Crisis and Transformation

Annual Conference of the Political Economy Section of the German Political Science Association (DVPW), together with the International Center for Sustainable and Just Transformation [tra:ce] and the Young Scholars Initiative of the Institute for New Economic Thinking (YSI-INET)

21-22 September 2023, Witten/Herdecke University

The Political Economy Section of the German Political Science Association (DVPW), the In- ternational Center for Sustainable and Just Transformation [tra:ce], and the Young Scholars Initiative of the Institute for New Economic Thinking (YSI-INET) invite submissions of papers and organized panels. The conference will feature panels relating to the theme “Crisis and Transformation” and panels that are open to any topic in Comparative and International Politi- cal Economy.

The conference will take place from 21 to 22 September 2023 at Witten/Herdecke University in Witten, Germany.

“Crisis” is frequently diagnosed today in relation to various interconnected issues: climate change, war, energy supply, various financial and economic shocks, the COVID-19 pandemic, migration, the never-ending eurocrisis, and other topics. But how is crisis diagnosed and ana- lysed, and what are the challenges, problems, and possibilities of this analysis? Under what conditions do crises undermine or reaffirm existing power relations, institutional structures, and vested interests? What kind of transformations are needed to overcome or mitigate some of these crises? The conference invites a closer analysis of the possibilities and limitations of social, political and economic transformation in relation to periods of crisis. It aims to engage with the following questions:

• What defines a crisis? What politico-economic processes count as transformation?
• What sort of theories, strategies, and philosophies are needed to grasp, analyse, and
  respond to crises and transformation challenges?
• What are the methodological challenges of studying crises and transformations?
• Which transformations are desirable? Should a strategy of “green growth”, “de-growth”,
  or other alternatives be pursued?
• Why is the current financial system prone to crisis and what is needed to stabilize it?
• How do contemporary conflicts and gendered and racialized politico-economic rela-
  tions of power condition potential processes of transformation?
• What can we learn from former crises and transformation processes?
• What role do the social sciences play in times of crisis and change? How does the
  social organisation of science and policy advice influence processes of crisis and trans- formation?
  We are interested in contributions that address these and similar questions, as well as those that aim to work out the links between different dimensions and dynamics of crisis and trans- formation. We particularly welcome contributions that explore interdisciplinary approaches (in particular, but not exclusively from Philosophy, Political Science, and Economics) aiming at
  developing inter-, trans-, and multidisciplinary theoretical, empirical, and applied approaches to the pressing challenges of our times.
  In addition to contributions to the theme of crisis and transformation, we also invite abstracts of papers and organized panels on any other topic in political economy.

PROPOSALS FOR TOPICS ARE POSSIBLE IN TWO FORMATS:
(a) Individual papers (English or German): Abstract with a maximum of 250 words.
(b) Panels: Abstract (English or German) of maximum 100 words plus 3-4 abstracts (English or German) of maximum 250 words for papers that fit together thematically.
Please send your abstracts to polecon.conference@uni-wh.de. Deadline for submission is 10 February 2023. The decision on acceptance will be made by 25 February 2023.

FORMAT:
The conference will take place at Witten/Herdecke University and is planned for two full days. There will be an informal get-together in the evening of 20 September. Depending on the num- ber and quality of submissions, a poster session with additional papers may be organized. Parallel to the conference, a student PPE conference will take place at the same venue.

LOGISTICAL DETAILS:
We are planning to hold the conference in presence and are trying to raise funds for the implementation as well as travel and accommodation costs for academics in the qualification phase without own funding. The Young Scholars Initiative of the Institute for New Economic Thinking (YSI-INET) will host sessions at the conference and provide funding for travel and accommodation for young scholars working on topics related to the conference theme. A small participation fee will be charged to cover catering costs during the conference. Please note that the acceptance of a proposal does not imply a funding commitment.