CALL FOR PAPERS
12TH THE ROLE OF THE STATE IN VARIETIES OF CAPITALISM (SVOC) INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
‘New Perspectives on (New) Industrial policies in the Era of Geoeconomic Shifts’
Date:
June 1-2, 2026
Venue:
HTK, 1097 Budapest, Tóth Kálmán utca 4.
Organiser:
Institute of World Economics, ELTE Centre for Economic and Regional Studies
Form:
in-person
The 2026 Conference Theme
Industrial policy was once described as “the policy that shall not be named” (Cherif and Hasanov, 2019), but it has re-emerged as a widely embraced, almost universal remedy to economic challenges, triggering intense academic and policy debates.
An age of ‘new industrial policy’ (Juhász – Lane – Rodrik, 2024, Juhász – Lane, 2024) has thus dawned. Its aim is “to steer a sustainable structural change of our economies and societies towards sustainable human development” in the post-COVID era (Ferrannini et al, 2021: 1). Redesigned and reformulated industrial policy has become “limitless” (Voszka, 2019), as today (1) it extends beyond what was its traditional sector, manufacturing; (2) its geographical scope has expanded from ‘latecomer economies’ to developed ones, such as the United States and the European Union; (3) territorial focus moved beyond the national level to include local and supranational initiatives; and (4) main objectives have expanded beyond structural transformation to include social aspects, sustainability and the green transition, techno-nationalism, as well as geopolitical and geoeconomic rivalry in addition to the spread of artificial intelligence which provides momentum for disruptive change (Acemoglu, 2025).
The conference contributes to ongoing theoretical and policy debates as well as advanced empirical research in comparative and international political economy on (re-)industrialization and industrial policy. It has a particularly strong focus on the challenges of the green and digital transitions as well as the implications of techno-nationalist and geoeconomic rivalries.
The 12th SVOC International Conference invites scholars to present novel work on industrial transformations and their broader implications for economies, societies, and political regimes. We encourage submissions that adopt different levels of analysis, including the global, national, local, and sectoral levels. We welcome contributions that offer a better understanding of new industrial policies, especially in relation to structural change, infrastructural development, the green transition, and other dimensions of inclusive and sustainable development. In addition, we encourage interested researchers to submit papers especially (but not exclusively) on the following themes:
- Cutting edge debates in theoretical perspectives on new industrial policies;
- Empirical research on new industrial policies (country case studies, sectoral approaches, comparative analysis);
- New infrastructural developments (transnational networks, national investments, industrial infrastructures);
- Sustainable development, green transition: challenges and policy options;
- The reshuffling of global value chains: theoretical debates and new empirical evidence;
- Comparative capitalism, growth models and welfare states (recent theoretical advances, case studies and comparative analyses);
- Central and Eastern Europe-focused analyses;
- New industrial policies: implications from and for the Global South.
Abstracts (max. 300 words)are welcome until 20 February 2026. Please, send the title and the abstract to svoc@krtk.elte.hu. Notifications of acceptance will be sent by the 6 March 2026.
Keynote Speakers
Réka JUHÁSZ, University of British Columbia
Title: Insights from the New Economics of Industrial Policy
and
Petr PAVLÍNEK, University of Nebraska at Omaha
Title: TBA
Registration fees
Early bird fee (discount available until 31 March 2026): 60 EUR (for PhD students 40 EUR)
Regular fee (payment deadline 30 April 2026): 80 EUR (for PhD students 60 EUR)
Important dates
Abstract submission: 20 February 2026
Notification of acceptance: 6 March 2026
Conference fee payment (early bird): 31 March 2026
Conference fee payment (regular): 30 April 2026
Conference: 1–2 June 2026
SVOC Scientific Board Members
István BENCZES (Corvinus University Budapest, Institute of World Economics)
Beáta FARKAS (University of Szeged)
Dániel MUTH (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
Judit RICZ (Corvinus University Budapest, Institute of World Economics)
Dorottya SALLAI (London School of Economics)
Magdolna SASS (Institute of World Economics)
John SZABÓ (Institute of World Economics)
Miklós SZANYI (Institute of World Economics, University of Szeged)
Ágnes SZUNOMÁR (Corvinus University Budapest, Institute of World Economics)
Organisation
The following e-mail address svoc@krtk.elte.hu is the primary communication channel for SVOC 2026. Participants can simply submit abstracts and papers by sending them to this email address. All information issued by the organisers will also be sent from this e-mail.
The primary organizers of the conference are as follows:
Emese DOBOS dobos.emese@krtk.elte.hu
Zsófia BALLER baller.zsofia@krtk.elte.hu
While communication through the above-mentioned central conference e-mail is to be prioritised, participants are welcome to contact the organizers directly, if they need:
- An official invitation letter for visa applications;
- An invoice for the conference fee or help with transferring the conference fee;
- Assistance, suggestions in making travel and accommodation arrangements, etc.
