Elections – Democracy – Crisis (EDC) 2026

CALL FOR PAPERS: EDC 2026 – INSTITUTE FOR PHILOSOPHY AND SOCIAL THEORY


ELECTIONS – DEMOCRACY – CRISISInternational Conference at the University of BelgradeMarch 26-27, 2026
About
The international conference “Elections – Democracy – Crisis” (EDC 2026) will mark the third edition of the biennial academic event jointly organized by the Faculty of Political Science and International Studies (WNPiSM) of the University of Warsaw and the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory (IFDT) of the University of Belgrade.
This edition aims to explore the impact of contemporary crises (from wars to economic, energy, and social upheavals) on democratic and societal processes across Europe. Special attention will be given to the challenges for democracy in Central and Eastern Europe and the performance of hybrid or authoritarian regimes, particularly in light of the complex political context surrounding this year’s host institution and ongoing student-led protests in Serbia.
We invite papers addressing a broad range of topics, including but not limited to: democratic backsliding and decline, democratic legitimacy, authoritarian and populist responses to crises, militant democracy, sovereignism, electoral outcomes and the emergence of new political actors, institutional transformations, party system change, voter behavior, local democracy and its role in democratic resilience, post-authoritarian societal and institutional responses etc. We welcome both quantitative and qualitative approaches, as well as submissions from all disciplinary perspectives.