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The Annual Report of the WG "Transformations in the World System - Comparative Studies in Development" (2005)

The total number of the active WG participants - 16, including the formal members of EADI - 14, 8 of them represent the institutional members. 1 participant (Dr. Vladislav Inozemtsev, the Centre for Studies of Post-Industrial Society, institutional member of EADI) is requested to clarify his personal approach to and prospects of collaboration with the WG till December 31. At the same time, the General Conference-2005 gave a good opportunity to attract new participants and to consolidate the WG. 6 new participants joined the WG. Prof. Wolfgang Hein from the German Overseas Institute, Hamburg, did not present formal paper at the sessions of the General conference but expressed his desire to join the WG. Negotiations with Prof. Pablo Bustelo (individual member of EADI, La Universidad Complutense, Madrid), concerning his participation, are in progress. The current list of the WG participants is the following:

Conveners

*) - temporarily does not participate because of maternity leave till August 2007.


Conveners:
Victor Krasilshchikov (Krassilchtchikov)
Centre for Development Studies
Institute of World Economy and International Relations (Russian Academy of Sciences)
23, Profsoyuznaya str., Moscow GSP-7, 117997
Russia
phone: (+7)-(095)-1208232
fax: (+7)-(095)-1206575
e-mail: f1victor(AT)mtu-net.ru
victor_ias2004(AT)yahoo.co.in

Imre Levai
Institute for Political Science (Hungarian Academy of Sciences
PF 694/115, 1399 Budapest
Hungary
phone: (36)-(1)-2246732
fax: (36)-(1)-2246733
e-mail: hl3695lev(AT)ella.hu
levai(AT)mtapti.hu

The main efforts of conveners were aimed at the preparation of the WG session of the 11th General Conference in Bonn (the report was sent to the Secretariat by the first week of October). The conference gave opportunity to enlarge the WG by attracting new members. It is worth mentioning that young researchers, Philip Casula, Edo Andriesse, and Joris Verschueren, joined the WG this year. At the same time, regardless of the conference, conveners were keeping regular contact with all members of the WG throughout the period under review.
As regards the academic issues, the activity of the WG members was mainly focused on the following problems:
Position of the developing and East/Central European countries in the world system under the conditions of globalisation (B. Despiney, S. Roceska);
Regional development in East Europe and its prospects after EU enlargement (in particular, case studies of Hungary, Poland, Russia and the Balkan countries) (S. Bukowski, B. Despiney, I. Lévai, S. Roceska);
Cycles of modernisation, 'modernisation trap' and drift of some countries towards the world periphery (A. Komlosy, V. Krasilshchikov);
Global instability and its humanitarian/social aspects (J. D. Schmidt), the social agents of changes in the world system (J. Verschueren), and rise of new forms of civil society (O. Castel).
After the WG workshop in Budapest (September 2004), the participants were requested to revise the text of their papers for publication. Unfortunately, resolution of this problem was 'hung' on because of funding difficulties.

Prospects of the working group.
1) According to the decision taken in Bonn, the WG intends to organise the next workshop in September 2006 (probably, it will be held in Paris, though negotiations with GEMDEV will be needed). Conveners announced 'a call for proposals' that will enable to prepare 'a call for papers'. The problems of decline, social disintegration, failed patterns of modernisation, 'modernisation trap', and so on, will be in the focus of the workshop.
2) The WG is considering a joint research project as continuation of subsequent discussions in Budapest and Bonn. However, this can be clarified only after the forthcoming workshop. At present, unfortunately, there is no well-founded prospect to prepare and publish a distinctive book or collection of papers by the WG.

On behalf of the Working Group,
Victor Krasilshchikov, Imre Lévai, conveners.

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