From 27 to 29 February 2020, the Chair of Political hosted the fourth international conference on "The Political Economy of Democracy and Dictatorship" (PEDD). During the three-day event, about 60 researchers from 20 nations presented their current research projects. Almost 130 contributions had been submitted in advance by interested parties, from which the scientific committee, consisting of Prof. Dr. Thomas Apolte and his colleagues Prof. Dr. Mario Ferrero from the University of Eastern Piedmont, Prof. Dr. Mario Gilli from Bicocca University in Milan and Prof. Dr. Yuan Li from the University of Duisburg-Essen, had selected the most convincing ones for presentation. The resulting conference program covered a wide range of scientific issues at the interface between economics and political science: The spectrum of topics ranged from the connection between political institutions and economic development, to the effects of terrorism and political conflicts, to determinants of the rise of nationalist and populist movements.
Once again this year, the organizers were able to win over two renowned guests for keynote speeches. Prof. Dr. Marta Reynal-Querol from the University of Pompeu Fabra (Spain) spoke on the topic "Early Human Capital and Development: The Case of Latin America". Prof. Reynal-Querol presented a unique dataset on the geographical distribution and vocational training of Spanish settlers on the American continent in the 15th/16th century. With the help of this data, the authors found that regions where many entrepreneurial immigrants settled at that time still show a higher entrepreneurial spirit and a stronger economy today. In a second presentation, Prof. Dr. Roger Congleton from West Virginia University (USA) addressed the topic "Why Rational Choice Politics Needs Ethics". Here he presented theoretical considerations from a book that is still being worked on. Prof. Congleton explained in particular the role of social and moral norms in the enforcement of legal regulations or the fight against corruption. These public keynote speeches not only stimulated lively discussions among the conference participants, but also aroused the interest of other guests from various disciplines, including many students.

A particular highlight of the conference was a special session on "The Political Economy of Europe", held for the first time. The Center for European Studies of the Bicocca University of Milan, of which Prof. Dr. Mario Gilli is a member, had selected contributions to the presentation that dealt in greater depth with democratic structures, current electoral behavior and public decision-making in the European Union and on the European continent.
In addition to the scientific aspects, the focus was also on the personal exchange between the participants, especially during the Welcome Reception on Thursday evening and the conference dinner on Friday evening. After four editions of PEDD, not only the number of enthusiastic "regular participants" is growing, but also the number of publications and the number of research projects and cooperations inspired by PEDD is steadily increasing. In addition to this scientific progress, EMU Rector Prof. Dr. Johannes Wessels also emphasized the socio-political significance of the projects presented in his welcoming address at the beginning of the conference. The international exchange between researchers in the field of political systems is especially important in order to fulfill the task of a university to strengthen democracy and civil society.