IPSG at the PSA Annual Conference 2018

We are delighted to announce that all the IPSG panels for the PSA 68th Annual Conference "Politics of Our Times: Asking the Difficult Questions" have been accepted. 

We have a great line up, with two panels co-organised with other Specialist Groups, and a roundtable covering the imminent Italian general election. Full details of our panels can be found below: 

Roundtable: "Italy in a world of uncertainty and change: getting to grips with the general election of 2018"
The Italian general election of 2018 looks set to be one of the most uncertain and at the same time dramatic contests in the country’s history, coming as it does against the background of a new electoral law; sustained and growing support for the populist Five-star Movement, and other ‘populist revolts’ elsewhere. Simulations carried out by mapping current voting intentions as revealed by surveys onto the corresponding seat distributions that would result from applying the new electoral law suggest the absence of a parliamentary majority for any party or coalition though the Five-star Movement is currently the most-supported single party. The outcome of post-election coalition negotiations in such circumstances will be highly unpredictable; though with the Five-star Movement emerging as the largest formation – while being almost certainly unwilling to coalesce with other parties to form a majority – a continuation of political instability, of widespread anti-political sentiments and of weakness of the country’s political parties seems almost inevitable.
This roundtable will thus provide a timely forum for discussion, with inputs from leading experts, on the distinctive features of the campaign, the outcome and implications of this momentous political event.

Speakers: Professor Anna Bull (University of Bath); Dr Simona Guerra (University of Leicester); Professor James L. Newell (University of Salford); Dr. Davide Vampa (Aston University)

Chair: Dr Arianna Giovannini (De Montfort University)


Panel: "New Parties, Party Systems and the Populist Moment (2)"
(joint panel co-organised with the PSA French Politics, German Politics, Greek Politics, Parliaments, and  Rhetoric Specialist Groups)

Papers:

• The rise of left-wing populism in French politics. The case of Jean-Luc Mélenchon's 'France Insoumise'.  Philippe Marliere (University College London)
• Regionalism, Nationalism and 'Chamaleonic' Populism: The Case of the Italian Lega Nord. Daniele Albertazzi (University of Birmingham)
• Post-truth Populist Politicians and the Crisis Unleashed in the Eurosceptic Rhetoric of the Press: an Anglo-Italian Comparative Analysis. Paul Rowinski (University of Bedfordshire)
• From the Squares to the the Parliaments: the Appropriation of Populism in Greece. Michail Theodosiadis (Goldsmith, University of London)

Chair: Hartwig Pautz (University of the West of Scotland)

Panel: "The Politics of Governance Rescaling in an Age of Uncertainty"
(joint panel co-organised with the PSA Local Politics Specialist Group)

Papers: 

• Convergence or Divergence? Hybrid Patterns in Italian Local Government's Evolution. Silvia Bolgherini (University of Naples Federico II) and Andrea Lippi (University of Florence)
• A New Era of Regionalism in Italy? Autonomy referendums, emerging institutional asymmetries and changing political dynamics in comparative perspective. Davide Vampa (Aston University) 
• Revisiting the German state rescaling debate: governance failure and economic success in the Frankfurt Rhine-Main. Stuart Wilks-Heeg (University of Liverpool)
• Devolution and the neighborhood level: London borough governance and contra-localism. Graham Pycock (University of Westminster)
• Learning from Failure: the Politics of Devolution Deals in Yorkshire. Arianna Giovannini (De Montfort University)

The PSA Conference will take place at Cardiff City Hall, 26-28 March 2018. Registration is now open, and early birds rates are available until the 19th of January.

We look forward to seeing you in Cardiff!