2025 Junior Scholars Forum

Junior Scholars Forum | "Reimagining Civil Society, Philanthropy, and Social Innovation in a World in Crisis" | 19-20 June, 2025

We are very happy to announce our 2025 Junior Scholars Forum on “Reimagining Civil Society, Philanthropy, and Social Innovation in a World in Crisis”, hosted at ESSEC Business School (Paris Cergy campus) on 19-20 June, 2025.

This flagship event is co-organized by the ESSEC Philanthropy Chair, the ESSEC Social Innovation Chair, the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (Stanford PACS), HEC Liège, EMLyon business school and IÉSEG School of Management.

Our goal

• To support junior scholars (PhD students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty) working and developing research in the areas of civil society, philanthropy, and social innovation.

• To increase the sense of intellectual community and enhance the overall quality of their research in management, economics, sociology, political science, philosophy, history, and other fields in the humanities and social sciences.

We are open to a wide variety of perspectives and topic areas including, but certainly not limited to, the following:

• Alternative ownership and governance models;

• Artificial intelligence, tech ventures and platforms “for good”;

• Collective social entrepreneurship processes;

• Corporate philanthropy, corporate social responsibility, and other business initiatives;

• Cross-sector partnerships, collective impact, collaboration of multiple stakeholders;

• Decision-making processes and criteria in grantmaking foundations;

• Democratic organizations and the democratization of the economy;

• Elites, capitalism, and plutocratic tendencies in civil society;

• Hybrid organizations (e.g. B-Corps) and the challenges of hybrid organizing;

• Impact investments, social impact bonds, blended finance, and other hybrid funding;

• Impact measurement and management and its consequences;

• Legal and fiscal frameworks encouraging or impeding civil society;

• Political innovation and initiatives to foster democracy and political change;

• Social movements, protests, and advocacy groups;

• Systems thinking, systems change, and its funding challenges;

• Tainted money, dirty gifts, and the ethical dilemmas in fundraising;

• Trust-based philanthropy and the power asymmetry between funders and grantees.

Submission details

Interested candidates should send their research material and an academic CV in attachment to an email motivating their participation:

• For the early-stage track (1st to 3rd year PhD students): please send an extended abstract (1,000-3,000 words) outlining your ongoing research and what you would most like feedback on.

• For the advanced track (final year PhD, postdoctoral students, assistant professors): please send a full-length paper not currently published (we accept manuscripts under review or undergoing revisions) on which you want to receive detailed feedback.

Applications should be sent before Friday, February 28th, 2025 to jsf@essec.edu. We will accept as many applications as possible, up to 20 participants.

Applications will be carefully reviewed by the organizing faculty team. Please send your application as soon as possible. Decisions will be communicated to applicants by Monday, March 31st, 2025. 

Full funding will be provided to all selected participants for accommodation (2 nights in Paris), meals, and participation fees. Funding for travel expenses will be provided to participants who need financial support.

Organizers

• Anne-Claire Pache (ESSEC Business School)

• Arthur Gautier (ESSEC Business School)

• Benjamin Huybrechts (IESEG School of Management)

• Christof Brandtner (emlyon business school)

• Frédéric Dufays (HEC Liège)

• Johanna Mair (Stanford University, Hertie School of Governance)

• Lisa Overbey (Stanford University)

• Nevena Radoynovska (emlyon business school)

• Virginie Xhauflair (HEC Liège)

• Walter W. Powell (Stanford University)

⬇️ Find the full call for applications below ⬇️