For this session, we are seeking papers and panels on the theme of political institutions, both formal and informal, broadly defined. We welcome papers and panels that explore political party systems, electoral rules, the differences between presidentialism and parliamentarism, institutional rules that promote descriptive representation, and judicial institutions as well as other horizontal accountability institutions. We also welcome proposals that study informal patterns of political exchange, such as corruption, patronage, clientelism, and organized crime.
Our goal is to bring together scholars who employ a variety of methodological approaches and cover different areas. Proposals can adopt inductive or deductive methods of theory formulation, qualitative or quantitative methods of empirical analysis, or any combination of these methods. Geographically, we welcome papers from around the world, whether it may be a study of a single country, a cross-national analysis, or a transboundary examination, according to the general theme of this World Congress. We intend to create panels that assemble proposals with similar themes, while maintaining methodological and regional diversity.
