1st Annual Interdisciplinary WZB Conference

“The Future of Democracy?”

9-10 October 2025 at the WZB Berlin Social Science Center

In light of current political developments and the increasing threats to democracy, this conference seeks to harness the expertise of the social sciences to better understand and address these challenges. We invite submissions that analyze the obstacles facing liberal democracies and explore potential solutions for safeguarding and strengthening democratic institutions. We explicitly invite submissions from economics, sociology, political science, psychology, and law, and want to create a forum for interdisciplinary discussions.

Keynote speakers are:

• Christopher Andrew Bail (Duke University)
• Tim Besley (London School of Economics)
• Catherine de Vries (Bocconi University)

The scientific part will be accompanied by a panel with high-ranking representatives from politics and civil society, as well as a concluding panel (confirmed attendance by Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Princeton University).

Call for Papers

We invite submissions from interested researchers of all social science disciplines. Only full-length non-published papers will be considered. Potential topics for the parallel sessions are (but are not limited to):

• Polarization
• Misinformation and social media
• Party systems
• (Dis-)satisfaction with democracy
• Representation and legitimation deficits
• Role of courts and legal system in protecting democracy
• Civil society and civic engagement
• Democracy and the economy
• Science, truth and democracy
• The liberal international order

Submissions via the CEPR HUB: https://cepr.org/events/1st-annual-interdisciplinary-wzb-conference

Please find instructions on how to submit papers via the CEPR HUB in the Call for Papers here.

The deadline for replies is Wednesday 30th April 2025, 18:00 CEST. We cannot accept submissions received after this date.