GovNet Conference 2005

Conference Themes

Governance has affected the operations and outcomes of activities in every organisation. Governance is a dynamic system, evolving along with other political, social, economic and technical revolutions. The roles, responsibilities, and relationships among actors within society, including government agencies, business sector and civil society organisations have changed accordingly, posing new challenges and issues to contemporary governance.

The central themes of this conference are: Ethics and the Professions, The Professions at War, Corporate Governance, and Electronic Governance.

Offers of papers are invited on aspects of these themes, including, but not limited to:

How professional standards, governance and regulatory frameworks are faring across a range of professions (including law, medicine, journalism, accounting, engineering, social work) and how they may be better addressed in the context of professional practice within settings including large corporations, the public sector, and non-government organisations.
Professionalism in the global context of war and of the weakening of many states and the rise of non-state actors, and the effects of the weakening of sovereign states on many professions, especially the military.
How applications of advanced technology such as e-commerce have major impacts on the nature and the quality of governance in all areas at both national and international levels.

ETHICS & THE PROFESSIONS

Professional standards across the professions

Disciplinary and dispute resolution procedures
Professional registration and the monitoring of standards
Whistleblowers
Serving two masters: professionals employed by governments or corporations

Governance & regulatory frameworks across the professions

Governance issues for NGOs
Governance issues in the global context
The role of public watchdogs
Corruption and anti corruption

THE PROFESSIONS AT WAR

Roles, standards, and responsibilities of the professions in war

Advice to governments: The responsibilities of lawyers, public servants and the intelligence services in a democracy.
The involvement of the professions in mistreatment of prisoners.
Research for military purposes

Governance and the Military

The military as a profession: ethical standards and governance
State sovereignty and the military
Professional issues for non-state military actors and those who fight them
Conventions governing the conduct of war

E-GOVERNANCE

E-governance/government

E-governance, e-government and e-democracy
Challenges and opportunities of e-governance
E-government and changing public sector work practices
E-governance in developing countries
Capacity building for effective e-governance

E-media

Global media governance
Regulation of media ownership, media content, and media carriage
Governance in a fragmented media market (e.g. weblogs, wikis, podcasting)
Free flow of information

Corporate governance

Models of good corporate governance
E-commerce and corporate governance
Corporate governance and the professions
Global corporate governance
Corporate governance of SMEs
Corporate Social Responsibility and the Ends of Corporations – shareholder value or shareholders’ values

E-commerce

Agent-mediated e-commerce
Consumer protection in e-commerce
E-commerce and the professions
Regulation and self-regulation of e-commerce
The roles of government, business and civil society in the governance of e-commerce
The governance of e-commerce in SMEs