ACPS Conference 2023

The ACPS conference 2023 will be hosted at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany from October 12 to 14, 2023. 

Conference Theme 

After almost three years of COV19-induced self-chosen isolation, China is now back on the global stage. Xi Jinping’s novel Global Development Initiative and his Global Security Initiative indicate that Beijing is formulating its own visions of the future global order. China’s continued rise to global power status is, however, encountering increased opposition. The proclamation of a friendship without limits between Moscow and Beijing in February 2022, a few days prior to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, has refuelled speculations about the emergence of an autocratic alliance challenging the liberal rules-based order. The return of the autocracy-democracy divide in global political analysis has been accompanied by a deterioration of China’s international image and reputation. Given the changing regional and global environment and the formation of new alliances, China is currently adjusting its foreign and security strategy accordingly. At the same time, the Chinese government has to cope with the domestic restructuring of its socio-economic system. 

This conference seeks to explore these changes from multi-disciplinary perspectives. ACPS invites research papers that assess China’s changing foreign policy and its positioning as a global power, as well as papers assessing China’s restructuring and policy change at the domestic level. We are particularly interested in papers that employ novel theoretical frameworks and innovative methodological tools. In addition to panels featuring new research, we will also have roundtables featuring newer methods such as machine learning, experimental survey design, events analysis, etc. We also plan to offer a roundtable on teaching Chinese politics, and one featuring publishers to discuss the changing competitive landscape of academic publishing.

Proposal Submission Procedures

The (extended) deadline for proposal submission is August 1, 2023. 

Current ACPS members will receive priority consideration, though we seek high-quality proposals in congruence with the conference theme. The proposal review committee will also consider panel proposals consisting of 4-5 papers sharing a coherent theme (including a methodology). Please indicate if you would be interested in presenting on either/both a topic and a methodology in your proposal.Paper and panel proposals should be submitted via e-mail to acpsus.org@gmail.com. For paper proposals, please include (1) paper title and abstract; (2) keywords indicating topic and methodology; and (3) each author’s full name, institutional affiliation, and contact information. The e-mail subject line for paper submissions should be “Paper Proposal Submission ACPS_2023.”For panel submissions, please include (1) panel title; (2) each paper’s title and abstract; (3) each author’s full name, institutional affiliation, and contact information; (4) full name and contact information of the panel chair and discussant. Please use “Panel Proposal Submission ACPS_2023” as the e-mail subject line.

Acceptance of Proposals

The review committee will issue notifications of acceptance, via email, to the primary author listed in the paper or panel proposal. Notifications will be distributed by early August 2023.

Conference Registration Procedures

Those participants whose papers are accepted and plan to attend the conference must register for the conference and pay a non-refundable registration fee via the ACPS website by August 30, 2023. 

Volunteering and Mentoring

We welcome expressions of interest from conference participants willing to serve as panel chairs and discussants. Anyone interested in serving as a mentor/mentee should contact Dr. Dan Chen at dchen@richmond.edu.