REDIRECT researchers and partner institutions will contribute to two major political science conferences in September 2026: the SISP Conference “Multilateralism Contested”, hosted by the University of Trento from 3 to 5 September, and the ECPR General Conference, hosted by Jagiellonian University in Kraków from 8 to 11 September. Together, these events will provide important opportunities to present and discuss REDIRECT’s research on democratic representation, citizen–elite relationships, political responsiveness and the challenges facing representative democracy in Europe.
At SISP 2026, REDIRECT will be represented through the panel “Reconnecting Citizens and Elites in Europe”, chaired by Marco Improta, Elisabetta Mannoni and Luca Verzichelli. The panel focuses on the strained relationship between citizens and political elites across European democracies, examining the mechanisms that produce representative disconnect as well as the conditions under which reconnection may occur. Bringing together work on representation at European, national and subnational levels, the panel reflects REDIRECT’s comparative and multi-level approach to contemporary democratic politics.
The SISP programme will also include further REDIRECT-related research contributions. Paolo Marzi will present “From Dissensus to Consensus: A Network Analysis of Council Voting Behaviour Before and After Brexit, 2009–2026”, which examines how Brexit may have reshaped voting alignments, dissent and coalition patterns in the Council of the European Union. Federico Russo will also contribute to debates on representation and responsiveness with research on migration-related discrimination, political voice and MEP responsiveness in Europe.
At the ECPR General Conference 2026, REDIRECT partner institutions will contribute to several panels addressing democratic repair, representation and political participation. Luca Verzichelli will chair the panel “Parties as Actors of Democratic Redirection”, with John Erik Fossum serving as discussant. The panel explores the role of political parties in renewing representative democracy and reconnecting parties, institutions, elites and citizens.
Researchers from REDIRECT partner institutions will also take part in broader discussions on youth representation, citizenship education and democratic preferences. Among the others, Hannah Oorts from Vrije Universiteit Brussel will present research on representative claims made by young parliamentarians, co-authored with Magdalena Góra, Elodie Thevenin and Katarzyna Zielińska from Jagiellonian University.
Across SISP and ECPR, REDIRECT’s presence will help advance debates on how democratic representation can be understood, assessed and strengthened in a period marked by political distrust, polarisation and institutional pressure.
Dates: 3–5 September 2026; 8–11 September 2026
Locations: Trento, Italy; Kraków, Poland
Conferences: SISP Conference 2026; ECPR General Conference 2026
Participants: REDIRECT researchers and partner institutions
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