any individual country are bound to affect the welfare of people both at home and in other parts of the globe. The Waseda University 21st-Century Center of Excellence (COE) program for Global Political Economy (GLOPE) seeks to contribute to the enhancement of global welfare by identifying principles and means for resolving conflicts, building institutions, and coordinating policies among and within nations whose political and economic processes are becoming increasingly interdependent and "open." To this end, the 21st-Century COE-GLOPE invites the submission of papers for presentation at its second international conference, to be held in Beijing on December 21-22, 2005. The purpose of the conference is to examine, from multiple perspectives in political economy and other social sciences, the possibility of constructing open political-economic systems. This conference will be based on the discussions held at our first international conference in Tokyo in January 2005. We are proud to announce that our keynote speakers will be Professor Koichi Hamada (Yale University) and others. Preliminary Conference Program: Session 1:  Institutional Change and Globalization - Market Economies and Political-Social Institutions - International Cooperation and Conflict Resolution - Economic Integration (Keywords: historical-path dependence, reforms, revolutions, innovations, others) Session 2:  The Political Economy of Institutional Design - Experiments in Political Economy and Institutional Design - Decentralization and Centralization - Multilateralism, Regionalism, and Bilateralism (Keywords: responsiveness, responsibility, governance, EU, "exit and voice," incentive, others) Session 3:  Sustainable Development and Open Political-Economic Systems - Equity and Welfare - Private Initiatives and Public Inducements - Security Problems (Keywords: equality, justice, social welfare, pension, social security, free labor mobility, multinational enterprises, deregulation, mixed markets, others) ** All sessions on December 21 will be held at Renmin University; all sessions on December 22 will be held at the Beijing Resource Building Application Procedure - Submit a completed application form and a summary of your proposed presentation to the following address so that it arrives no later than SEPTEMBER 30, 2005:   GLOPE International Conference Program Committee, 21COE-GLOPE  School of Political Science and Economics  Waseda University  1-6-1 Nishi-Waseda, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8050 Japan (Download the application form here) - Please note that all application materials must be submitted in English or in Japanese. Faxed or e-mailed applications will not be considered. - It is expected that presentations will be made in English. Selection, Notification, and Acceptance - Application materials will be reviewed by the GLOPE International Conference Program Committee. - All applicants will receive an official letter of notification by OCTOBER 31, 2005. - Successful applicants must return signed letters of acceptance within two weeks of notification in order to secure an invitation. - Successful applicants may be called upon to act as discussants for other presentations. Accommodations Information about accommodations will be provided upon request by staff at Renmin University after the determination of successful applicants.