Dear Colleagues, I would like to draw your attention to two panels I am organising at this year’s Italian Political Science Association Conference. * Panel 1.12 – Conceptual and theoretical debates on contemporary political regimes: where do we stand and where do we go? (co-chaired with Angelo Vito Panaro) * Panel 10.7 – Measurement and indicators in political science You can find here<https://www.sisp.it/en/conference2024/call-for-papers-conference-2024> more details on how to submit your abstract. The deadline for abstract submissions is 31 May 2024 and the conference will take place in Trieste on 12-14 September 2024. Both panels will be held fully in English. Please find below more details on the two panels, and feel free to contact me (andrea.vaccaro@bsg.ox.ac.uk<mailto:andrea.vaccaro@bsg.ox.ac.uk>) or Angelo (angelo.panaro@uni-bielefeld.de<mailto:angelo.panaro@uni-bielefeld.de>) for any questions. If you are working on these themes, we warmly invite you to submit your abstract and join us in Trieste! With best wishes, Andrea Vaccaro ************************************** Panel 1.12 – Conceptual and theoretical debates on contemporary political regimes: where do we stand and where do we go? A broad spectrum of regime types and transitions coexist in contemporary political science discussions. However, conceptual interpretations often diverge among scholars, so there is a pressing need for greater conceptual and theoretical clarity. Key questions to address include: * Are traditional definitions of democracy, formulated over 50 years ago, still valid, or has our understanding of democracy evolved? And if so, how? * Are authoritarian regime typologies focused on specific regime characteristics such as incumbent type, formal and informal political institutions, personalism, and legitimation strategies relevant in capturing contemporary autocracies? * Various hybrid regimes have been identified in the ‘grey zone’ between democracy and autocracy (e.g. defective democracy, illiberal democracy, semi-democracy, electoral autocracy, competitive electoral autocracy, semi-autocracy). How do these hybrid regimes differ precisely from one another? And how valid are these concepts in describing contemporary regime types? * The extensive diversity of regime types has complicated discussions of regime transitions. For instance, what constitutes a transition between illiberal democracy and electoral autocracy? And how does it differ from moving between defective democracy and competitive electoral autocracy? We encourage submissions that address questions like these and push forward current conceptual and theoretical scholarly discussions on political regimes and transitions. ************************************** Panel 10.7 – Measurement and indicators in political science Political science increasingly relies on quantitative analysis but there tends to be a lack of systematic research attention towards data quality. This is concerning because poor numbers are likely to lead to incorrect research findings and a distorted understanding of the world. To increase the quality of political science research it is imperative to consider more carefully and improve the quality of the data we use. To this end, this panel offers a platform for presentation and discussion of cutting-edge research on measurement and indicators in political science. We welcome the submission of original papers that align with this wider theme without any restrictions in terms of perspectives or methodological approaches. We are especially interested in contributions that: * propose and develop new indicators; * assess the quality of existing data and datasets; * critically analyse data evaluation methods; * evaluate the quality of measurement and indicator construction processes; * examine the consequences of inaccurate measurement and indicators; * and more broadly, contribute to the advancement of better measurement and indicators in political science. ************************************** ------ Andrea Vaccaro, PhD Postdoctoral Research Fellow Blavatnik School of Government University of Oxford www.bsg.ox.ac.uk/people/andrea-vaccaro<https://www.bsg.ox.ac.uk/people/andrea-vaccaro> www.vaccaroandrea.com<http://www.vaccaroandrea.com> www.twitter.com/anvaccaro<http://www.twitter.com/anvaccaro>