European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy Conference to be held in Leeds for first time

Leeds will be welcoming the European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy (EAEPE) for the first time in September for its 35th annual conference. 

Having launched in 1988, the conference has been promoting evolutionary, dynamic and realistic approaches to economic theory and policy for decades. Its first conference was held in Cumbria in 1989 and was last held in the UK in 2015 which was themed around young scholars. 

Between 13th and 15th of September, around 300 delegates will come to the city to join the debate on how governments and private organisations can empower the reshaping of markets, infrastructure investment, AI and employment. Recognising the unstable social and political landscape, with Russia-Ukraine war, post-lockdown and rising debt and interest rates all contributing to the period of crisis, the conference will centre around several crucial discussions. These will include exploring the drivers of economic change at the local, institutional and structural level and the impact of innovation for rapid climate transition. Hosted at the University of Leeds in multiple venues, including the School of Politics and International Studies and Leeds University Business School, the conference will be a key event for debating the relationship between power and empowerment in times of multiple crises and the role of universities within this. 

The University’s School of Politics and International Studies is one of the top institutions in the world, appearing in the top 20 of QS World University Rankings for development studies. The University is also leading the way with a 10 year plan in researching the politics of global challenges, making Leeds the ideal location to host the European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy conference. 

The event will include a mixture of sessions covering different research areas chosen from abstracts submitted by academics. These research areas include: 

• History and methodology of Europe’s political economy
• Market transition and its agency
• Power and empowerment
• War and the economy
• Capitalism in the Anthropocene
• A place and knowledge for the political economy

The University of Leeds also supports teaching innovation and Dr Stefan Kesting, who is an Economics Programme Director at the University of Leeds, will run a special session on ‘Why we need to research Teaching, Pedagogy and Curriculum Development for Evolutionary and Political Economics’.

Charlie Dannreuther, General Secretary of the European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy, said: “We’re really excited to be bringing the 35th European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy conference to Leeds for the first time this year. 

“The University of Leeds is an internationally recognised hub of knowledge for European political economy and well know for leading large research networks on European political economy. LUBS has established programs in political economy and POLIS now offers a new MA program in global political economy. With ground breaking research from across the University of Leeds it is an ideal location to bring experts and conference delegates together.”

Claire Heap, Head of Conference Leeds, commented: “We’re thrilled to be welcoming the European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy to the University of Leeds in September. 

“As a city, we’re proud to be leading the way in conducting global research into political economy at the University’s Business School and School of Politics and International Studies. We are looking forward to some fantastic discussions among academics, students and conference delegates visiting locally and internationally. 

“We look forward to hearing all about the interesting outcomes of the panels at the conference.”