Call for Papers: The State of the Research on Civic Engagement: How Service and Volunteerism is Reshaping our Civic and Community Health

 CALL FOR PAPERS 

The State of the Research on Civic Engagement: 

How Service and Volunteerism is Reshaping our Civic and Community Health 

8th Annual Public Administration Research Conference 

Friday, March 28 

UCF Fairwinds Alumni Center 

This conference will convene local and national scholars and practitioners concerned about the use of national service and volunteer programs designed to strategically address complex community issues. Presentations will focus on research of national service and volunteerism, asking what we know about what works, how it works, why it works, and what barriers to success exist. The focus can be on any host/sponsor organizations of national service and volunteering, including local government, corporate, nonprofit, grassroots, and faith-based, with particular though not exclusive interest on implications for local governments and governance. Accepted papers and presentations will be compiled for an edited book volume. Specifically, we seek papers in the following areas: 

Economic Opportunity 

Research on how service and volunteerism can increase economic opportunities that strengthen individuals and families. How does service and volunteerism expand individual opportunity and build community stability to create more sustainable, resilient communities? 

Education 

Research on how service and volunteerism can increase educational advancement. How does service and volunteerism promote education among at-risk children through early childhood education? Offer educational access and assistance to you? Connect youth with the resources that will lead them to college or vocational education? 

Local Collaboration and Civic Opportunities 

Research on how service and volunteerism can expand investments, and partnerships. How does service and volunteerism increase philanthropic and corporate investments and partnerships? How does service and volunteerism impact local challenges? What is the return on investment for volunteerism and service, for recipients of service, people who serve, and/or the larger community? 

Innovation and Impact 

Research that shows high-quality, high-value service and volunteer efforts that achieve measurable results where the need is greatest. This may include research that describes private-public partnerships where companies commit skills-based volunteer services to help nonprofits address critical community priorities, research that describes how service and volunteerism strengthens local governance by developing and fostering professional management to build 

sustainable communities, and/or research that demonstrates how service and volunteerism support local effort to transform lives and communities. 

Disaster and Emergency Management 

Research demonstrative how service and volunteerism builds the capacity of nonprofits, states, and cities to better prepare, respond, recover, and mitigate disasters and increase community resilience. 

Conference Format 

This is a one-day conference that will feature two nationally known or locally prestigious practitioner keynote speakers and five panel sessions on the above subjects. Each panel will have no more than three presenters, plus a chair/discussant. 

Proposal Submission 

A one-page proposal should be submitted to Dr. Thomas Bryer at thomas.bryer@ucf.edu by November 15, 2013. Accepted papers should be completed due by March 1, 2014.