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Local Politics, Global Impacts: Steps to a multi-disciplinary analysis of scalesParis, 14th-15th June 2012A University of Chicago &#38; French Development Agency ConferenceRationaleWhether we consider climate change, transmissible diseases, financial crises or the protection of biodiversity, the comprehensive analysis of vital global issues suffers from deeply ingrained disciplinary boundaries. For instance, when considering regimes of global governance, scholars of International Relations still largely focus on big institutions, big summits and big deals: they provide a &#171; macro &#187; look at these issues while paying limited attention to sub-national actors and dynamics unless they affect international negotiations. In contrast, social scientists working within other disciplinary paradigms provide detailed accounts of how vested local interests and power games affect global issues in situ and have substantial impacts on the implementation of national policies and cooperation programs.&#160; Yet, few of these scholars seem to deploy these fine-grained local data to enrich current thinking about global governance and relevant forms of international cooperation.&#160; In this context, the analysis of the global impacts of local politics and power relations remains a largely unexplored continent. This analytical domain is still not identified as a research area in its own right, even though it has the potential to engage a vast, multi-disciplinary research community. Social, economic and political research concerning interactions across local and global scales still lacks systematic analysis, conceptual tools and organized debates &#8211; notably among policy makers who might be constrained by concerns over national sovereignty. Nevertheless, comprehensive, multi-disciplinary research may reveal relevant global governance schemes yet to be imagined that would supplement, rather than challenge, national sovereignty. All of this argues for a renewed look at how domestic and international socio-economic and political actors interact recursively across scales, including the manner in which local politics is redefined by global actors and constraints.The University of Chicago and the French Development Agency are pleased to announce a one and one half day conference to be held in Paris on 14th and 15th June 2012, devoted to exploring these concerns and helping scholars to exchange concepts, research designs, analytical methods and relevant networks.We call for papers that investigate domestic power relations, how local interest games generate international impacts, through what channels and mechanisms these impacts emerge, how local politics is redefined by global networks and discourses and whether current forms of international cooperation and global governance regimes are well or ill-adapted to these challenges.Possible research subjects may include, but are not limited to, the epistemology of scale analysis, climate change, environmental protection, global health, food security, financial crisis, international security, social violence in fragile states, the international trade in narcotics, human trafficking, terrorism, and money laundering.The organizers welcome contributions from scholars in all fields of the social sciences, including economics, anthropology, political science, philosophy or sociology, who include in their research agenda efforts to&#160; analyze the interaction of local and global issues and interest groups. Modalities of submission and selectionAlong with a short C.V., proposals for contributions to the conference should be sent before 30th January 2012 to the three contact persons, whose details are provided below. Proposals should take the form of extended abstracts that incorporate a description of the selected theme, the research question, the methodology and data, key results, potential policy recommendations, and a short reference list of related empirical or theoretical works. Decisions will be communicated by 30th February 2012. We will request the submission of full conference papers ranging between 8-12.000 words no later than 1st May 2012, in order to permit pre-circulation among conference participants. The pre-circulation of papers is essential to the success of this highly interactive conference. Conference papers will be considered for potential publication as an edited book co-sponsored by AFD and the University of ChicagoTravel, hotel and per diem expenses of contributors (on a 2 night basis) will be reimbursed.&#160; Contact persons:         Pr. Alan Kolata (University of Chicago) a-kolata@uchicago.edu               Dr. Virginie Diaz Pedregal (AFD) diazv@afd.fr              Dr. Olivier Charnoz (AFD) charnoz@afd.fr     The University of Chicago is a comprehensive research university with over 2000 full time faculty members working in the physical, biological and social sciences, the humanities, and the professional schools, including medicine, law and business.&#160; The University counts 87 Nobel Laureates, including 8 current faculty members, among its multiple research and educational distinctions.The French Development Agency (AFD) is France&#8217;s international cooperation agency. As a bilateral development bank, it works in over 70 countries providing, in 2010, close to 7 billion euros through various financing tools and across all economic and social sectors. Its Research Department produces and publishes research studies, organizes seminars and conferences, and participates actively in several international networks.For more details, Pease see the pdf file attached, or the AFD website, &#171; Recherche &#187;, &#171; Conferences &#187;.