Bel Parnell-Berry and I will be hosting a panel at the International Conference on Public Policy from 26-28 June 2013 in Grenoble, France. Our discussant is dr. Marleen van der Haar.
The major themes of this panel are manifested in the two main, educational aims, which we will attempt to tackle. First, the panel explores ‐ by means of interdisciplinary approaches -‐ the theoretical knowledge with regard to minority groups’ access to Public services and development of policies. For instance, we would want to address how “minority groups” are constructed in public policies at local, national, state and supranational geopolitical levels. Additionally, how do “minority groups” negotiate access to usage of public services and policymaking processes ?
Second, through a focus on empirical realities the panel explores and identifies the challenges and capacity of an international interdisciplinary academic network to contribute to an increase of minority groups’ access to public services. In order to address this aim, we will seek to answer questions such as how can academic research contribute to increase minority groups’ role within public service delivery and/or policymaking practices ? Also, to what extent do researchers experience theoretical and methodological challenges when studying minority groups’ access to public services ?
Policies focusing on counterterrorism, immigration and diversity are no longer confined to national borders, yet directly impact the lives of those often constructed as belonging to a “minority group” within the context of a nation state. These developments raise fundamental questions regarding democracy and pluralism in policymaking processes as they affect the accessibility of “minority groups” for involvement in the development and use of public services.
We will report on the discussions and outcomes of this conference on the blog.
For more information on the ICPP, visit: http://icpublicpolicy.org/
