XXIst Annual Convention of NAOP and International Conference on Human Development and Poverty: Alternative Conceptualizations and Measurement At Insti

XXIst Annual Convention of NAOP and International Conference on Human Development and Poverty: Alternative Conceptualizations and Measurement At Institute of Rural Management, Gujarat

The National Academy of Psychology (NAOP), India and the Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA), Anand (Gujarat) together announce the XXIst Annual Convention of the National Academy of Psychology (NAOP), India, to be held at IRMA, from December 12 to 14, 2011. The conference aims to provide a space for a contemporary intellectual debate on varied issues in psychology aimed at human welfare. Apart from having different topics in psychology the conference will also have an International Symposium on the multidimensionality and varied conceptualization of human development and poverty by keeping 'human' at the centre of discourse. Debates will focus on alternative conceptualizations and measurement of poverty and human development. The theme of the conference “Human Development and Poverty: Alternative Conceptualizations and Measurements” seeks to examine how inner and the subjective construction by human beings, both at the individual and collective level, can be a source of creative transcendence in overcoming the structural barriers in creating life that is both meaningful and happy. How do different factors at subjective level and at the level of material world interact and how do they change each other. On behalf of NAOP 2011 scientific committee, we invite you to submit symposium proposals and papers for oral and poster sessions and to participate. We look forward to seeing you this December in IRMA, Anand (Gujarat)

Theme

Human development and poverty: Alternative conceptualizations and measurement

Conceptualization of poverty has moved way ahead of measures of income or food intake. A slow but firm paradigmatic shift is taking place in theoretical and academic understanding which refuse to constrain itself to only measures of income and consumption. There is a need to inform representations of poverty created by the state and global multilateral institutions by alternative conceptualizations emerging from different fields of social sciences. This would help develop balanced views on the nature of deprivations and strategies needed to address poverty and usher on a course of human development.

The need to focus on human development is critically important at this stage of civilization mainly because economic prosperity of a nation is no guarantee for the development and well-being of its citizens. It is equally no guarantee for equity, justice, basic human rights and sustainability built in the growth process. This is being believed more so by scholars and critics who have deep disbelief in the capability of the new global economy to develop a justifiable socio-economic order. The origins of alternative views are mainly attributed to understanding poverty as different forms of capability deprivations. These forms of deprivations could be varied in nature and be economic, social, cultural or psychological.

It is however deep inside many disciplines of social sciences there have been alternative views for sometime which saw poverty in its modern and debilitating form a product of new socio-economic order which got established on the remnants of the communities of the pre-capitalistic age which valued simplicity, reciprocity and moral economy at their levels despite being unequal. This new social form is breeding deprivations of many kinds which are both material and non-material in nature. This symposium aims to add to the emerging discourse which would correct traditional conceptions of poverty and develop newer ways it could be understood or measured. These alternatives have still remained on the margins not with regard to volumes of work and reams of paper being produced but with regard to its impact in modifying the policy environments and implementation structures to promote human development. In such a scenario when purely economic solutions are still offered to the most problems of poverty, which are not always effective enough, alternative conceptualizations and measurements would help in generating a more nuanced view of the problem. It would also show us alternative pathways for removal of poverty and promotion of human development.

General Information

The theme of the conference goes well with the academic focus of the Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA), Anand (www.irma.ac.in), the local host of the XXIst annual convention of NAOP. Its thirty-one yearlong struggle to debate in poverty reduction in rural landscape in management and multiples social science disciplines like psychology, sociology, history and economic with a focus on the socio-historical and political context, which will definitely provide the right kind of intellectual milieu for this conference.


Call for Proposals

Submissions are invited for symposia, individual oral and poster presentations relating to the theme of the conference as well as broader areas of Psychology and Behavioural sciences.

A proposal can be submitted for:

Individual paper presentation: 20 minutes including discussion. Individual papers will be grouped into larger symposia by theme.

Invited and Self-organised symposium: groups may propose to organize 3/4 papers and a moderator/discussant around a common theme as a full session will range between 90 to 120 minutes including discussion. For self-organized symposium, please submit one abstract for each of the papers.

Poster presentation: selected posters will be displayed, and sessions will be set up for conference participants to interact with poster presenters.

Guidelines for Symposium

A symposium should be composed by an introduction (300 words) and names of a chair to introduce the topic of the symposium, and of a discussant to introduce the general discussion. Each symposium will have three to maximum of five papers (1000 words for each paper, including title and 5 key words).

Guidelines for abstract (Oral/Poster presentations)

Papers should be composed by a short abstract (maximum 300 words) and be submitted in English. The abstract of the empirical papers must mention the purpose, theoretical and conceptual framework, methodology (Research questions and hypotheses, sample, research tools and designs, tools for analysis), ethical considerations if any, main findings, and implications for policy or practice.

The theoretical paper may mention briefly the purpose, the thesis, the organizing construct, the scope of the paper, data sources used and the conclusions.

Indicate into which particular conference topics or, broad NAOP divisions (Cognitive, Developmental, Organizational, Health, Social, etc.) you wish your abstract to be included.
Indicate the form of presentation (ORAL /POSTER).
Do not use abbreviations in the title.
Use 12-point Times New Roman font for the text with single line spacing without indentations.
Use the format given below for submission of abstracts.

Note: All the submissions (individual papers and symposium proposals) will be reviewed by the scientific committee using the following indicators: clarity of the problem stated, novelty and innovative value of the study, relevance for Indian society if the study is undertaken in India, theoretical and methodological tools used, theoretical reasoning, review of previous work and theoretical argumentation used to support conclusions, clarity and overall organisation of the ideas emerging from the study, theoretical and practical implications.

Important Dates

Last Date for Abstract Submission 30th September, 2011
Communication of acceptance 15th October 2011
Registration 1st October – 15th November 2011

Contact Us

Institute of Rural Management
Post Box No. 60, Anand 388001.
Gujarat. India.
Contact: 02692 – 260 391 / 260 181
Fax: 02692 – 260188
Communication related to conference should be addressed to
Prof. Saswata Biswas
saswata@irma.ac.in

Download full seminar papers At
http://www.enjineer.com/forum