The Soviet Legacy - Political Economy, Conflict, and Environmental Change - Call for Papers

Call for Papers

The Soviet Legacy: Political Economy, Conflict, and Environmental Change

January 18-19, 2027

The workshop “The Soviet Legacy” will take place at UCLouvain (Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium). The event is co-organized by Alexey Makarin (MIT), Jean-François Maystadt (UCLouvain) and Natalya Naumenko (GMU), with the support of the MIT-Belgium International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) Global seeds Funds
 

Keynote Speakers

• Vola Charnysh (MIT)
• Maria Petrova (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona)

Theme and Scope

Current geopolitical tensions have renewed attention to the enduring legacy of the Soviet Union in shaping contemporary patterns of political conflict, economic integration, state capacity, and environmental vulnerability across Eurasia and beyond. By bringing historical and geoeconomic perspectives into dialogue with current policy debates, the workshop aims to deepen our understanding of how Soviet-era institutions, infrastructures, and political dynamics continue to influence present-day economic, environmental, and geopolitical outcomes.
This event aims to bring together leading and early-career researchers working on the economic, environmental and political legacy of the Soviet Union, with a particular emphasis on political economy, international, and environmental economics. We welcome contributions from empirical, theoretical, and policy perspectives.

Submission Guidelines

• Deadline: September 15, 2026
• Format: Full papers are preferred; extended abstracts (min. 1,000 words) will also be considered.
• Submission email: jean-francois.maystadt@uclouvain.be 
• Authors will be notified of decisions by mid-October 2026.

Contact

For questions, please contact: jean-francois.maystadt@uclouvain.be