Call for Papers and Panel Proposals
The 18th Annual Conference of the East Asian Social Policy Research Network
TRANSFORMATION OF POST-COVID WELFARE STATES IN EAST ASIA:
BEYOND PRODUCTIVIST WELFARE CAPITALISM?
Date: 24-25 June 2022,
Format: Online (Gather Town and Zoom)
Deadline for Abstracts and Panel Proposals: 11 March 2022
Co-organized by Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs and
BK21 FOUR Project for Advancing Human Competence and Government Capacity,
Department of Public Administration, Yonsei University
More than two years after the outbreak of COVID-19, the pandemic has been bringing about fundamental changes in people’s lives, employment, and the socio-economic structure. Covid-19 has produced an intensive public health crisis while social distancing and self-quarantine measures are accelerating digitalization. In the midst of COVID-19 and digitalization, individuals have experienced hardships in maintaining employment and income. Moreover, beyond these difficulties, social risks related to care and work-life balance have increased, while mental health problems from the severance of social relationships and increased isolation are becoming more serious. Further, these risks are not evenly distributed across different social classes.
East Asian countries have successfully responded to COVID-19 from a public health perspective compared to Western countries. However, the vulnerabilities and limitations of existing welfare state systems were exposed in responding to various social risks caused by COVID-19. As a result, most countries have implemented voluntary expansionary fiscal policies to maintain employment and prevent poverty in order to stabilize individuals’ livelihoods and maintain growth. However, further discussion is needed as to how much these efforts stabilized individuals’ lives, maintained relationships, and improved their capabilities during the last two years.
In this context, the 18th annual EASP conference will evaluate the social policy efforts of East Asian countries during COVID-19 and discuss how to restructure the welfare state. Specifically, what kinds of new ‘Covid social risks’ are emerging? Are they different from existing old and new social risks? What policies were introduced to respond to various ‘Covid social risks’, and through what politics and policy-making process were they made, and what were their results? What types of policy alternatives are being discussed and prepared to supplement or replace the existing welfare state? How are the welfare attitudes of citizens changing as they experience Covid-19? Are they moving towards pro-welfare or pro-growth?
We particularly welcome theoretical or empirical contributions exploring these questions as well as those developing new approaches to re-configure post-COVID welfare states. We also encourage contributions with a comparative and global perspective, particularly those including both East Asia and beyond. It is a long tradition of EASP to invite papers by postgraduate students and early-career researchers as well as established scholars working in the field of social welfare, social security, and social policy analysis.
Given the ongoing travel restrictions and global health concerns, we are planning to organise the conference either as an online event or a hybrid-event combining options for delegates to join keynotes and parallel sessions in a face-to-face or real-time online setting.
Confirmed Keynote Speakers:
- Aya Abe (Professor, Tokyo Metropolitan University)
- Noreena Hertz (Honorary Professor, University College London)
- Tae Soo Lee (President, Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs)
- Paul Pierson (Professor, University of California, Berkeley)
Depending on the final selection of submitted papers and panels, the conference will comprise the following streams (as well as any other aspects of social policy in an Open Stream):
- Social Policy Responses to the Covid-19 Crisis
- Welfare States & Welfare Regimes
- Social Security & Social Justice
- Governance, Democracy & Participation
- Migration, Social Rights & Citizenship Stratification
- Population & Demographic Change
- Health & Social Care
- Poverty, Inequalities, & Social Inclusion
- Education & Vocational Training
- Ageing & Generations
- Labour Markets & Employment
- Housing & Urbanization
- Gender Inequality & Work-Family Reconciliation
- Sustainability of the Welfare State
- Alternative social policy: Universal Basic Income, Negative Income Tax, Universal Basic Services etc.
Those wishing to present a paper should submit an abstract of between 200 and 300 words. Information enclosed with any abstract should include: stream number, title of paper; author name(s); affiliation(s); and email address of one corresponding author.
Those wishing to organise a panel should submit a panel proposal. Information enclosed with any panel proposal should include: title of panel; objective of panel (between 200 and 300 words); names and affiliations of all panel organiser(s) and participating members; along with abstracts of three or four papers (between 200 and 300 words each); an e-mail address of one corresponding panel organiser.
Submissions for the 18th annual EASP conference should be sent to easp2022@gmail.com. The deadline for abstracts and panel proposals is 11 March 2022.
Information about the Postgraduate Paper Prize will be announced on the EASP website
Important dates:
- Submission of abstracts and panel proposals: 25 March 2022
- Notification of acceptance: 31 March 2022
- Early booking & registration will start from 1 April 2022
Further details about the conference programme and venue will be announced shortly. For any queries, please contact easp.secretary@gmail.com
The East Asian Social Policy Research Network (http://welfareasia.org) is a regional association for facilitating research exchange among social policy analysts and providing a forum and network of communication for the development of social policy in East Asia and beyond.