CALL FOR PROPOSALS | IPSA 75th Anniversary Conference

To celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2024, the International Political Science Association is organizing an international conference in Lisbon with the support of the Gulbenkian Foundation and in partnership with the Portuguese Political Science Association (APCP) on the theme, “Democratization and Autocratization” from 11-13 September 2024.

Issues surrounding democratization and autocratization persist as pivotal challenges in contemporary political landscapes. Samuel Huntington notably coined the term “third wave” to describe the widespread democratic transitions occurring across the globe from the 1970s to the early 1990s. However, scholars have since observed a counter-trend, marked by movements toward autocracy in various regions since the 2000s. The current landscape is characterized by upheavals, including violent government overthrows, the erosion of democratic institutions by autocratic forces, substantial contestation of established power structures, and a prevailing disillusionment among segments of the population regarding liberal democratic institutions.

Organizing a conference on this critical theme in 2024 holds particular significance. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution in Portugal, an event identified by Huntington as the starting point of the “third wave” of democratization. Additionally, the International Political Science Association (IPSA) celebrates its 75th anniversary since its establishment in 1949. As an organization dedicated to advancing political science research globally, it is fitting for IPSA to host a three-day conference on the topic of democratization and autocratization in Lisbon, Portugal—the very location where the initial gunshot of the third wave of democratization resonated.

Against this backdrop, this three-day conference aims to delve into various facets of democratization and autocratization worldwide. We extend an invitation for papers and panels analyzing any aspect related to democratization and autocratization, spanning any region and time period, on individual case studies or with a comparative approach in any of the following areas:

• Elections and parties (party systems) in democratization and/or autocratization.
• Autocratization, populism and radical right/left parties.
• Autocratization trends and the quality of democracy.
• Democratization, autocratization, judiciary and rule of law.
• The economy in the democratization/autocratization processes.
• The military in the democratization and autocratization processes.
• The role of international relations in democratization/autocratization.
• The role of values, emotions, and cultural wars in democratization and autocratization.
• Migrations in democratization and/or autocratization processes.  
• Public policy and democratization/autocratization.
• Gender in democratization/autocratization processes.
• Nationalism and ethnicity in democratization and autocratization.
• The impact of autocratization on the governance process.

Call for Proposals

Submit your proposals and join us in shaping the discourse on the challenges and prospects of democracy and autocracy in the contemporary world. There are two submission options:

Paper Proposals

Submission of individual papers by author(s), which, if accepted, will be grouped into a panel at the discretion of the Program Committee. The paper proposal should include:

• Paper author’s full name
• Institution
• Country
• Paper title
• Paper abstract (200 words maximum)

Paper givers must commit to participating in person and may be asked to serve as chairs and/or discussants in the assigned panel. Before submitting a paper proposal, please review the submission instructions. You may submit your paper proposals through this link.

Closed Panel Proposals

A closed panel proposal refers to a pre-organized and complete panel that includes 4-5 papers, a chair, and one or more discussants. A closed panel proposal should include the following elements:

• Title
• Description outlining the panel’s focus and objectives
• 1 Chair (Full name, affiliated institution and country)
• 1-2 Discussant(s) (Full name, affiliated institution and country)
• 4-5 Papers: For each paper, clearly indicate the author’s full name, affiliated institution, country, paper title and abstract (200 words maximum)

All proposed panelists must commit to participating in person if the panel is selected.

IMPORTANT NOTE: All panel elements listed above should be included when you submit your proposal. Once submitted, you will be able to edit the elements of the panel proposal until 10 April 2024. Before submitting a panel proposal, please review the submission instructions. You may submit a panel through this link.

Guidelines for Full Papers

Main authors of accepted proposals will be asked to submit the complete paper in PDF format by 28 August 2024.

• A written paper, in English, no more than 12.000 words, single-spaced on letter-sized pages (8.5” x 11”) or A4.
• Authors are free to choose the citation style of their paper.

The submission link to upload the full paper will be provided to accepted authors by e-mail.

For more information, you may visit https://www.ipsa.org/events/75-anniversary-Lisbon