CGD Annual Conference 2026: Democracy and Its Perils
When: Thursday, April 30, 2026 - Friday, May 1, 2026, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Where: Queen Mary University of London, Mile End
The Centre for Governance and Democracy at QMUL is welcoming paper and panel proposals for a two-day conference on the topics of democratic erosion, the international and domestic pushback against liberal values, and the efforts to resist democratic backsliding.
The deadline for submission of panel and paper proposals is 23rd February 2026. SUBMIT here.
The erosion of liberal democracy is arguably the greatest contemporary political challenge in Europe and around the world. Right-wing voices from within established democracies have pushed against long-standing values using elections – the fundamental democratic tool – to erode liberalism and advance autocratic principles. Rather than overturning national governments with political violence such as coup d’états or violent revolutions, elected politicians and other elites can gradually erode democratic norms and institutions, to amass executive power and subvert democratic checks and balances, ultimately undermining the institutional integrity of liberal democracy. Yet domestic voices alone are not the sole destabilising force. International interference from a range of actors – for instance, autocratic states, right-wing populists, and business – are playing increasingly important roles in democratic backsliding around the world and the erosion of the liberal international order (ILO).
The international system established in the aftermath of World War II was predicated on the promotion and protection of rights enshrined in a growing body of international treaties. That democracies provided the best environment for a rights-based global governance model had come to be a widely accepted truth. The contemporary rise of illiberalism and autocratisation has therefore shaken the very core of rights-based democracies and liberal internationalism. In many democracies around the globe, from India to Bolivia, from Poland to the United States, liberal democratic principles, institutions and norms are rapidly becoming uncertain impacting both domestic politics and international relations. Importantly, in these environments where liberal democracy is challenged, many domestic and international actors also mobilise to oppose erosion and limit its reach. These resistance movements range from civil society-led initiatives to national and cross-border programmes that support democratic resilience.
The conference registration fee is £50.
The two-day conference will be preceded by a PhD Symposium on the 29th April 2026 (a separate call for papers for the PhD Symposium will be circulated in early 2026). All papers submitted by doctoral students will be first considered for the dedicated PhD Symposium.
We have a very limited number of mobility bursaries available for early career scholars. If you want to be considered for a mobility bursary, please tick the relevant box in the conference application form and email required documents together with your abstract. Due to funding limitations, we anticipate that we will not be able to accommodate all requests (and regret not being to do so).
If you have questions about the conference, email the Centre Director, Corina Lacatus, at c.lacatus@qmul.ac.uk.