From February 22 to 24, 2024, the Chair of Political Economy hosted its annual international conference on "The Political Economy of Democracy and Dictatorship" (PEDD) for the seventh time. The objective of the conference was to promote research and academic discourse on different political regimes and economic changes. Over 70 scientists from around the world gathered in Münster to present and discuss their current research. The conference program, selected through a submission and review process, covered a broad range of contemporary political and economic debates. The paper selection was carried out by the newly established Paper Selection Committee (see below). This committee consists of six senior and junior researchers who serve as scientific directors of the conference.

A total of 71 sessions were held, addressing a range of topics, including current economic issues. These included the effects of protests in Iran on life satisfaction, international sanctions, electoral fraud, the impact of terrorism on economic inequality, and the influence of lobbying on legislative procedures in Europe. In a similar vein to previous years, the University of Bicocca in Milan hosted a dedicated session on the "Political Economy of Europe." This session focused on the intricacies of European governance and the multifaceted economic and political dynamics that shape the continent.

Notable highlights of the program included keynote lectures delivered by Leonard Wantchekon (Princeton University, USA) and Nicola Fuchs-Schündeln (Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany). On the first day of the conference, Prof. Wantchekon presented a discussion on the topic of "State Capacity and Institutional Experimentation." He put forth the argument that institutional editing and experimentation serve as valuable complements to existing top-down state-building strategies. On the second day of the conference, Prof. Fuchs-Schündeln addressed the determinants of support for democracy, examining the impact of the duration of democratic experience on preferences. She proposed that the development of popular support in new democracies requires an extended period of time.

At this year's conference, the PEDD Young Scholar Award was presented for the third time. This award recognizes outstanding research by leading young scholars below the age of 35. The Paper Selection Committee fulfilled the role of the jury, evaluating all eligible submissions. The award was bestowed upon Sinara Gharibyan of the Czech Economic Research Institute (CERGE-EI) in Prague, Czech Republic, in recognition of her exemplary contributions. Her paper, entitled "Activated History and Voting: Decoupling Collective and Family Remembrance" focuses on disentangling the effects of collective memory from those of family memory. The findings suggest that although both forms of memory exhibit comparable backlash effects, the underlying processes diverge. Family memory operates as a traumatic force, whereas collective memory of the same event functions through social capital.

We would like to express our gratitude to all those who were instrumental in making this year's PEDD conference a success, particularly the participants for their invaluable contributions. In light of the numerous ongoing political crises worldwide, the significance of research and discourse on political and economic matters is underscored. We are gratified to have provided a forum for researchers from around the globe to exchange ideas and stimulate further research. We eagerly anticipate the next edition, scheduled for 2025.

Date and Location
February 22 to 24, 2024
University of Münster, Germany
 

Paper Selection Committee
- Antonis Adam, University of Ioannina, Greece
- Giacomo De Luca, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy
- Alfa Farah, Diponegoro University, Indonesia
- Mario Gilli, Bicocca University Milan, Italy
- Helena Helfer, University of Münster, Germany
- Kim Leonie Kellermann, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany