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ECPR SGEU Conference - two participants talking

Proposal Guidelines

Call for Papers and Panels

The unique focus of this conference is organised crime in its different forms and how it challenges States and societies across the world. This conference seeks to act as an interdisciplinary forum for the presentation of the latest research on organised crime.

The ECPR Standing Group on Organised Crime’s General Conference therefore invites scholars, researchers, practitioners, civil society organisations and policymakers from different backgrounds to share their empirical insights, analytical framings and policy approaches in this way contributing with fresh perspectives to the understanding of organised crime, with regard to the diversity of its contemporary manifestations. With a view to stimulating both scholarly debates and policy developments, the Conference offers a unique venue to collectively dissect, diagnose and discuss the characteristics, resources, strategies and modus operandi adopted by traditional and emerging criminal organisations operating both at local and global level.

The conference encourages the presentation of cutting-edge research from academic researchers at all stages of their career, as well as from practitioners and policy makers from different theoretical perspectives, different disciplines and countries.

We welcome the submission of panels and papers addressing, among others, the following topics:

  • Gangs, organised crime and mafia
  • Quantitative and Qualitative Methods
  • Ethnographic approaches to organised crime
  • Organised crime in history
  • Criminalisation of mobility and mobile crime
  • Organised crime and dis/order in the global peripheries
  • Organised crime in Africa/Latin America/Europe
  • Gender perspectives on organised crime
  • Organised crime in art, fiction, culture and public perceptions
  • Organised crime and finance: money laundering and tax havens
  • Freezing, forfeiture and social reuse of criminal assets
  • International and European cooperation in the fight against organised crime

Keynote speakers and roundtables:

Keynote and panels will be held at Federico II. More details to be confirmed later.

Thursday Roundtable to be held at Istituto Italiano per gli Studi Filosofici: Palazzo Serra di Cassano, Via Monte di Dio 14 e 15, 80132 - Napoli (I).

Panel proposals

Good to know

  • Papers submitted as part of a Panel do not need to be resubmitted individually.

What you'll need

To make a Panel proposal, you and your co-author(s) must have a My ECPR profile. If you don’t already have one, it takes just a few clicks to create

  • The Panel title (no more than 50 words)
  • The abstract (no more than 250 words)
  • 3–5 keywords, selected from a predetermined list, indicating the Paper’s subject, theme and scope. We use these keywords to categorise Papers (as well as Sections and Panels), enabling users to search the online programme.
  • The Co-author’s email address as registered in MyECPR (if applicable)
Details of Papers within each Panel
  • The title of each Paper (no more than 50 words)
  • The abstract of each Paper (no more than 250 words)
  • 3–5 keywords for each Paper, selected from a predetermined list, indicating the Paper’s subject, theme and scope. We use these keywords to categorise Panels (as well as Sections and Papers), enabling users to search the online programme.
  • Each Paper Presenter’s email address, as registered in My ECPR
  • Each Paper Co-author’s email address, as registered in My ECPR (if applicable)

What happens next

After the proposal deadline, Section Chairs approve/decline/reserve all Panels proposed.

If you want to attend
Register and pay online before the registration deadline. Registration opens August and closes in October 2026.

Paper proposals

Good to know

  • Papers submitted as part of a Panel do not need to be resubmitted individually.
  • If your Paper has more than one author, the person making the proposal will be listed as the Paper Presenter.

What you'll need

To make a Paper proposal, you and your co-author(s) must have a MyECPR profile. If you don’t already have one, it takes just a few clicks to create

  • The Paper title (no more than 50 words)
  • The abstract (no more than 250 words)
  • 3–5 keywords, selected from a predetermined list, indicating the Paper’s subject, theme and scope. We use these keywords to categorise Papers (as well as Sections and Panels), enabling users to search the online programme.
  • The Co-author’s email address as registered in MyECPR (if applicable)

What happens next

After the proposal deadline, Section Chairs approve/decline/reserve all Papers proposed. Approved Papers not submitted as part of a Panel will be allocated by the Section Chairs to an appropriate Panel. Alternatively, Section Chairs will form additional Panels from individual Papers on a similar subject. Once this has been done, we will email all proposers to let them know the outcome.

Outcome

If you want to attend
Register and pay online before the registration deadline. Registration opens August and closes in October 2026.

If you cannot attend
Email us immediately so we can rearrange Papers if necessary

If one of your co-authors can attend and present in your place
Email us to let us know they should be listed as Presenter

If your Paper has been marked as reserved
We will contact you as soon as possible if a space becomes available in the programme. Unfortunately, it is not possible to determine when this will be.

You'll need to upload your full Paper to the ECPR website via your My ECPR profile or email it to the Panel Chair, Discussant and fellow Paper givers before 21 June 2026 to give your fellow Panellists time to read it.

If your Paper has been marked as reserved, we will contact you as soon as possible if a space becomes available in the programme. Unfortunately, it is not possible to determine when this will be.

Dates and deadlines

Listed below are the key dates and deadlines in the lead-up to the 2026 SGEU Conference.

20 April - 22 June 2026

Panel and Paper proposals

21 July 2026

Approved/declined/reserved correspondence sent out for Panels and Papers.

22 July 2026

Funding applications opens.

18 August 2026

Funding decisions.

19 August 2026

Registration opens.

10 October 2026

Registration closes.

mid-November 2026

Deadline to upload or circulate full Papers.

What Happens Next

  • After the deadline, Section Chairs approve/decline/reserve all Panels and Papers proposed.
  • Approved Papers not submitted as part of a Panel will be allocated to an appropriate Panel.
  • Section Chairs may form additional Panels from individual Papers on a similar subject.
  • All proposers will be informed of the outcome by 21 July 2026.

If your Panel has been marked as reserved, we will contact you as soon as possible if a space becomes available in the programme. Unfortunately, it is not possible to determine when this will be.

The Academic Convenors may use their discretion to reallocate Panels and Papers to other Sections and Panels as required. Section Chairs may, therefore, be asked to accommodate new Panels in their Sections, and Panel Chairs may be asked to accommodate extra Papers within their Panels. Similarly, Section Chairs may also be asked to reduce the number of their Panels and rearrange their Papers accordingly.