^9th International Conference on

THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF DEMOCRACY AND DICTATORSHIP

The call for papers can be found here.

Date and Location

February 19-21, 2026

University of Münster, Germany

Public Keynotes

Maria Petrova, University Pompeu Fabra Barcelona, Spain

Milan Svolik, Yale University, USA

Conference Description

The conference addresses the origin and prospects of democracy and dictatorship, policy control and governance structures in comparative political systems and transition processes from dictatorship to democracy and vice versa.  Bringing together scholars interested in interdisciplinary work on comparative political systems is our focus.

We welcome theoretical as well as empirical papers by economists and other social scientists. In particular, papers may cover topics such as:

• Political accountability in autocracies and democracies
• Violence, conflicts, and revolutions
• Political stability and transitions
• Institutional change and prosperity
• Constitutional history of democracy
• Culture, religion, and political institutions

In addition, the Center for European Studies (CefES-DEMS) at Bicocca University Milan will host a special session on the "Political Economy of Europe". Submissions to the special session may cover topics in:

• European governance
• Economic and political dynamics across Europe

Please check the “Consideration for Special Session” upon submission if your paper should be considered for the special session.

PEDD Young Scholar Award

The PEDD Young Scholar Award is given to the best paper authored by one or multiple junior researchers under the age of 35 (age by September 15, 2025) – in the case of multiple authors, all authors must be under the age of 35 at the aforementioned date. The prize is awarded based on the written contribution. The PEDD Young Scholar Award is endowed with a monetary award of 500 €.

If you are eligible and would like to be considered for the PEDD Young Scholar Award, please check the “Consideration for PEDD Young Scholar Award”-box upon submission. We are looking forward to your contributions.

Deadlines and Submission

Abstract submission deadline: September 15, 2025 (max. 300 words, via submission form below)

Notification: October 30, 2025

Full paper submission deadline: January 31, 2026

Please send your full paper to  pedd@wiwi.uni-muenster.de.

Registration

In order to register for the conference, please use the link provided in your acceptance notice or contact the PEDD team via email (pedd@wiwi.uni-muenster.de).

Registration open: October 30, 2025 to January 15, 2026

Registration Fees

Before December 1, 2025:

• Senior researchers: 125€
• PhD students: 100€

From December 1, 2025:

• Senior researchers: 175€
• PhD students: 125€

Paper Selection Committee

Alfa Farah, Diponegoro University, Indonesia

Manuel Santos Silva, Free University of Berlin, Germany

Lena Gerling, University of Münster, Thünen Institute, Germany

Giacomo De Luca, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy

Andreas Stegmann, University of Warwick, UK

Zareh Asatryan, University of Münster, ZEW, Germany

Sofia Tsarsitalidou, University of Peloponnese, Greece & LSE, UK

PEDD Conference Board

Thomas Apolte, University of Münster, SGH Warsaw

Alfa Farah, Diponegoro University

Marina Dodlova, University of Münster, CESifo

Lena Gerling, University of Münster

Helena Helfer, University of Münster

Manuel Santos Silva, Freie Universität Berlin

Local Organization

The Chair of Political Economy

Scharnhorststr. 100

48151 Münster, Germany

Contact:  pedd@wiwi.uni-muenster.de