We are pleased to share a call for abstracts for the ESPAnet 2025 conference, taking place in Milan from 27 to 29 August 2025. Scholars interested in social policy challenges in Eastern and Central Europe are encouraged to submit to Stream 19: "Protecting the Vulnerable in Eastern and Central Europe: Social Policy Challenges in Times of Polycrisis."

Key Dates:

• Abstract submission deadline: 24 April 2025
• Notification of acceptance: 15 May 2025
• Full paper submission deadline: 11 August 2025
• Conference dates: 27–29 August 2025

Submission Format:

• Presentation format: In-person papers
• Abstract length: 350–500 words
• Submission link: Submit your abstract

Stream Convenors:

• Dr. Andrzej Klimczuk (SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Poland)
• Dr. Magdalena Kocejko (SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Poland)
• Dr. Olga Kupets (Kyiv School of Economics, Ukraine)
• Dr. Yuliya Markuts (Kyiv School of Economics, Ukraine)

Stream Description:

In recent years, polycrisis has disrupted global economic, social, and political structures. Key events include the COVID-19 pandemic, escalating inflation and cost-of-living pressures, the Russian invasion of Ukraine resulting in a significant refugee crisis and social tensions, and catastrophic floods in Eastern and Central Europe. These crises have intensified social risks, strained welfare state institutions, and disproportionately affected vulnerable populations, exacerbating existing social inequalities. This stream explores the challenges of designing, implementing, and evaluating social policies amid polycrisis conditions, with a particular focus on issues related to the inclusiveness and sensitivity of social policies to the needs of different vulnerable groups.

We invite empirical and theoretical contributions employing qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods research approaches.

Papers may focus on, but are not limited to:

• Protective policies in polycrisis, such as strategies to safeguard vulnerable groups during concurrent crises, including pandemics, natural disasters, armed conflicts, inflation, and the rising digital and robotics divide.
• Insights and case studies from recent crises covering lessons from social policy responses and welfare state resilience.
• Resource allocation trade-offs covering ethical and practical considerations in distributing scarce resources during emergencies and their impact on social equity and cohesion.
• Promoting resilience and recovery, for example, enhancing community resilience and facilitating long-term recovery amidst health crises and economic instability.
• Interplay of influencing factors, such as the relationship of inflation and political factors, such as polarization and trust erosion, in shaping policy responses.
• International cooperation and digital transition covering solutions in improving social policy effectiveness through global collaboration and digital innovations such as big data analytics and artificial intelligence tools.
• Policy framework analyses and comparative studies covering evaluations related to protecting vulnerable populations during multiple crises.
• Studies based on innovative approaches, among others, systems thinking, scenario planning, foresight analysis, network analysis, participatory action research, co-design methods, discourse analysis, collective intelligence, hardware and software development, and rapid and low-cost research tools.

For more information on the conference, please visit the ESPAnet Milan 2025 website.