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(Same announcement attached on .pdf format)

ANNOUNCEMENT OF CONFERENCE AND CALL FOR PAPERS

The Year 2000 International Research Conference on Social Security

Helsinki, 25-27 September 2000

"Social security in the global village"

Globalization of the economy will be a major determinant for the future of social security. While social protection programmes are essentially defined by national policies, financial and commercial globalization brings into question the ability of these programmes to react and adjust to the new pressures of the global village. Policy makers need to understand the extent to which increases in unemployment, increasingly precarious employment, and increases in inequality and social exclusion are related to globalization trends. Does globalization play a role in the increases in costs which threaten the sustainability of social security schemes? This phenomena raises questions as to the respective roles of the public and private sectors, and of the appropriate levels of individual and family responsibility for social protection. At the same time, the need for effective social protection provisions has become greater due to increased uncertainty and exclusion.

To address these challenging issues, the next ISSA International Research Conference on Social Security, which will be held on 25-27 September 2000 in Helsinki, Finland at the invitation of the Finnish members of the ISSA, will focus on the evolving framework of social security, with special emphasis on the changing relationship between labour markets and social security, on the changes in the financing of social security schemes, and on inequalities and social cohesion. Research is needed on these emerging issues. This should include a critical analysis of new measures and benefits that are being introduced to cope with these on-going changes (see annex for a presentation of the themes of the Conference). 
The Conference, organised as part of the International Social Security Association's research programme, has several objectives. Firstly, the meeting is intended to inform and enlighten current policy debate on major issues facing social security. Secondly, it is designed to inform decision-makers about recent research findings and the experience of innovative policies and programs. Thirdly, the meeting will explore the direction that research should
take in order to contribute to the improvement of social protection. This event follows up on the work of the International Research Conference which was held in January, 1998 in Jerusalem. That Conference examined the ways in which social security adapts to changing social risks and increased financial constraints. (See http://www.issa.int/engl/reunion/1998/jeru98e.htm to access the numerous papers presented at that conference).
 
The meeting will be essentially speculative and forward-looking; the maximum amount of time will be devoted to discussion during sessions (some of which will be concurrent). A limited number of key-note addresses will be organised with a view to clarifying the major issues and setting the framework for discussion. The plenary sessions and some concurrent sessions will be interpreted in English, French and German.
 
To this end, persons intending to attend the conference and who are interested in proposing a paper are warmly encouraged to submit a proposed title, together with a short outline between now and 20 November 1999 at the latest on the form found in this announcement. Contributions should relate to the general theme as presented on the annex and should refer to recent or current research activity or to innovative policy or programs which are being documented by research. Contributions relating to comparative research and reports of studies with a direct bearing on the functioning of social security systems will be particularly welcomed.

A scientific committee will be responsible for the selection of the principal papers to be retained for the meeting. The members of the committee are Cathy Drummond (Human Resources Development Canada), Chantal Euzéby (University of Grenoble, France), Jens Alber (Constance University, Germany), Neil Gilbert (University of California, Berkeley, United States), and Esko Kalimo (The Social Insurance Institution, Finland) as well as representatives of the ISSA General Secretariat. The selected papers will be distributed to the participants at the meeting in the original language only. The authors who have submitted proposals for contributions will be informed of the selections by the scientific committee as soon as possible after the deadline. The papers selected should then reach the ISSA General Secretariat not later than 15 June 2000.

An invitation to the meeting, together with a detailed programme, will be sent in February 2000 to each person who has expressed an interest in taking part in the meeting. As the ISSA is not in a position to meet the travel and subsistence costs of attendance at its meetings, participants and contributors will be expected to find the means of meeting these costs themselves. However, no registration fee will be charged for this meeting.

As the hosts of this Year 2000 International Conference, the Finnish ISSA member organizations cordially invite you to join them in Helsinki for this important event.

For further information:
International Social Security Association (ISSA), 
P.O. Box 1, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland 
Fax: +41 22 799 8509       
E-mail: [log in to unmask]       
Web: www.issa.int
 

REGISTRATION FORM

Please provide the following information.

Name:
Institution:
Address:

Country:		
Fax:
e-mail:
 	
O    Please send me an invitation to the Year 2000 International Research Conference on Social Security

 O      I wish to submit a paper to the Conference (please provide a brief outline of proposal)

Title of paper:


Outline:










Send to: (before 20 November 1999)

International Research Conference on Social Security  
International Social Security Association
P. O. Box 1
CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland
Fax: +41 22 799 85 09 
e-mail: [log in to unmask]


ANNEX

Theme of the Conference and Research Questions 

The Year 2000 International Research Conference on Social Security will focus on the evolving framework of social security, with special emphasis on the changing relationship between labour markets and social security, on the changes in the financing of social security schemes, and on inequalities and social cohesion.  The following elaborates on each of these areas and identifies a few of the questions that this Conference will address from a research perspective.

The evolving framework: Recent years have seen a rapid increase in international transactions in a globalized world.  The spread of basic education provided a growing supply of unskilled but literate labour in developing countries and contributed to the globalization of production. This new international division of labour with increasing competition from sites with low labour costs provided new opportunities for developing countries, but also made full employment in the developed world more problematic. At the same time, the growth of multinational corporations, the globalization of financial markets and the spread of new information technologies have tremendously increased the mobility of capital. These processes of globalization confront social security with new challenges and raise the following research issues: Is economic growth with social welfare possible, or will poverty increase during the course of development under globalization? Is there a race to the bottom as countries are tempted to pursue low-wage and anti-welfare strategies, or is there convergence towards higher levels of welfare and social protection? What types of advanced welfare state arrangements are most vulnerable to the pressures of globalization? 

Labour markets are being reshaped by the needs for more flexible labour forces, mounting pressures of global competition, and growing risks of unemployment.  At the same time, increasing demands are being placed on social security arrangements to serve the needs, mitigate the pressures and accommodate the risks of these changing labour market conditions. How is it possible for social security to ensure broad and adequate social protection while meeting the requirements of global competitiveness? How can social security coverage be improved for those in less secure, non-traditional sectors and provided for the informal sectors of the economy? What impacts do social security programmes have on the flexibility of labour markets and on the transitions between school, work and retirement? To what extent has social security been responsive to labour market developments and to the particular needs of sub-groups of the population such as persons with disabilities, women, and older workers? Are flexible retirement programmes sufficiently responsive to the pressures of aging populations? What do simulation techniques tell us about the impact that recent social security reforms may have on future income adequacy and social protection? 
		
Financing: The forces of globalization have contributed to concerns regarding the financial sustainability of social security as a result of the changing context in which they operate. Globalization has been accompanied by a growing awareness of the need for effective social protection, and for ensuring an adequate retirement income in a more competitive and less secure  environment. New work patterns and growing public sector deficits in many countries have led to a search for new ways of financing social security.  What are the effects of the globalization of financial markets on the financing of social security, and on the roles of the public and private sectors?  How do new modes of financing affect the operation of social security schemes?  How has this new environment affected decisions concerning which contingencies require financing and the particular mode of financing? What are the consequences of moving from general revenue financing towards alternative modes? What are the effects of different modes of financing on equity, incentives and economic efficiency? How is social security responding to the need for increasing resources as a result of population aging? To what extent do recent financing reforms contribute to better social protection? How effective are current modelling techniques which simulate the impact of financing changes?       

Social cohesion: It is often held that the globalization of markets, efforts to improve productivity and  concentration of financial capital has resulted in structural unemployment, precarious employment and greater social inequalities. These phenomena put into question the underlying principles of solidarity. This has implications for social protection institutions in the promotion and sharing of employment to increase the potential for social integration, to ensure a more equitable distribution of income and to finding better social cohesion. How is it possible to reconcile the flexibility of work and security of income while also ensuring that economic progress serves social progress? To what extent should entitlement to social security benefits be restricted to certain social categories or be linked to requirements for work resumption or other mandated activities?  What impacts does a guaranteed minimum income have on individual behaviour and on integration? To what extent have work sharing provisions and other flexible employment mechanisms provided through social security contributed to a more equal distribution of employment opportunities and income? What do we know about the effectiveness of social security in alleviating poverty and in preventing people from social exclusion?