Call for Papers: IPSA Regional Conference - Wroclaw 2026

IPSA Regional Conference - Wroclaw 2026

Resilience of Democracy in a Polarized World: Populism, Autocratization, and Global Challenges

14-16 October 2026 | Wroclaw, Poland

Proposal Submission Deadline: May 13

Processes of democratic erosion, autocratization, and intensifying political polarization constitute some of the most consequential developments in contemporary politics. While the late twentieth century was widely characterized by successive waves of democratization, the early 21st century has witnessed a growing number of cases in which democratic institutions are weakened from within, executive authority is expanded, and the core principles of liberal democracy are increasingly contested.

These dynamics are closely intertwined with the rise of populist actors, the radicalization of political discourse, declining levels of trust in political institutions, and the strategic use of elections, media, and legal frameworks for partisan purposes. At the same time, such transformations unfold against the backdrop of profound global changes, including economic volatility, rapid technological innovation, climate change, large-scale migration, pandemics, and shifting security environments. Together, these developments reshape both the capacities of states and the expectations of citizens.

Yet democracy has not disappeared. Across different political systems, societies and institutions continue to develop mechanisms of adaptation, resistance, and renewal. The concept of democratic resilience directs analytical attention to the capacity of political systems to withstand pressures, respond to crises, and reconfigure democratic practices under adverse conditions. Explaining variation in democratic resilience—why democracy proves durable in some contexts and vulnerable in others - represents one of the central challenges for contemporary political science.

Importantly, contemporary democracies operate under conditions of overlapping and mutually reinforcing global pressures. Political responses to war and geopolitical instability, environmental degradation, economic shocks, public health emergencies, and technological disruption shape not only public policy, but also patterns of political competition, narratives of responsibility and blame, and the perceived legitimacy of democratic governance. Such responses may either strengthen democratic resilience through inclusion, accountability, and cooperation, or accelerate autocratization through securitization, exclusion, and the concentration of power.

Organizing a three-day regional conference in Poland in October 2026, convened in cooperation with the International Political Science Association (IPSA), the Polish Political Science Association (PPSA), and the  Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Wrocław, is therefore of particular relevance. 

The conference will be a fully in-person event. No virtual component will be available.

The conference invites paper and panel proposals that examine democratic resilience, erosion, and transformation from theoretical, empirical, and comparative perspectives.