“The Future of Global Governance” – Barcelona, February 4-5, 2027

The future of global governance is in question. Mark Carney, at Davos, has spoken of a rupture of the postwar world order and the dawn of a “harsh reality” where power knows no limits. In this new reality, multilateral institutions like the United Nations are threatened by deepening geopolitical rivalries, realpolitik, and predatory state behavior. Some see a world of increasing chaos—a “doom loop” in which institutions are contested, cross-border problems go unresolved, and the world spirals into a state of disorder. Others see a path forward. The postwar order, in this view, is being replaced by a more complex, multipolar one in which innovative governance arrangements, such as ad hoc coalitions, minilateral institutions, and informal organizations are increasingly prominent instruments of cooperation. But whether these can serve as substitutes or complements to multilateral institutions—and, more fundamentally, can genuinely help to address the mounting challenges the world faces—remains uncertain.

The upcoming (9th) edition of the Barcelona Workshop on Global Governance aims to unpack and analyze these patterns, as well as their implications for the study of global governance itself. We seek to do so by bringing together scholars working on themes related to several interrelated sets of questions. First, how are international institutions being challenged, supported, and changed? What actors are undermining, or contrarily, undergirding the system? Second, what patterns of decay, resilience, and innovation can we observe, and do these patterns differ across institutional forms, issue areas, or regions? What drives these processes? Why do we see institutional decay in some issue areas and regions, and new growth in others? Finally, in a world where the global governance system is increasingly being questioned, what future is there for global governance research? How is the study of global governance changing—and, just as importantly, how must it change—in response to the changes we see at the international level?

Venue

The Barcelona Workshop on Global Governance is organized by Esade Business School’s Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics (EsadeGeo) and the Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals (IBEI). It aims to offer a leading venue for the study of global governance—its problems, dynamics, and effects—from an interdisciplinary perspective, bringing together scholarship from international relations, law, sociology, anthropology, political theory, public administration, and history.

Paper submissions

We invite abstract proposals from interested scholars from all disciplines, and especially encourage those from early career researchers, women, and people of color. They should be submitted through the online submission portal: online submission portal.

The deadline for abstracts is 11 October 2026.

All proposals will undergo peer review and notifications of acceptance will be sent out in early November at the latest. Final versions of the papers are expected to be delivered by 15 January 2027 for circulation among participants.

Grants and Support

A limited number of travel grants for early career researchers will be available upon request. Please indicate this in your submission. Funds will be distributed on an equitable basis.

Organizing Committee

Timon Forster, IBEI

Charles Roger, IBEI

Angel Saz-Carranza, EsadeGeo

Marie Vandendriessche, Esade