Equalities: rights, resources, challenges for the future

Project funded by
Università degli Studi di Milano
and
Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca
with the collaboration of
Call for papers
Hòrisma 4
Equalities: rights, resources, challenges for the future
Young researchers dealing with intergenerational conflict.
Hòrisma is a series of academic papers issued by the publishing house Ledizioni. The members of the
Advisory Board are pleased to invite young researchers (PhD students, Postdoctorate researchers, Fellowship
researchers, early career researchers) to participate in a theoretical and empirical project realized according
to a multidisciplinary approach. The initiative is funded by the University of Milan and the University of
Milan-Bicocca. The studies selected will be published in a book by the end of 2015. The authors will
participate as speakers at a conference to be held on September 23rd and 24th, 2015 at the University of
Milan and at the University of Milano-Bicocca. On this occasion, the author of the most outstanding
contribution by the Advisory Board will receive a prize of 200 Euros.
The theme of the call for papers is equality. This concept, developed in various fields (anthropological,
sociological, economic, legal, et cetera), has been the subject of reflection and reason of conflict for
centuries, to become the veritable cornerstone of modern States: in the contemporary principle equality –
formal and substantive – is crystallized in the European Constitutions and international conventions, id est
for example the Italian Constitution, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the
European Convention of Human Rights.
Equality is not only an instrument of protection for the rights of the associates, but it is also a parameter to
allocate resources within communities. The global economic crisis is turning this arrangement to the point of
questioning the role of the State as the entity which is responsible for decisions on public expenditure and its
financing, now based on the combination of debt/tax levy. For the management of πόλις has become
fundamental the architecture of the tax system: the objectives of the “fair tax” to be taken and those –
instrumental to the first – the “due proceeding” through which to collect it and the “due process” by which
obtain judicial protection should be pursued in the light of the principle of equality of tax and of the canon
of reasonableness, its corollary. The reality, however, is very different: not only the wealth is concentrated in
the hands of a few at the expense of more, but is increasingly emphasizing its shift to the older population.
However the close correlation between taxes and social and intergenerational inequalities, denounced by
economists as Piketty, Saez and Stantcheva, can be reversed: that is the authentic ratio that justifies the latest
plans for revising the so-called tax expenditures as well as the attempts to reschedule some tax levies (such
as those on the “golden pensions”).
The relationship between different generations is a privileged place to analyze the dichotomy
equality/inequality in terms of access to resources, both of enjoyment of rights deemed acquired but in fact
unavailable for the next generation. The marked slowdown in population of Italy (2013 and 2014 are the first
two years of the deaths have exceeded births since 1918 - ISTAT) and in general throughout the Western
world demonstrates many challenges for the future from different angles view (economic, social, legal,
cultural et cetera). What public policies can resolve this impasse? What answers can give civil society? What
are the risks that we face without effecting any change of course? These are just some of the questions to
which intergenerational equality is becoming increasingly urgent to try to answer.
Any young researcher interested in issuing an unpublished paper to these themes is invited to submit an
abstract of no more than 2,000 characters (including spaces) along with a curriculum vitae et studiorum and
a list of scientific publications by June 15th, 2015 at the email address [email protected].
Abstracts will be subject to a blind review by the Scientific Committee of Hòrisma formed by:
- Patrizia Borsellino (Full Professor of Philosophy of Law and Bioethics - Università degli Studi di
Milano-Bicocca)
- Yuri Kazepov (Full Professor of Internationale Stadtsoziologie – University of Wien)
- Davide Maggi (Associate Professor of Business Economic – Università degli Studi del Piemonte
Orientale)
- Monica Martinelli (Assistant Professor of Sociology – Università Cattolica di Milano)
- Michel Misse (Associate Professor of Sociologia do Crime e da Violência – Universidade Federal do
Rio de Janeiro)
- Giuseppe Mosconi (Full Professor of Sociology of Law – Università degli Studi di Padova)
- Luigi Pannarale (Full Professor of Sociology of Law – Università degli Studi di Bari)
- Emilio Reyneri (Full Professor of Sociology – Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca)
- Roberta Sala (Assistant Professor of Public Ethics – Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milano)
- Emilio Santoro (Full Professor of Sociology of Law – Università degli Studi di Firenze)
- Guglielmo Scaramellini (Full Professor of Geography –Università Statale di Milano)
- Francesco Tesauro (Full Professor of Tax Law – Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca)
The evaluation will be based on the following criteria: relevance and importance of the proposal for the
advancement of knowledge on the addressed issue, originality of research, clarity of objectives presented,
quality of references, methodological rigor. The outcome of the assessment will be communicated to each
candidate by July 15th, 2015.
The contribution may be written in Italian or English according to the editorial criteria that will be
communicated to each author and shall not exceed the maximum length of 35,000 characters (including
spaces). The contribution will be sent within September 15th, 2015.
Deadlines:
- abstract submission: June 15th, 2015
- paper acceptance notification: July 15th, 2015
- full paper submission: September 15th, 2015
- conference: September 23rd and 24th, 2015
For any information: E-mail [email protected]
This project has been funded by the University of Milano-Bicocca through the competition announcement
“1000 lire”, in collaboration with ASB, LDS e SI, and by the University of Milano through the competition
announcement “Attività Culturali”.