Conflict of Interest in Central and Eastern Europe
An international conference at the Institute of Sociology,
Nicolaus Copernicus University
Toruń, Poland
25 - 27 August 2010
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Conflict of interest (COI) is usually understood quite broadly as a social phenomenon related to corruption, lobbying, nepotism, patronage, clientelism or the activity of informal networks of power. What are the current expressions of conflicts of interest in various spheres of social life in Central and Eastern Europe - politics, economy, science? What approaches to COI social sciences should apply? Why does COI often remain an unexplored issue, a part of the lost reality of social sciences, as Sojak and Wicenty call it? In what ways are scientists, including social scientists themselves, involved in various conflicts of interest, such as 'rent-seeking' activities?

Although diverse examples of COI are studied by social researchers from Central and Eastern Europe who tend to agree about its ubiquity and importance in post-communist CEE countries, the questions mentioned above remain often unanswered. The aim of our conference is to fill the gap and ask about the many faces of COI and the role it plays in different areas of social life in post-communist countries.


Keynote speakers: Discussants at a panel on combating conflict of interest:
  • Prof. Antoni Z. Kamiński, Professor at the Institute of Political Studies of Polish Academy of Sciences, author of ”An institutional theory of communist regimes: design, function, and breakdown“(San Francisco, Calif.: ICS Press, 1992.) and ”Korupcja rządów: państwa pokomunistyczne wobec globalizacji” (confirmed).
  • Grażyna Kopińska, Director of the Anti-Corruption Program, Stefan Batory Foundation (confirmed).
  • Marek Kaduczak, Head of Legal Affairs unit at OLAF: European Anti-Fraud Office (confirmed).

The conference will take place in Torun, a charming city with a medieval old town, ruins of the Teutonic Knights' castle from the 13th century and many gothic churches, which creates a unique, unforgettable atmosphere. The conference venue is located in the middle of the historical city centre. Institute of Sociology NCU has been the organizer of the 7th Conference of the European Sociological Association, which took place in Torun in September 2005.

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