REPAL 2026 Conference Details
Conference Dates: Tuesday, May 12th and Wednesday, May 13th
Dissertation Workshop Date (pre-conference): Monday, May 11th
Conference Hosted by Escuela de Gobierno y Transformación Pública del Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico City, México.
Program Co-Chairs: Belén Fernández Milmanda (Trinity College) and Inés Fynn (Universidad Católica del Uruguay)
Dissertation Workshop Chairs: Juan Pablo Luna (McGill University) and Jessica Rich (Marquette University)
Local Committee: Miguel Toro (Tech Monterrey) and Mariana Rangel (Tech Monterrey)
To join REPAL’s listserv and stay updated on submission deadlines, conference updates, and other opportunities, please email us at repalconference@gmail.com and follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @REPAL_LatAm , Instagram @repal_latam, and Bluesky @repalconference.bsky.social.
Graduate Student Workshop
APPLICATIONS DUE JANUARY 15, 2026
Doctoral students who will have finished coursework by the time of REPAL 2026 are invited to apply for a pre-conference doctoral student workshop to discuss their dissertation prospectuses. The four-hour workshop will take place on the afternoon of May 11 (the day before the REPAL conference begins) at the Tech de Monterrey in Mexico City, México.
The workshop is for doctoral students in the initial stages of dissertation design and research; discussion will focus on dissertation prospectus development. Students who have completed most of their dissertation research should apply to the regular REPAL conference instead.
The workshop languages will be English and Spanish, though proposals written in Portuguese may also be discussed. We particularly encourage submissions from black, indigenous, and people of color, women, and students living in Latin America. Participating students are invited to stay on to attend the full REPAL conference (12-13 May).
Up to 8 students will be selected to attend the workshop. Student participants will pre-circulate a 10-page prospectus in advance of the workshop. Participants are expected to have read and engaged with everyone else’s prospectus prior to the workshop. Each prospectus will be discussed individually in blocks of 30 minutes. First, students will offer brief (3-minute) prepared remarks, highlighting the areas on which they would like feedback. Second, a student discussant will offer suggestions for 5 minutes. Third, the rest of the participants will offer suggestions and ask questions.
All doctoral students selected to participate will receive a travel stipend of $500. There may also be other opportunities for participants to receive support from REPAL to defray travel costs. Doctoral students who would like to apply to the workshop should fill out this Google form providing contact information, information about their doctoral program, and a description of their project; the form may be completed in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. Applicants must also ask their advisor to submit a separate letter of recommendation via email to repalconference@gmail.com by January 15, 2026. Applicants will be advised of the status of their application by February 2026.
Discussant and Chair Participation
REPAL encourages researchers to attend the conference even if not presenting a paper. If funding is contingent on having a formal role in the conference, please volunteer to serve as a chair or discussant for a book panel by contacting us at repalconference@gmail.com.
Information for Confirmed Participants
COMING MARCH 2026
2026 Conference Program
COMING MARCH 2026
Conference Format
The conference will feature 30-minute sessions, with 12-minute presentations followed by 15 minutes of discussion. Papers must be submitted two weeks prior to the conference and will be accessible only to conference participants. Attendees are expected to read papers in advance to enhance discussion.
While the format promotes in-depth exchange, it limits the number of available slots, making the selection process highly competitive. However, we encourage non-presenting researchers to attend and participate. Given this conference format, late cancellations – if unexplained — or failure to submit one’s paper on time will diminish chances of acceptance for future conferences.
The program committee welcomes proposals that address important theoretical and practical puzzles in the political economy of Latin America. We particularly encourage the submission of work on issues related to the current political economy of the region that is based on original data collection. Paper proposals (max 500 words) should clearly explain the robust empirical field research that was conducted, using methods suited to the research questions, and should highlight the original empirical data to be included in the paper. Proposals, papers, and presentations may be in English, Spanish, or Portuguese.
Please submit your paper proposals via this Google Proposal Form. The deadline for submissions is November 15, 2025. Questions regarding the proposal process can be sent to repalconference@gmail.com. Notification of acceptance will be sent by January 15, 2026.
Scholars based in Latin America and graduate students are strongly encouraged to apply. Graduate students should apply to present a paper after they have completed most of their dissertation fieldwork and have results to present. Graduate students who apply to present a paper must request that their advisor complete and submit this Google Recommendation Form by November 15, 2025. To promote graduate student participation, a Graduate Student Best Paper Award will be given based on the work presented at each conference.
Proposals for Book Sessions
REPAL seeks to feature new, first books that are under contract or recently published. Books should reflect significant fieldwork and original data collection in Latin America. Edited volumes, books under advance contract, or books that are not the author’s first are not eligible.
To propose a book session, please submit your book proposal using this Google Form rather than via email as in previous years. The form will request a one-page description of the book and a full manuscript. You may also suggest potential discussants.