We are pleased to share the call for proposals for the 2026 Presidency and Executive Politics Conference (PEPCON 2026), hosted by the Hoover Institution’s Center for Revitalizing American Institutions on April 16–17, 2026. This year’s theme is the “Balance of Power.”
The conference has three central aims:
- Showcasing frontier research in executive politics.
- Building scholarly networks across related fields.
- Providing mentorship opportunities for emerging scholars.
We welcome proposals for full papers, lightning talks (5 to 8 minute presentations of early-stage ideas), and posters (graduate students only). Graduate student proposals must include a brief letter of recommendation from a dissertation or primary faculty advisor. These letters should confirm the student’s stage of graduate study, note their research focus, and explain how participating in PEPCON 2026 will advance their scholarly development. Letters should be concise and no longer than one page.
Key Dates:
- Proposal deadline: October 1, 2025
- Decisions announced: December 1, 2025
- Optional: Authors of full papers may also indicate interest in submitting to a Presidential Studies Quarterly special issue on the conference theme (manuscripts due July 1, 2026).
Subject to budgetary approval, we expect to provide full travel and accommodation support for presenters and discussants.
For more details and to submit your proposal, please see: https://wustl.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5nAtYTVzsrq6nHM.
Co-Organizers:
Brandice Canes-Wrone, Director of the Center for Revitalizing American Institutions and Maurice R. Greenberg Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution
Christina Kinane, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Yale University, Research Fellow, Institution of Social and Policy Studies
Douglas Kriner, Clinton Rossiter Professor in American Institutions, Department of Government, Cornell University
Andrew Reeves, Professor of Political Science, Director of the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy, and Senior Advisor to the Chancellor, Washington University in St. Louis, Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution
Sharece Thrower, Associate Professor of Political Science and Chancellor’s Faculty Fellow, Vanderbilt University, Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution
