Political Economy & Political Science Early Career Workshop
A one-day workshop bringing together early career researchers working across political economy and political science — now jointly hosted by LSE, UCL, and Cambridge. We intend to run the workshop in the second term of next year, and are currently in the process of securing funding — keep your eyes peeled for updates. If you'd like to be notified once details are confirmed, please contact us.
A venue for work in progress
The workshop gives PhD candidates and early career researchers a focused, low-stakes setting to present ongoing work and receive detailed feedback.
Launched at LSE in January 2026, the workshop returns for a second edition — now organized jointly with UCL and Cambridge. Each paper is paired with a discussant from a different institution, encouraging cross-institutional feedback and building a wider network among early career political economy and political science researchers.
[Placeholder: note who the workshop is for — e.g. PhD students and postdocs within a certain number of years of their viva/defense, across LSE, UCL, Cambridge, and other UK institutions.]
Topics we welcome
The workshop welcomes theoretical, empirical, and methodological contributions.
Political behavior
Public opinion, voting behavior, and the drivers of political attitudes.
Governance & accountability
Institutions, corruption, transparency, and state capacity.
Comparative political economy
Redistribution, inequality, and the politics of economic policy.
Development & conflict
Political and economic development, state-building, and conflict.
Formal theory & formal modelling
Game-theoretic and formal approaches to political and economic behavior.
Political institutions
Legislatures, electoral systems, and the design of democratic institutions.
Submit your work
[Placeholder: one or two sentences on what kind of papers you're looking for — completed papers, works in progress, pre-registrations, or extended abstracts.]
- 01 Submit an extended abstract (500–1000 words) or a full draft paper.
- 02 Open to PhD candidates and researchers within [X years] of completing their PhD.
- 03 A limited number of travel bursaries are available — see submission form.
- 04 Each accepted paper is assigned a discussant and allocated [e.g. 45 minutes] for presentation and discussion.
How to submit
- Anonymized PDF (no author names in file or metadata)
- Cover email with author(s), affiliation, and abstract
- One submission per author as lead presenter
Key dates
Mark your calendar — dates below are placeholders until confirmed.
Call opens
Submission portal opens for abstracts and papers.
Submission deadline
Deadline for abstract or paper submissions.
Notifications sent
Authors notified of acceptance decisions.
Workshop day
Full-day program with presentations and discussion.
Venue
[Venue name, e.g. LSE — 32 Lincoln's Inn Fields]
[Full address]
[Nearest stations / travel notes]
Getting there
[Placeholder: transport notes, accessibility information, and a link to a map once the venue is confirmed.]
Friday 30 January — LSE
The inaugural workshop was held at LSE's Centre Building. Eight early career researchers from Oxford, LSE, UCL, and King's College London presented work in progress across four sessions, each paired with a discussant from another institution.
-
13:00 – 14:30
Pilar Sanchez Bellosta (University of Oxford)
"When Girls Are Taken: Political Consequences of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence and Abductions in Nigeria"
Discussant: Sarah Brierley (LSE) -
Davide Zufacchi (University College London)
"Competition and Violence in Illegal Markets: Theory and Evidence from Naples"
Discussant: Tak-Huen Chau (LSE) -
14:50 – 16:20
Christian Cerverella (LSE)
"Isn't Labour Working? De-Unionization and Working-Class Representation in Post-Industrial Britain"
Discussant: Carlos Felipe Balcazar (UCL) -
Carlos Felipe Balcazar (University College London)
"Collective Action from Labor in the Age of AI: Theory and Evidence from the Advent of ChatGPT"
Discussant: Sichen Li (LSE) -
16:40 – 18:10
Aarushi Karla (University of Oxford)
"Hate in the Time of Algorithms: Evidence on Online Behavior from a Large-Scale Experiment"
Discussant: Pavithra Suryanarayan (LSE) -
Irene Germani (King's College London)
"Keeping Mum About Debt: The Impact of Party Cues on Public Fiscal Preferences"
Discussant: Joachim Wehner (LSE)
Organizers
The second edition's committee is growing to reflect its three host institutions — two more organizers are joining soon.
Marta Antonetti
Government Department, LSE
Elise Antoine
Bennett School of Public Policy, University of Cambridge
Luis Cornago-Bonal
School of Public Policy, LSE
Kun Heo
Government Department, LSE
Leo Falabella
Department of Political Economy, King's College London
Felipe Torres-Raposo
UCL — Department of Political Science
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