Konferenzen
7-9 October 2026
The 2nd Annual Interdisciplinary WZB Conference titled “Challenges to International Orders: Causes and Consequences” is scheduled for October 7-9, 2026!
The global order—understood as the set of institutions, norms, and power relations that structure interactions among states and across borders—is changing. From the war in Ukraine to escalating tensions in the Indo-Pacific and the conflict in Gaza, the world is seeing not only the return of violent confrontation with the goal of changing borders but also broader shifts in the structures that shape international cooperation and conflict. Long-standing norms and institutions are under pressure, especially the liberal ones. Great Powers, but also less powerful states, increasingly act outside of international law. New alliances and rivalries are emerging. Many voices from the Global South demand a new order that gives them a more equal voice and ends what they consider domination by the West. What many once saw as a stable global order now appears more fragmented, contested—and open to decline, or at least transformation.
Yet there is not just one international order but many suborders that do not develop in parallel. Different regions and policy areas are governed by different rules, institutions, and power dynamics. These are evolving in ways that affect not only diplomacy and security but also trade, climate policy, human rights, migration, development, labor markets, technological governance, and the dynamics of world society. Understanding the causes of these shifts—and their consequences—is an urgent task for scholars across the social sciences.
This 2nd Annual Interdisciplinary WZB Conference 2026, to be held at the WZB in Berlin, will bring together researchers from political science, sociology, economics, and law to examine how international orders are being challenged and reshaped—and what this means for states, societies, and global cooperation. We welcome contributions on a wide range of topics, from the dynamics of international conflict and global governance to the ripple effects of geopolitical change in specific sectors and regions.
Our goal is to foster exchange across disciplines and perspectives. We are particularly interested in work that connects the structural causes of transformation—power shifts, identity politics, institutional change—with concrete consequences in areas such as climate policy, global health, migration, trade, technology, and development cooperation. We encourage both theoretical and empirical contributions.
The conference will feature keynote talks by leading international scholars, thematic panels, and roundtables aimed at generating new dialogue across fields. By creating space for shared reflection, we hope to better understand the pressures confronting international orders today—and the tools available to respond.
This will be the 2nd Annual Interdisciplinary WZB Conference 2026 on pressing issues addressed in its research across the social sciences. The organizing committee includes (Fuchs-Schündeln, Huck, Soysal, Zürn).
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09-10 October 2025
1st-Annual Interdisciplinary WZB Conference: "The Future of Democracy"
The Berlin Social Science Center (WZB) hosted an interdisciplinary conference on the Future of Democracy in 08-10 October 2025, organized by Nicola Fuchs-Schündeln, Daniel Ziblatt, and Michael Zürn. Attending keynote speakers were Chris Bail (Duke), Tim Besley (LSE) and Catherine de Vries (Bocconi). The scientific panel was accompanied by a panel with high-ranking representatives from politics and civil society, including Pratap Mehta, Princeton, and former US House Member and U.S. Representative Mr. Beto O'Rourke (Texas).
