5th International Workshops on Public Policy July 6-8 2026 Ottawa Scholars from King's College London are organizing a workshop entitled "The democratic embeddedness of independent agencies: Analysing responsiveness and accountability<https://www.ippapublicpolicy.org/conference/iwpp5-ottawa-2026/panel-list/25/panel/onsite-workshop-the-democratic-embeddedness-of-independent-agencies-analysing-responsiveness-and-accountability/1915>" for the 5th International Workshops on Public Policy (IWPP5) of the International Public Policy Association. The workshop will be held in person at the Carleton University (Ottawa), 6-8 July 2026. This workshop seeks to address a number of questions related to patterns of accountability and responsiveness of independent agencies and non-majoritarian institutions in contemporary democracies. It welcomes papers that explore: (i) the conditions under which we observe stronger accountability of independent agencies, including the individual and contextual determinants of the type and quality of scrutiny that parliamentarians perform; (ii) whether and how vote-seeking representatives use their account-holding roles to attract media attention and, possibly, electoral rewards; (iii) the extent to which, and conditions under which, independent agencies' communicative and policy actions target or respond to wider public priorities or sensitivities, and in what ways they do that; (iv) how independent agencies combine responsiveness to specific stakeholders with their mandate-related priorities and activities. The workshop is also open to contributions that broaden the topic of bureaucratic responsiveness or politicization of legislative oversight of independent technocratic bodies beyond the focus described above. For instance, we would welcome papers that explore the relationship between independent agencies and democratic systems - including in terms of what we should and can expect from accountability and responsiveness - from a political theoretical perspective. The deadline to apply is 20 January 2026. Please refer to the "Call for Papers" page on the IWPP5 website: https://www.ippapublicpolicy.org/conference/iwpp5-ottawa-2026/callForPaper/25. More information about registration process and fees can be found here: https://www.ippapublicpolicy.org/conference/iwpp5-ottawa-2026/25. If you have any question or just want to get in touch with the organisers, don't hesitate to email Michele Scotto di Vettimo (michele.scotto_di_vettimo@kcl.ac.uk<mailto:michele.scotto_di_vettimo@kcl.ac.uk>) or Christel Koop (christel.koop@kcl.ac.uk<mailto:christel.koop@kcl.ac.uk>). Feel free to circulate this call for papers within relevant networks. With best regards, Michele Scotto di Vettimo and Christel Koop Workshop organisers