The Center of Arab Women Training and Research (CAWTAR) is currently embarking the bulk of its policy-oriented research in the area of economic empowerment of Arab women and decision-making.


The international community has reached a consensus on the important linkages between   women’s participation in decision-making and the enhancement of development and national economic growth. This is at a time when the participation of Arab women in decision-making is considered the lowest in the world.

CAWTAR’s approach to the problem of the inadequate decision-making participation of Arab women is by also focusing on their economic empowerment. This is because economic empowerment is key for women to be in a position to better exercise their full citizenship rights including equal participation in decision-making in both the public and privates spheres.

To firmly ground advocacy for policy change on scientific evidence, CAWTAR is particularly interested in furthering knowledge on different aspects of the economic security of Arab women. Not only is women’s economic security vital for the sustainability of their own livelihoods, that of their families, and their empowerment, but strengthening women’s economic capacity as entrepreneurs, and decision-makers in the private sector also enables them to play an active role as producers and participants in shaping markets and policies.

The objective of this call for papers is to invite members of the research community and practitioners to prepare and present policy-oriented papers on one of the important aspect of women’s economic security and empowerment namely, the Role of Arab Women Entrepreneurs in the Development Process.

To this end, CAWTAR’s aims to reach research centers, university professors, independent researchers, or members of regional and international networks with a solid expertise in one of the following fields: women’s entrepreneurship, business management, macro-economics, trade, small and medium enterprises, micro finance and/or business law.

The proposed paper should focus on ONE of the following topics:


- Provide, at the national level, successful models of women entrepreneurship, by demonstrating the enabling socio-economic factors behind women’s success and the types of their contribution to national economic growth.
   

Centre of Arab Women for Training and Research


-         Assess women entrepreneurs’ engagement in important centers of decision-making, such as, the Chamber of Commerce, commercial banks, and business associations …etc and the capacity of institutions that support women’s entrepreneurship.

-         Elaborate on the socio-economic challenges facing women entrepreneurs in their daily business activities, in terms of power relations and gender roles. Provide examples regarding access to finance, networking, socio-cultural and economic realties, work-life balance, training programs …etc.

-         Evaluate the implications of the fiscal and trade related policies (such as taxes, tariffs, quotas, and exchange rate policies) on women’s labor force participation and hence the potential of women’s entrepreneurship.  

-         Survey women entrepreneurs’ use of e-commerce and ICT in their daily activities, for e.g., expanding their business, merchandising their products, participating in international exhibitions, or any other export-import related transactions….etc.

-         Assess business women’s contribution to the community at large (such as financial contribution to social programs, provision of scholarships, charity funds, research mentoring or otherwise).


Each submission should include the followings:

- A background of the selected country, the relevant institutional framework of policies and laws and a description of the existing trends of the national labour market.

-         Gender-disaggregated quantitative data (statistical indicators, tables, charts…).

-         Recommendations for policy reforms, and a section on lessons- learned or best practices.

-         Bibliography and a list of publication at the national level dealing with Arab Business women. Preferably to provide contact information of national women business associations.

 

 Contribution Terms:


-Interested researchers are invited to fill attached registration form and to send it together with an abstract of their proposals (3 -5 pages) by 30 April 2005. If accepted the complete final draft of the paper (25 to 30 pages) would be due on 5 September, 2005.
   

Centre of Arab Women for Training and Research
 

-         The paper should be an original contribution and is not published or submitted for publication elsewhere.

-         The Paper can be drafted in Arabic, English or French.

-         Paper can be sent through email or in hard copy accompanied by a floppy disc.

 
Competition Results


-Papers will be evaluated by an international jury panel.

-CAWTAR will preserve all rights in terms of publication and use of selected papers.

-The papers will be presented at a regional workshop – to be announced by the Center in the due course of the process.

-The papers will be posted on CAWTAR’s website.

-Three papers will be selected; the first awardee will receive of US$ 2000, while the second and third awardees will receive $1500.

 

Download the Arabic version of the Call for Paper file

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