Legislatures in Uncertain Times
Friday 17 November 2017, Edinburgh
Recent political events around the world, whether the election of Donald Trump, the rise of populist parties across Europe, or the UK’s referendum decision to leave the European Union and unexpected general election, suggest we are entering uncertain times. This has sparked debates not only over the discipline of political science (why did so few of us see this coming?), but also the very endurance of our political institutions. It is in this context that the PSA Parliaments Group opens its call for submissions to its 2017 annual conference.
Our call for submissions this year will be different: instead of asking for a traditional style abstract and full conference paper, we are asking for participants to submit a 150-word abstract which, if accepted, would be turned into a 1,500-word blog post. We aim to be more flexible and to allow people to present current work in progress as well as full working papers. We aim to publish these 1,500 word pieces as blog posts after the conference.
To submit an abstract, please complete a paper proposal form and send to Marc Geddes and/or Louise Thompson by 08 September. We will notify everyone about the outcome by 02 October.
This event, where members present and discuss their latest research, is the group’s most important event of the year. The conference also includes a keynote lecture and the formal presentation to the winner of the group’s undergraduate student essay competition, and provides opportunities for networking between academics and practitioners interested or working in the field of parliamentary studies. The conference is open to anyone studying or working within parliaments or legislatures, or who has an interest in the field. We welcome people working in different subject areas whose research can offer new insights into the study of parliaments and promote inter-disciplinary cooperation.
Conference details
Our conference will take place in Edinburgh (location tbc). We will hold an informal reception for guests on Thursday, 16 November; the conference itself will take place on Friday, 17 November, and will start at 9.30am and formally finish at 5pm.
Key dates and timeline
26 May: Notification of conference details and call for blog abstracts open
08 September: Deadline for blog abstracts: submit with Paper Proposal Form.
02 October: Notification of acceptance of blog abstracts and registration opens
10 November: Registration closes and draft blogs expected
16-17 November: Conference to take place