The IAPSS World Congress is our major event as well as an established and well-recognized platform for students and junior scholars. Once a year, the World Congress provides an academic programme, as well as networking opportunities with high-level stakeholders and scholars.
The list of World Congresses up to date is available below.
See the event page.
The IAPSS World Congress is the largest annual event hosted by IAPSS – the International Association for Political Science Students. As customary for our biggest event of the year, we expected 175 students from around the world to join us during our first virtual World Congress, concentrating on the theme, Democracy, Identity, and Power.
We are excited that the World Congress, taking place between May 11 – 14, will be the first time we have offered the conference on a digital platform. This opportunity means that we can offer accommodations for a truly international audience and speakers while engaging in the same academic dialogue we pride ourselves in. To learn more about sub-themes, how to submit a paper, and deadlines, click here.
To view our 2021 World Congress Guidebook, click here.
Follow our social media to stay up-to-date on the conference!
Instagram: @iapssgram – Twitter: @iapss – LinkedIn: International Association for Political Science Students
The IAPSS World Congress took place between May 20 and 25 in Madrid. The conference theme was Overcoming Injustice and included lectures and other interesting workshops.
The IAPSS World Congress is the largest annual event hosted by IAPSS – the International Association for Political Science Students. As customary for our biggest event of the year, 250 students from around the world to joined us in the “City of Light” of Paris, France, to examine the 2018 World Congress theme – ‘Diversity and Globalization’.
Having taken place between the 24th and 28th of April 2018, we had a fascinating program of student-led panels, expert talks and interactive workshops and sessions. This is not to mention the exciting opportunities to network with fellow students and experts, as well as exploring beautiful Paris!
An exciting academic and social programme with a broad range of high profile scholars and experts awaited participants in Paris. The IAPSS World Congress 2018 brought together a multiplicity of experts from academia, civil society institutions, the media, policy-makers and think tanks. With 24 student panels, 100 panelists were provided with the unique opportunity to discuss their research and work-in-progress in political science, international relations and related sub-fields with an international audience. In addition, around 150 observing students joined the conference in order to get familiar with the format of an academic conference and participate in lively discussions.
The IAPSS World Congress is the largest annual event hosted by IAPSS – the International Association for Political Science Students. As customary for our biggest event of the year, we expected 150 students from around the world to join us in the capital of Hungary, Budapest, to examine the 2017 Congress theme – ‘The Meaning of Politics’.
Having taken place between April 4 – 8 2017 at the Department of Political Science at Central European University we had a fascinating program of student-led panels, expert talks and interactive workshops and sessions. This is not to mention the exciting opportunities to network with fellow students and experts, as well as exploring beautiful Budapest!
The Central European University (CEU) was the perfect location to explore ‘The Meaning of Politics’, as it was founded during the turbulent fall of the socialist bloc. The CEU is committed to promoting the values of open society and self-reflective critical thinking, aiming at excellence in the mastery of established knowledge and the promotion of democratization. An exciting academic and social program with a broad range of high profile scholars and experts awaited students in Budapest. The IAPSS World Congress 2017 brought together a multiplicity of experts from academia, civil society institutions, the media, policy-makers and think tanks. At dozens of student panels, 100 panelists were provided with the unique opportunity to discuss their research and works-in-progress in political science, international relations and related sub-fields with an international audience.
Program
The IAPSS World Congress 2017 aims at both providing students of political science, international relations and related disciplines a platform to present their work and research within a variety of student panels, and bringing you together with experts from the academia, politics, the media and civil society to discuss and examine topics and issues around the Congress theme “The Meaning of Politics” in depth.This year we will be expecting around 110 panelists with 21 student-run panels. Each day (April 4 – 8) is divided in 4 time slots of 90 minutes length each. 7 time slots are exclusively reserved for a series of student panels running parallel. Three to five students will present their research and work in form of short paper presentations at each panel, facilitated by a panel chair, a panel discussant and the audience present.
At a number of high profile lectures we will bring you together with leading political scientists of our time, in an open atmosphere enabling both the speaker and the audience to discuss the topic of the lectures freely and without limits of thinking. In the morning sessions, a wide range of events is scheduled, such as roundtables. A highly interactive environment will enable you and the academic guests to elaborate on concepts, theories and arguments in depth.
The academic program will be supplemented by a variety of social events, enabling you to relax in the evenings and meet fellow students and the organizers in an informal setting.
On April 8 there is no academic program, instead all members of IAPSS are welcome to attend the General Assembly – the highest decision-making body of the association. The future will be discussed and elections to the IAPSS Executive Committee will be held. As a member, you have voting rights, and we look forward to your presence and contribution to the future of IAPSS.
You will receive the final program of the IAPSS World Congress 1 week prior to the event. A PDF version will also be made available.
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09:30 – 11:00 | Opening Session, with Welcome Message by Carsten Schneider (CEU) and Opening Keynote Speech by Zoltan Miklosi (CEU), “The Right to Exclude”.
14:30 – 16:00 | Congress Keynote Speech, by Bo Rothstein (University of Oxford): “Guilty as charged? Human well-being and the unsung relevance of political science”.
09:30 – 11:00 | Expert Talks: Migration Panel, with representatives from MigrationAid, UNHCR and IOM, moderated by Charlotte Hammer (IAPSS Academic Think Tank).
14:30 – 16:00 | Lecture, by Professor Christian W. Haerpfer (IPSA, University of Vienna): “The Meaning of Political Participation. Methodology and Measurement”.
10:30 – 12:00 | Workshop, by Bruno Castanho Silva (CEU) : Experimental design in research.
Read the following article prior to the workshop: Imbens, Guido W., and Donald B. Rubin. 2015. Causal Inference for Statistics, Social, and Biomedical Sciences: an Introduction. New York: Cambridge University Press, Chapter 1.
14:30 – 16:00 | Lecture, by Dr. Petri Koikkalainen (ECPR, University of Lapland): “The missing link between ideas and institutions? How political science has made itself less relevant”.
09:30 – 11:00 | Lecture, by Andrei Miroiu & Radu-Alexandru Cucută (NUPSA Bucarest) : “Morality and Violence: Building Political Identity in 21st Century Communities”.
14:30 – 16:00 | Special Expert Panel | To be announced 1 week prior to the World Congress
Registration: CLOSED
The IAPSS World Congress is the largest annual event hosted by IAPSS – the International Association for Political Science Students. Hundreds of students from across the globe are expected to discuss and examine the Congress theme “Challenging Democracy” with dozens of high profile scholars, experts and policy-makers featured – between April 5 – 9, 2016 in Germany’s capital: Berlin.
Join us at the largest conference for students of Political Science, International Relations and related studies in 2016!
At the Institute for Social Sciences, Humboldt University hundreds of students of political science and related disciplines are expected for the largest conference for young political scientists in 2016. An exciting academic and social program with a broad range of high profile scholars and experts will await you in the city of Berlin. The IAPSS World Congress 2016 will bring together a multiplicity of experts from the academia, civil society institutions, the media, policy-makers and think tanks. From Germany, Europe and beyond. At dozens of student panels, more than 100 panelists will be provided with the unique opportunity to discuss their research and work-in-progress in political science, international relations and related sub-fields with an international audience.
You can participate either as a panelist or as an observer. As a panelist you get the opportunity to present your paper in a panel and discuss it with fellow students. The deadline for submitting abstracts has now passed and panelists have been confirmed, however, you are still very welcome to attend the World Congress as an observer. You will be able to participate in all lectures, panels, roundtables, and social events.
The IAPSS World Congress 2016 aims at both providing students of political science, international relations and related disciplines a platform to present their work and research within a variety of student panels, and bringing you together with experts from the academia, politics, the media and civil society to discuss and examine topics and issues around the Congress theme “Challenging Democracy” in depth.
Each day (April 5 – 8) is divided in 4 time slots of 90 minutes length each. 7 time slots are exclusively reserved for a series of student panels running parallel. Three to five students will present their research and work in form of short paper presentations at each panel, facilitated by a panel chair, a panel discussant and the audience present.
At a number of high profile lectures we will bring you together with leading political scientists of our time, in an open atmosphere enabling both the speaker and the audience to discuss the lecture’s topic freely and without limits of thinking. In the morning sessions, a wide range of events is scheduled, such as roundtables. A highly interactive environment will enable you and the academic guests to elaborate on concepts, theories and arguments in depth.
The academic program will be supplemented by a variety of social events, enabling you to relax in the evenings and meet fellow students and the organizers in an informal setting.
On April 9 there is no academic program, but the IAPSS General Assembly. On this day, we will be discussing the future of our association and electing a new board for June 1, 2016 – May 31, 2017.
You can find more details on the program and logistics on the various subpages.
The IAPSS World Congress is the largest annual event organised by the International Association for Political Science Students. Bringing together more than 500 students of political science and related disciplines from all over the world, the congress deals with a topic corresponding to the IAPSS Annual Theme. The annual theme for 2015 is “Conflict, Cooperation and Security”.
More than 500 students of political science and related disciplines are expected to THE conference for young political scientists in 2015. An exciting academic and social program with dozens of high profile guests as well as a range of social evening events – right in the heart of London – will await you. The IAPSS World Congress 2015 will tap into the vibrant academic community in London and the United Kingdom as well as drawing on a broad range of experts from the academia and think tanks, the media, civil society and policy makers. More than 30 student panels with almost 150 panelists are scheduled!
With the truly international audience expected, which crosses all sub-disciplines of political science and social sciences and indeed all student career stages, the IAPSS World Congress 2015 will be a unique event for individual academic learning, vivid debate and networking.
The IAPSS World Congress 2015 aims at both providing students of political science and related disciplines a platform to present their work and research within a variety of student panels, and bringing you together with experts from the academia, politics, the media and civil society to discuss and examine topics around the Congress theme “The Politics of Conflict and Cooperation” in-depth during Plenary and Expert Sessions.
Each day is divided in four time slots of 90 minutes length each:
7 out of 16 slots are exclusively reserved for five student panels running parallel. Three to five students will present their research in form of short paper presentations at each panel, facilitated by a panel chair and followed by a discussion by a panel discussant and the audience present. All selected abstracts will be available online here as well as in the IAPSS World Congress 2015 guide provided to all attendants during on-site registration and online.
A range of high-profile lectures – 5 out of 16 slots – will bring you together with leading political scientists and political figures of our time, in an open atmosphere enabling both the speaker and you, the audience, to discuss the lecture’s topic freely and without limits of thinking. The keynote officially opening the IAPSS World Congress 2015 in the morning of April 14th and introducing the Congress theme “The Politics of Conflict and Cooperation” will be hold by a reknown expert.
Expert Sessions: Special Panels, Small-scale Lectures & Documentary Screenings
And, 3 out of 16 time slots of again 90 minutes length each are scheduled for five expert sessions running at the same time, comprising small-scale lectures and special panels alike. The smaller size will result in a highly interactive environment enabling you and the academic guests to elaborate on concepts, theories and arguments comprehensively. The IAPSS Academic Think Tank and participants of the IAPSS Winter School 2015 will contribute two Special Panels. A variety of documentary screenings will furthermore enrich the program, and you will have the unique opportunity to discuss the documentaries’ story, context and making with the directors.
The detailed program schedule is available here.
Find the official IAPSS World Congress 2015 booklet featuring all programme information here.
“By seeing London, I have seen as much of life as the world can show”, once said Samuel Johnson. Our host city, London, is a truly unique metropolis offering uncounted cultural and social events and venues to enjoy your time in the city as much as possible. From wild pubs to classic opera, from underground parties to hip jazz concerts – the “sky is the limit” in London.
The social program will include lunch events, bringing you together with experts presenting their recent book releases and meeting you for discussions on the addressed topic in an informal setting. Furthermore, a festive reception will be held for all attendants on the day of the Congress’ opening (April 14th), and we will be happy to welcome you at the Congress Party (April 15th) the first ever IAPSS Black Tie Ball (April 17th).
The last day of the IAPSS World Congress 2015, April 18th, is reserved for the highest decision-making body of IAPSS, the IAPSS General Assembly, in its 20th edition. The full-day program includes a short reporting session by the IAPSS Executive Committee on the portfolio and agenda of the legislative mandate 2014-15, the review of the financial administration of the Association in 2014, a series of planning and strategy workshops as well as the elections of the new IAPSS Executive Committee for the legislative period 2015-16. The day will end with a reception at Birkbeck, to celebrate the end of a long day of discussion and planning, and the election of the new Executive Committee.
All individual and association members of IAPSS are invited to attend this inspiring and enriching event.
For questions and inquiries related to the 20th IAPSS General Assembly please consult with IAPSS Secretary-General Thomas Linders at secgen@iapss.org.
The IAPSS World Congress 2015 will be officially inaugurated by a festive opening session in the morning of April 14th (from 10.00am, at Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church), followed by the keynote hold by Prof. Klaus Schlichte (Dean of the Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences).
A number of publishing houses and political institutions will display their publications and advertise their career opportunities in political science and social sciences right next to the Info & Registration Desk.
Following the last highlight of the program, the Oxford Style Debate, the Congress will be officially ended with a closing session featuring IAPSS President Philipp Aepler for a talk on upcoming IAPSS events as well as all organisers giving a résumé on the four days of the academic conference (April 14th – 17th).
April 13th is the official arrival and on-site registration day. Our team will be welcoming you at Birkbeck, University of London, and provide you with your personal participant bag containing the official IAPSS World Congress 2015 booklet, your personal name badge and lanyard, writing utensils and further material. On-site registration on April 13th will be open from 03.00pm till 08.00pm at the Foyer of Birbeck’s main building (Malet St).
A permanent Info & Registration Desk will be available for your questions and inquiries from April 14th (first conference day) till April 17th, from 09.00am to 07.30pm at the Basement Foyer of Birkbeck. Throughout the conference, all participants (incl. all panelists) can pick up their official IAPSS World Congress 2015 certificate at the Info & Registration Desk. Recipients of travel grants can gather these after their presentations there too. Please note that the desk will not be available during the 20th IAPSS General Assembly (April 18th).
The Call for Papers closed as of November 15th (2nd deadline). All submitters of abstracts have been notified by the end of November, depending on the date of submission. All chairs and discussants have been selected and notified by the beginning of March 2015 or earlier.
Final papers of selected panelists should be submitted by March 1st, 2015. Please structure and format your paper in accordance to the IAPSS Paper Submission Guidelines. If you haven’t submitted your paper yet, please do so as soon as possible here. Questions and inquiries related to student and special panels shall be addressed to Vit Simral, head of the Congress’ panel administration at academic@iapss.org.
Detailed instructions on the preparation of your individual paper presentation and participation in your student panel (as paper presenter, chair and/or discussant) have been provided by mid-March 2015.
Registration for the IAPSS World Congress 2015 is quick and easy. If you are a member of IAPSS already, just log in to your individual account at MyIAPSS (if you have forgotten your password, just request a reset and renew your password; your login address is the e-mail address you have applied with for IAPSS membership earlier) and purchase your ticket for the Congress via our webstore.
If you are not a member of IAPSS yet, you have to register for IAPSS Membership first – completed in a few minutes. Afterwards, purchase your ticket for the IAPSS World Congress 2015 in the web store.
The completion of your registration for the Congress requires payment of the participation fee. Payment options include various credit cards (Visa, Master, American Express), PayPal as well as iDeal, MisterCash/Bancontact and SOFORT Banking (the latter three for Dutch, Belgian and German debit cards only). Our payment facilities are protected by a SSL Certificate!
The deadline for registrations has elapsed!
The deadline for registration for students elapsed as of March 15th, 2015. If you wish to participate, please contact: wc-info@iapss.org. We cannot guarantee to honour your request.
75.00 EUR – for students residing in the UK, only (ca. 55.00 GBP)
85.00 EUR – for academic conference only, April 14th – 17th (ca. 65.00 GBP)
95.00 EUR – for academic conference & IAPSS General Assembly, April 14th – 18th (ca. 73.00 GBP)
An insignificant fee (0.5 – 3.5%) is automatically charged depending on whether you purchase your ticket via credit card or PayPal.
Please note that accommodation and meals are not included, and that IAPSS does not cover travel or visa costs. Please find recommendations on hostels below. Meals are very inexpensive at the Birbeck canteen and nearby student cafés, while a range of low-cost restaurants are located in the surroundings of the Congress venue.
September 15th, 2014 – Call for Papers opens
November 1st, 2014 – 1st deadline for submission of abstracts
November 15th, 2014 – 2nd deadline for submission of abstracts
November 20th, 2014 – Online registration opens
November 30th, 2014 – Notification on selection for all abstracts submissions
January 5th, 2014 – Notification on selection for travel grants (panelists only)
February 15th, 2015 – Online registration closes for international students (incl. all panelists)
March 1st, 2015 – Deadline for submission of papers (panelists only)
March 15th, 2015 – Online registration closes for students residing in the UK
March 31st, 2015 – Release of preliminary World Congress program
April 13th, 2015 – On-site registration open from 03.00pm till 08.00pm (at Birkbeck, Malet St)
April 14th – 18th – Info & Registration Desk open from 09.00am till 07.30pm (at Birkbeck, Malet St)
London is most probably the best connected city across the globe. Dozens of both regular and low-cost carriers provide cheap air tickets to one of the city’s airports. If you are travelling within the United Kingdom, multiple train and bus connections are on offer for affordable fares from/to London. International train connections to London are available from France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany (check the English website of German Railways for schedules), while international bus connections exist from more than 30 countries (we recommend Eurolines and Megabus).
We recommend to book your transportation as early as possible since ticket prices might rise quickly.
Within London, the public system is excellent and consists of a combination of buses and the famous underground (subway). We suggest to purchase an OysterCard which offers much cheaper fares per ride than purchasing single tickets. Plan your journey within London here. Please note that taxi prices are higher than in most other metropolises.
As from January 1st, 2015, Lufthansa Group Airlines supports the IAPSS World Congress by offering a special discount on air fares of Lufthansa, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, German Wings and SWISS to all attendants of the conference.
Special offer: Discounted travel with Lufthansa Group Airlines
Lufthansa Group Partner Airlines offer a comprehensive global route network linking major cities around the world. We offer special prices and conditions to participants, visitors, exhibitors, invited guests as well as employees of the Contracting partner and their travel companions.
To make a reservation, please click here and enter the access code NLZEWGQ in the “Access to Your Special Lufthansa Offer” area. This will open an online booking platform that will automatically calculate the discount offered or provide you with an even better offer if another promotional fare is available.
(NOTE: Pop-ups must be enabled otherwise the booking platform window will not open.)
London offers a variety of uncounted lodging options, with cheap hostels offering single beds in dormitories as well as separate rooms, medium-range and high-end hotels, but also private accommodation as well as thousands of Couchsurfing and AirBnB options. AirBnb, in particular, is a great way to save costs for groups of up to 15 students as it offers entire apartments, flats and houses for modest prices.
Since April is high-season in the city, we again recommend to arrange your accommodation the earliest possible to enjoy the best offers and deals.
A number of hostels and hotels is located near Birkbeck and other colleges of the University of London. Find the exact location of the Congress’ venue here. Close to Birkbeck, two hostels are conveniently located: YHA London St. Pancras and Generator Hostel.
Special Deals with Hostels:
1) Generator Hostel
A discount of up to 15% is available at Generator Hostel (for registered participants of the IAPSS World Congress 2015 only).
In order to book beds / rooms at Generator, please contact Lydia Mehdizadeh, Generator’s Sales Executive directly for your reservation / booking. The discount is not available via the Generator’s website. For a discounted rate, you must indicate that you are a participant of the IAPSS World Congress 2015.
Lydia Mehdizadeh – Sales Executive @ Generator Hostel London, Compton Place, off 37 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9SE
E: lydia.mehdizadeh@generatorhostels.com / T +44 (0) 207 388 7666
2) Clink Hostels
A discount of 10% is available at Clink Hostels (for registered participants of the IAPSS World Congress 2015 only).
In order to book beds / rooms at Clink Hostels (both Clink 261 and Clink78), please contact Martha Maguire, Clink’s Sales Executive directly for your reservation / booking. The discount is not available via the Clink Hostels’ website. For a discounted rate, you must indicate the following code in your e-mail or by phone: “IAPSS”.
Martha Maguire – Sales Executive @ Clink Hostels London, 1a West Centre, St. Helier, Jersey, JE2 4ST
E: reservations@clinkhostels.com / T: +44 (0) 207 183 9400
Visa invitations are available for those in need of a Visitor Visa for the United Kingdom. Check with the UK’s Department for Visas and Immigration whether you need a pre-arranged visa or not here.
We provide visa invitations on the basis of a completed registration (requires payment). Please indicate in the registration form that you are in need of a visa and get in touch with Andrea Kovarova, IAPSS Congress Administration Coordinator at wc-info@iapss.org incl. a digital copy of your passport. We will then get back to you in due time!
A limited number of partial travel grants will be distributed only to selected panelists with above-average travel expenses, mostly with a non-European place of residence. Please note that IAPSS travel grants usually only cover up to 20-30% of individual travel costs. We therefore encourage you to start searching for other third-party funds at an early stage.
It is no longer possible to apply for travel grants. All recipients have been notified.
Follow us on Facebook for all news, updates and developments. Also, join our exclusive Facebook Event for the IAPSS World Congress 2015 in London.
The official twitter hashtag for the IAPSS World Congress 2015 is #IAPSSWC15. Follow us at twitter.com/IAPSS and tweet your thoughts, impressions and pictures!
Then contact,
for visa, registration, other administrative and media inquiries: Andrea Kovarova at wc-info@iapss.org
for academic program and partnership inquiries: Jannick Burggraaff at congress@iapss.org
for IAPSS General Assembly and IAPSS Membership inquiries: Thomas Linders at secgen@iapss.org
Partners: International Political Science Association, University of London, Birkbeck: University of London
On March 31st 2014, the IAPSS World Congress 2014 officially started with the festive opening session at Olympion, Thessaloniki’s oldest cinematographic hall. For 4 consecutive days, hundreds of political science students discussed research and work of young political scientists during panels, listened to lectures of Greek and international guests and exchanged their ideas during workshops, roundtables and expert sessions on “The Limits of Global Governance”.
We herewith provide a recap of the IAPSS World Congress 2014 and invite you kindly to join us at the IAPSS World Congress 2015 taking place in London, United Kingdom, from April 14th – 18th, 2015!
Set at Olympion, the oldest cinema in Thessaloniki and one of the cultural centres of the city. Philipp Aepler, IAPSS President and Georgianna Koukougiannidou, President of IAPSS local member association GRAPESS, welcomed the welcomed the crowd together with representatives from the University of Macedonia, the City of Thessaloniki, the French Consulate in Thessaloniki, the Office of the European Youth Capital 2014 and the Province of Central Macedonia.
Following the opening remarks, Prof. Paroula Naskou-Perraki (University of Macedonia) introduced the Congress’ theme by a key note on “Can International Law Contribute to Global Governance?” Naskou-Perraki is a long time expert in the field of international and European law, stressing the deep interconnection between and how contemporary international institutions completely changed the way the world works. Nonetheless she pointed out that there are still many hurdles to take to reach high effectiveness and efficiency of international institutions. With those ideas in mind the participants proceeded to the evening reception.
The 2nd day started with the opening lecture given by Yves Sintomer, Professor at the university of Paris Nr. 8. Prof. Sintomer elaborated about the future of participation in democracies. As modern democracies and societies have been changing a lot within the last decades, participation has to adapt and change in order to sustain effective political representation of citizens’ opinions. Prof. Sintomer presented different scenarios of how participation in future democracies might look like. They ranged from a revival of the classical type of participation to bureaucratic take-over. Prof. Sintomer expressed many unusual and extraordinary ideas and the students had many questions.
The first round of Academic Panels was received very well by the students. The topics ranged from Legitimacy and Global Governance to Public Policies and Global Governance. Also the panelists had manifold academic backgrounds and approached the topics of Global Governance from an interesting perspective.
We were very glad to welcome Prof. Sasinska-Klas as a representative from the International Political Science Association at the World Congress. Especially since her lecture: Ukraine, Russia and the EU: New Communication Order or Disorder” addressed one of the most recent and important topics in International Politics. Therefore the lecture attracted many students and experienced a lively debate. Due to her wide knowledge of both Western European but also Russian and Ukrainian politics she was able to identify the main causes for the Ukraine issue, both the domestic and the international perspective. Prof Sasinska Klas took great care in answering all questions and even discussed with students long after her lecture was over.
Workshops are an essential part of IAPSS conferences and aim to teach the participants important skills. This time the participants could choose between three different workshops: The East Asia Crisis Simulation, by Dylan Kissane, Social Sciences Research Methods in the 21st century, given by Vit Simral, and Game Theory and Political Science, given by Alexandru Volacu. In Mr. Kissane’s workshop the participants engaged in a simulation of international politics. The plot: Russian troops are bound in the Caucasus due to a security crisis → at the same time Northern Korea and China make a move in the Far East and invade Siberia. The students, representing different countries, had to solve the issue together. In the workshops of Alexandru Volacu the students were given a detailed introduction into Game Theory and its applicability in Political Science. Who didn’t attend those workshop went to Vit Simral who presented the newest developments in political methodology.
As a conclusion of the day a roundtable addressed the topic: Governance in areas of limited statehood. The experts were Prof. Yves Sintomer, from Université Paris 8, and Abdalhadi Alijla, from the University of Milan. IAPSS President Philipp Aepler moderated the roundtable. The social program stated International Evening for Monday. The international evening is a quasi legendary institution at IAPSS conferences. The students can bring special dishes or drinks from their home country and share it with their fellows. In Thessaloniki the participants gathered in the Bar Partisan, in the centre of the city.
The 3rd day of the conference started with the lecture: International Security Organisations and Global Governance – given by Ana Isabel Xavier a junior professor at the New University of Lisbon. She focused on the question whether securities bodies which were mainly founded during the Cold War Times could still contribute effectively to Global Governance.
The biggest event of the day centred around the topic Regional Players in Global Affairs with amongst others representatives from NATO, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, University of Macedonia, and New University of Lisbon. There are many regional players in the world which have quiet extensive competences and influence on domestic policies. But such players have very different aims and resources – the roundtable tried to examine where such players can be effective.
Same as at the 2nd day students had the chance to present their papers in the academic panels. The focus was especially on the interconnections between global and domestic issues, as discussed in the panel: Governance in the 21st century: Country case studies, but also in the panel Globalisation, Security & Freedom. The papers focused on issues such as identities in the post-soviet sphere, clientelism in Brazil or the conflict in Kosovo.
The 3rd day offered some interesting and special roundtables and panels. Amongst them the YTI roundtable – the future of American power. YTI, the abbreviation of Young Transatlantic Initiative and a close partner of IAPSS, set up a panel to discuss how the role of the United States might change during the next decade. The end of the cold war and the emergence of developing states as economic and political powers changed how the world works and the roundtable discussed which role the United States might play in this new order.
Furthermore the Expert Discussion: Palestine and the Middle East: The Eventual Solution of an Eternal Conflict? took place on the 3rd day. Abdalhadi Alijla, from the University of Milan, gave an overview of the main obstacles which still has to be overcome to lead the region of middle-east on the path towards stability and peace. The chair Reint-Jan Groot-Nuelend encouraged the participants to engage into the discussion and voice their opinion and ideas.
Last but not least the panel: Prevention and Condemnation: Patterns and Limits to International Sanctions. took place at the same day. The editors of the IAPSS blog A Different View discussed whether sanctions, which are used quiet often as measures of international politics, can be considered as an effective or justified tool. The outcomes of the discussions were mixed since sanctions often seem to be a two edged sword.
Another possibility at the afternoon session was to watch the documentary: “No Fire Zone” by the British director Callum Macrae. The documentary is about the enormously violent last weeks of the Civil War on Sri Lanka, in which, as a result of shelling by the Sri Lankan Army, over 70000 civilians were killed. The documentary shows actual footage by victims as well as perpetrators. Many students were deeply moved by the movie and the horror and devastation it has shown.
The last opening lecture was held by Prof Georgios Voskopoulos, from the University of Macedonia. He elaborated on: Democratic Accountability, Transparency and Global Governance: A Theoretical Approach. He stressed that the demands and perceptions citizens have of modern states might be hard to transform on a high level – such as supranational organisations. This can be seen as a main theoretic hurdle for Global Governance.
The last row of academic panels still awaited with fresh and insightful research about international politics. Global Governance and International Institutions and Global Governance and Norms dealt both with very important theoretical questions but also with empirical research. There were papers about refugee issues in Myanmar, but also about questions whether cosmopolitanism is an alternative for Global Governance.
As a highlight of the day two student teams gathered to engage into Oxford Style Show Debate to debate whether in terms of severe crisis the international community should have the right to intervene and therefore break national sovereignty. Both sides presented their points very energetically and since the audience interacted with the debaters the discussion was very vivid. In the end the side in favour of responsibility to protect presented their ideas a bit better and managed to secure a majority of votes from the participants.
As the last speakers of the World Congress we welcomed Prof Ilias Koskouvelis, from the University of Macedonia, and Magdalini Karakoli, from the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Prof. Koskouvelis talked about Global Challenges which the Global Community will face within the upcoming decades. He also stated that those issues can only be solved with collective measures – meaning Global Governance. Magdalini Karakoli elaborated upon Europe and how certain challenges can be tackled with collective European efforts.
