Analytical Political Theory Group

Our annual conference 2026 seeks to provide a broad forum for colleagues working in the field of analytical political and social science. This year, we particularly invite paper proposals for four thematic panels (although we remain open to proposals on other topics):

• Perceptions of Public Opinion (Chair: Elias Koch)

• How do voters and political elites perceive, process, and act upon shifts in public opinion? 

• Electoral Systems and their Reform (Chair: Anna-Sophie Kurella)

• How do electoral systems shape competition among parties and candidates? How do voters respond to these institutional incentives? And when does electoral reform become probable and desirable? 

• Democratic Innovations and Process Preferences (Chair: Frederik Pfeiffer)

• How do democratic innovations interact with and shape process preferences, policy preferences, and issue polarization, and what are their broader effects on the functioning of democratic systems? 

• Elite Attitudes and Behaviour (Chair: Christina-Marie Juen)

• How do elites view democracy and their own role in it? How do their attitudes differ form citizens’, and how do they affect their behaviour?

The meeting will be organized by Anna-Sophie Kurella and will take place in Hannover.

Please send proposals for presentations (max 1 page) to Claudia Landwehr by June 30, 2026. Conference languages are German and English.

Speakers of the Analytical Political Theory Group: Christina-Marie Juen, Universität Oldenburg (christina-marie.juen(at)uol.de), Claudia Landwehr, Universität Mainz (landwehr(at)politik.uni-mainz.de), Johannes Marx, Universität Bamberg (johannes.marx(at)uni-bamberg.de) 

Website: https://www.dvpw.de/gliederung/ak/handlungs-und-entscheidungstheorie/

Call for Papers (PDF)