Please provide a clear, concise abstract and include keywords (see
  list below).
  -

  We aim to create coherent panels from individual submissions.

  -

  Any of the innovative formats listed by EPSS:  EPSS New Panel Formats
  <https://epssnet.org/conferences/epss-2026-new-formats/>Examples:
  Author-meets-critics sessions, topical roundtables, etc.
  -

  We also invite innovations within the standard panel category, such
  as:

  Please reach beyond your immediate network to avoid insularity.

  -

  Consider submitting 3–4 paper panels to allow space for us to add one
  related paper from individual submissions.

  -

Pavithra Suryanarayan and I are sharing notes on the call for papers for the political economy of development section: Call for Papers: Political Economy of Development (PED) Section – EPSS 2026, Belfast We invite submissions of high-quality work on any topic in the political economy of development or comparative politics in low and middle income countries for the PED section at the European Political Science Society (EPSS) Annual Conference in Belfast, 2026. What You Can Submit - Individual Papers Submit a single paper—we will do our best to group it into a panel with a strong fit. - Please provide a clear, concise abstract and include keywords (see list below). - We aim to create coherent panels from individual submissions. - Full Panels You can propose: - Any of the innovative formats listed by EPSS: EPSS New Panel Formats <https://epssnet.org/conferences/epss-2026-new-formats/>Examples: Author-meets-critics sessions, topical roundtables, etc. - We also invite innovations within the standard panel category, such as: - Paper writers do not present; instead, discussants present and provide feedback. - Round-robin format: panelists read each other’s work and provide mutual commentary. - Debate-style panel structures. - “In conversation” panels engage with multiple published works (like author-meets-critics, but multi-piece). Key requirement: Whatever the format, attendees must be able to follow and engage without having read the papers in advance. Cross-Cutting Themes Alongside substantive PED topics, we welcome panels exploring how we do PED research, including: - Ethics in PED research - PED research and policy influence - Positionality in PED research - PED research in contexts of democratic backsliding - Implications of the cuts to USAID and other development agencies If proposed as standard panels, these should still contain original contributions. If proposed as topical roundtables, we encourage inviting participants from outside academia. Panel Design Guidelines - We aim not to break up well-designed panels, but: - Please reach beyond your immediate network to avoid insularity. - Consider submitting 3–4 paper panels to allow space for us to add one related paper from individual submissions. - In rare cases, we may need to split panels to achieve thematic coherence across the section. Panels We Generally Do Not Recommend - Panels organized solely around a single method (e.g., “Experiments in Development”), unless there is a compelling rationale. - Panels where most participants are from the same institution or all already have tight pre-existing connections. Keywords Including keywords will help us build coherent panels. Useful keywords might include (but are not limited to): accountability, bureaucratic politics, clientelism, corruption, criminality, democratization and autocratization, development strategies, electoral politics, ethnic politics, gender and politics, historical political economy, identity politics, inequality, informal institutions, institutions, international aid, migration, natural resources, participation, party politics, political violence, public goods provision, redistribution, state capacity, urban politics, trade and development How to submit Go to the Call for Papers | EPSS Belfast 2026 Conference <https://epssnet.org/belfast-2026/call-for-papers/> If you are submitting a panel one person should create the panel and then add in the emails of participants; individual participants then submit their papers, indicating the panel that their paper is on. Spread the Word We are building a dynamic, inclusive PED section at EPSS 2026. Please share this call with colleagues and networks—and bring your ideas to Belfast! If not on it already join the EPSS listserv by sending an email to: epss-info-join@list.epssnet.org Looking forward to seeing you in Belfast! Macartan Humphreys and Pavithra Suryanarayan -- Prof Macartan Humphreys PhD https://macartan.github.io/ [image: cid:2352bd93-9146-4a2b-b15a-cdee03d568c7] WZB Berlin Social Science Center Director, Institutions and Political Inequality Unit Reichpietschufer 50 | D-10785 Berlin macartan.humphreys@wzb.eu | www.wzb.eu *Managing Directors:* Prof. Dr. h. c. Nicola Fuchs-Schündeln, Ph.D. (President) Dr. Marcus Kölling (Managing Director) *Location: *Berlin *Trade Register: *Berlin, HRB 4303