The Association of Law and Political Economy (ALPE) planning committee invites proposals for the inaugural ALPE Conference. The conference will take place on February 6-7, 2026, at a venue in downtown Richmond, Virginia, hosted by the University of Richmond School of Law.
This conference will serve as the launch for a new Association for Law and Political Economy (ALPE), an organization dedicated to the production of scholarly knowledge by academics, researchers, organizers, practitioners, and others committed to centering issues of political economy in the study of law—that is, how the law facilitates and responds to particular distributions and arrangements of political and economic resources. A law and political economy approach does not accept the economy as given, as merely the realm of market exchange, but understands the very boundaries of “the economy” to be contested.
The new Association is a collaborative endeavor organized by faculty across the LPE ecosystem, to allow us to have a regular annual conference; rotating, elected leadership; and an architecture for open participation and collaboration that can grow to meet the need and enthusiasm for LPE work today. We encourage everyone interested in LPE to attend, and especially encourage those who are new to LPE or “LPE curious.” The conference will include a meeting that offers information on how attendees can get involved in shaping the Association.
The conference will feature academic presentations and include settings where participants can gather to discuss pedagogy, organizing, and community building. We are looking for papers and roundtables centered on both practical and theoretical questions. You are welcome to attend even if you cannot present.
We solicit proposals for paper panels, individual papers, and roundtables as detailed below. We prefer proposed panels or roundtables, but will also accept some individual papers that we place onto panels. Proposals are due between Aug. 15 and Sept. 15, and we encourage submission in advance of the deadline. People whose proposals are accepted will be notified by Oct. 15.
We will include as many presenters as possible, but do have limits imposed by the number of rooms we have available. Accordingly, you may only appear on one panel or roundtable, but can serve as a chair or discussant on another panel. Selections will be made by a program committee and area chairs, who will be assessing papers based on their academic interest and relevance to LPE.
Participants will be asked to cover their own expenses. There will be a conference registration fee to cover conference costs and facilitate participation by scholars who require funding, and a reduced fee for students and fellows. Limited funds will be available to defray registration and other conference costs for those whose participation is contingent upon funding. Please indicate the need for funding support in the submission portal, and we will contact you by email after we review and finalize acceptances.
As a general matter, we will not be able to accommodate special scheduling requests. Until a draft of the program is circulated, prospective presenters, chairs, and commentators should plan to be available in person on February 6 (Friday) or February 7 (Saturday).
SUBMISSIONS
We welcome panel or paper proposals from faculty, post-docs, fellows, and independent scholars. If you would like to be considered for an emerging scholars session (designed for scholars who will go on the market in the next 1-3 years to workshop a paper with one or two faculty members), please designate your interest on the submission form – more information will be forthcoming.
Panel proposals
Panel proposals should include 4 paper presenters, and 1 discussant or moderator (or indicate a desire for a discussant or moderator to be assigned). Papers should be works in progress, and drafts will be due two weeks before the conference, to be shared on a password protected site with conference participants. We will also accept proposals of 3 panelists, in which case conference organizers may add a 4th panelist to the panel. A panel proposal should include a title and description (150 words), the name of a moderator/discussant, as well as titles and abstracts (500 words) for each paper to be presented. We will also ask you to select from among a list of thematic subject areas, to facilitate review by area experts.
Individual paper proposals
If you would like to present a work-in-progress and to be placed on a panel with others presenting on related topics, you should submit an individual paper proposal. We will need an abstract (500 words), and you will select an area to facilitate paper review.
Roundtable proposals
Roundtables will be discussion-based, inviting audience participation, and can address academic questions (“how does political economy relate to authoritarianism?”); issues of pedagogy ( “how to teach contracts from an LPE perspective”), organizing (“building countervailing power in the tenants movement”); or be oriented to skill-sharing (“how to understand your university’s budget”). Proposals should include a title, description (300 words), 4-5 lead discussants, and a chair.
You can submit proposals here. If you’re not submitting, but want to receive conference and ALPE updates, sign up for our listserv here. For any questions, please contact lpeassociation01@gmail.com
