The 3rd Annual LPD Network Conference :Constructing a Constituency/Producing a Leader

The conference revolved around these issues:

1. The formal and informal ways in which politically ambitious persons go about constructing support for themselves and/or for their policies or goals. This could include public representations of self, the nature of political appeals, methods of networking and deal-making, and the ideologies and symbols used in campaigning, electoral and non-electoral.

and/or

2. From the point of view of those whom the politician would like to mobilize: Conceptions of the appropriate use of authority, of the appropriate behaviour of leaders, of the correct goals of political action, the meaning attached to voting, expectations of benefits from the state, or the contrary, i.e. lack of confidence in the capacity of the state and its representatives to make a difference in the well-being of groups or persons.

Speakers and Papers:

David Gilmartin, North Carolina State University, "Elections, Law and the Problem of Influence: "The Man Behind the Politician"

Ingrid Widlund, Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "Legitimacy and Support in Contemporary Tamil Nadu Politics"

M. A. Oommen, Institute of Social Science Studies, New Delhi, "Deepening Democratic governance in Rural India: Lessons from the people's Plan initiative in Kerala"

Pamela Price, University of Oslo, "Elements of Moral Authority in Village South India: In a Semi-Arid Tropical Zone"

Arild Engelsen Ruud, University of Oslo, "Towards an understanding of Bangladeshi political culture"

15.00 - 15.45: Gro Ween, University of Oslo, "Accountability, Authority and Representativity in Indigenous Politics. Kimberley Leadership: An Australian example"

Javier Auyero, State University of New York, "Routine Politics, Domination and Inequality: An Ethnographic Outline"

Discussion by Olle Törnquist, University of Oslo, of Hans Antlöv, Ford Foundation, "Making Parties, Creating Constituencies and Producing Leaders in Indonesia"

Indonesian Forum of Local Politics and Democratization (IF-LPD): "Recruitment of Legislators in the Context of Local Democratization in Indonesia" (The paper is presented here in Indonesian. The presentation at the conference will be held in English with the use of Power Point").

Jeffrey Gould, Indiana University, "Between the forest and the trees: Notes on the Central American left, 1930-2000" (including film)

Morten Løtveit, Volda University College, "Pancho Villa's Leadership"

Gilbert Lamblin Taguem Fah, University of Ngaoundere, "Making Sense of politics: Local Elitism and Democracy in Cameroon"

Lisbet Holtedahl, University of Tromsø, film (and discussion with Ketil Fred Hansen), "A castle in Africa: Converting idioms from former Muslim political leadership into new forms of economic power"

"A castle in Africa: perspectives on research and information"

Ragnhild Muriaas,Department of Comparative Politics, University of Bergen: Decentralisation and the political force of traditional authorities

Siri Bjerkreim Hellevik, SUM:Decentralization and Democratization in three Malian local governments

Masingita Khandela, School of Development Studies, University of Kwa-Zulu-Natal:The Political Economy of Social Capital

DEMOS, Jakarta and Olle Törnquist,Department of Political Science, University of Oslo: Democratisation in Indonesia: Problems and Options. Reviewing the failure of elite democracy

"Progress Report. Research on "Democratisation in Indonesia: Problems and Options""

More information about Demos

Patrick Patino, Institute for Popular Democracy, Manila : Changing terrain, changing local politics

The Indonesian Forum of Local Politics and Democratization, the Centre for Southeast-Asian Social Studies, Gadjah Mada University,Yogyakarta: New results and ongoing research within Indonesian Forum of Local Politics and Democratization