Annual Postgraduate Conference in Politics
The Annual Postgraduate Conference is a key academic event of the PhD programme in Politics that brings together members of the research community within the department. Primarily, it serves as a platform for PhD candidates who have completed their first year of study to present the progress of their research projects. These presentations allow PhD candidates to receive constructive feedback from peers and faculty, fostering the development of their scholarly work. In addition to first-year PhD candidates, the conference also feature contributions from PhD candidates at more advanced stages of their programme and postdoctoral fellows. Faculty members are actively involved as attendees and discussants, contributing to a rich and collegial academic exchange. The central aim of the conference is to create an open and supportive environment that stimulates meaningful discussion, encourages interdisciplinary dialogue, and promotes a culture of collaboration and intellectual engagement across all levels of academic experience.
9:15 am Welcome
Giovanni Orsina Head of the Department of Political Science, Luiss University
9:30 am Roundtable: Central Eastern Europe as the Cradle of Illiberalism? Debating the Global Origins and Regional Dynamics of the Backlash against Liberal Democracy
Kristina Stoeckl Luiss University
Laszlo Bruszt CEU Budapest
Lorenzo De Sio Luiss University
Moderator
Flavia Lucenti Luiss University
11:30 am Panel 1: Political Structures and Crisis Governance
Chair
Vincenzo Emanuele Luiss University
Intergovernmental Integration Within Supranational Policymaking: The European Council’s Role in the EU’s Financial Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Andrea Capati Postdoctoral Fellow
The Drivers of Foreign-Policy Choices: Explaining Us Decision-Making Towards Europe
Michele Pertosa PhD Candidate
EU Strategic Autonomy and a Geopolitical EU, Two Sides of the Same Coin: A New EU Role Conception
Sofia Eliodori Postdoctoral Fellow
2:00 pm Panel 2: Governance, Transparency, and Local Integration
Chair
Rosario Forlenza Luiss University
Dwelling the Gap: Housing as Urban Infrastructure of Migrant Integration
Anna Pereti PhD Candidate
Dwelling the Gap: Housing as Urban Infrastructure of Migrant Integration
Nicolas Soto PhD Candidate
The “Places of the Invisibles”: Peripheralization as a Source of Abstention in Western Europe. A Cross Comparative Study Between Inner Peripheries Within the European Union
Carmelo Fronte PhD Candidate
4:00 pm Panel 3: Representation and Voter Dynamics in Contemporary Europe
Chair
Thomas Christiansen Luiss University
Consistent Voters, Better Representation? Revisiting Ideological Constraint in Western Europe
William Atkison PhD Candidate
Between Movements and Parties: A Comparative Analysis of Movementism in European Political Parties (2000–2025)
Samuele Lucidi PhD Candidate
Ambiguous Positions or Ambiguous Predictors? The Role of Blurring Strategies on Individual-Level Congruence in Western Europe
Mattia Gatti PhD Candidate
5:15 pm Concluding Remarks
Thomas Christiansen Luiss University
Kristina Stoeckl Luiss University