IPSA RC08 Workshop on Parliaments in the Global South Brings Together Scholars from 36 Countries

The IPSA Research Committee on Legislative Specialists (RC08), in collaboration with the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and the Mexican Political Science Association (AMECIP), successfully held the international workshop on Parliaments in the Global South: Challenges and Transformations in Mexico City on 6-7 October 2026.

The two-day hybrid event welcomed more than 100 scholars from 36 countries. The program featured 20 research panels and two keynote sessions covering a broad range of topics related to parliaments and legislative politics, including democratic erosion, executive-legislative relations, representation and inclusion, legislative capacity, parliamentary oversight, institutional change, political parties, and the impact of artificial intelligence and digital technologies on parliamentary politics.

The workshop brought together scholars from  Latin America, Africa, South Asia, East Asia and the Pacific, the Middle East, Europe and North America. They included early-career researchers, senior scholars and researchers with direct experience in parliamentary institutions, creating opportunities for comparative discussion across different political systems, regions and methodological traditions.

The workshop opened with a welcome session that included remarks by Irina Khmelko (Chair of IPSA RC08), Azul A. Aguiar Aguilar (IPSA Summer Schools Coordinator and President of the Mexican Political Science Association), Alejandro Chanona (Director of UNAM’s Faculty of Political and Social Sciences), and Marcela Amaro (Director of UNAM’s Institute for Social Research).

The opening keynote session featured Irina Khmelko (University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Chair of IPSA RC08) and Shirin M. Rai (SOAS University of London). On the second day, Emma Crewe (SOAS University of London) delivered a keynote lecture addressing the study of parliaments, political representation, and institutional life.

In addition to the academic program, participants visited Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies and Senate, where they learned about the functioning of the Mexican Congress and exchanged perspectives with parliamentary officials and members of Congress.

The Organizing Committee is currently reviewing the full papers submitted to the workshop and exploring the development of a collective publication on Parliaments in the Global South. The initiative also seeks to strengthen the participation of scholars working on Global South legislatures within IPSA RC08 and to encourage continued collaboration, including participation in the 2027 IPSA World Congress of Political Science in Rome.

The workshop was organized by Professor Khemvirg Puente (Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, UNAM), Dr. Mónica Lara Escalante (Institute for Social Research, UNAM) and Dr. Guadalupe Salmorán Villar (Institute for Legal Research, UNAM), in collaboration with IPSA RC08. The event received the support of UNAM institutions, the Mexican Political Science Association (AMECIP) and the Geneva Center for Parliamentary Governance (GCPG).