In its 6th iteration, the Politics, Philosophy and Economics conference at Witten/Herdecke university will venture into the territory of “the state”. More specifically, it will focus on the relation between the state and democratic politics. Our guiding question will explore how democratic politics can lead to both order and chaos in society. In today’s world, states are at the centre of human coexistence. States acting as the ordering force in social life have persisted and evolved throughout human history. Democratic politics, however, have emerged only within limited boundaries and in intermittent periods, while being simultaneously threatened by decline. Therefore, the 6th PPE conference will inquire how state and democracy interact and debate how democratic states can address the challenges confronted by human societies.

We cordially invite students, scholars, activists and anyone from the public to participate in an event full of stimulating exchange and charged with inspiring ideas. As in the previous years, the PPE conference offers a platform for people from diverse backgrounds to connect their thoughts on acute questions about democratic politics within the state.

The conference will feature a blend of insightful keynotes and presentations as well as instructive workshops, which will address new and old ideas about the states-democracy nexus. Furthermore, participants will be able to shape the conference by submitting one of their own projects, which will be considered for our PPE-Paper Award. The submission will be judged by a competent jury consisting of experienced scholars in the fields of politics, philosophy and economics.

Your PPE Conference Team 2021 (Jonas, Vincent, Laura, Aurora, Tim, Johannes, Luisa, Hannes & Caio)