Mapping the Global Dimensions of Policy 15 – Governance in Pieces: (Re)imagining Politics in a Fragmented World

In contemporary international politics, global governance is a widespread topic of scholarly debate. As globalization has advanced, states no longer hold the sole authority to implement policies that attempt to manage the deepening inequalities that globalization causes. Nevertheless, with the political advance of the Far Right and the ongoing dismantling of multilateral cooperation, we are faced with the challenge of rethinking how we deal with questions of global cooperation and interconnectivity that consider structural inequalities between states as well as non-state actors. Understanding the world’s most serious problems and the deficiencies of current strategies is a vital function of social science research, which urges us to illuminate and question the intersecting crises in our everyday lives. 

The Four Main Goals of MGDP 15 are:
1. Bolstering graduate students’ research by providing a platform for new work.
2. Providing in-depth feedback. The conference draws upon McMaster’s expertise across the disciplines of international relations and international political economy as well as international and comparative public policy.
3. Create the space for graduate students to connect with fellow graduate students and professors and learn from each other in a collaborative environment.
4. Create opportunities to advance graduate student careers – both academic and non-academic – by hosting development panels.

McMaster University’s fifteenth annual Graduate Conference, Mapping the Global Dimensions of Policy 15 – Governance in Pieces: (Re)imagining Politics in a Fragmented World, aims to provide a collaborative venue for such work. At the intersections of globalization and policy studies, we especially welcome contributions that speak to this year’s theme. Approaches that transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries, and focus specifically on public policy, globalization, and the themes (outlined below), are particularly encouraged.

We invite PhD and master’s students from any university and all relevant disciplines with original research ideas to submit paper proposals. This includes, but is not limited to, the disciplines of Political Science, International Relations, International Development Studies, Public Policy, Anthropology, Religious Studies, Sociology, Geography, Environmental Sciences, History, Labour Studies, Law, Economics, Philosophy, Cultural Studies, Psychology, and Health Studies, and Natural/Physical Sciences. Panels will be organized thematically to advance critical analysis of research on related topics.

This year’s conference is structured into thematic subsections. We will accept proposals based on the following themes. When submitting, we ask you to choose the two thematic subsections which you feel your proposal aligns with best.

The themes are as follows:

1. Climate and Environmental Politics and Policy
2. International Political Economy and Trade
3. Critical Perspectives on Contemporary Governance (Feminism, Post-Colonialism, Post-Structuralism, Marxism, etc.)
4. Technology, AI, Communication, and Platform Governance
5. Governance, Structures, and Institutions
6. Violence, Militarization, Security, and Peach
7. Global Public Health
8. Identity, Culture, Representations, and Regionalism
9. Human Rights, Migration, Refugees and Citizenship

Guidelines for Presenters

• Presenters are required to provide copies of their completed papers to globalization.conference@gmail.com no later than Sunday February 15th 2026 so that discussants will have enough time to read through them and offer you comments. The discussant has no obligation to comment on the paper if it has not been previously seen. Such an action would be a loss to all attending the session.
• The text must be SINGLE SPACED, not exceeding a word count of 8,000, including notes appendices, with standard margins and saved as a Word or PDF file.
• Presenters should prepare comments outlining the major points of their papers. A good presentation is a must for a successful session.
• Oral Presentation (10-12 minutes) – Below are the guidelines for preparing an oral summary of a paper:

No paper should ever be read verbatim from the text. Such presentations are often not only dull but also incomplete due to time constraints imposed by the chair; an author reading from text may be cut off by the chair before reaching the most significant aspects of the presentation. Highlights may be given covering such points as the purpose of the study, description of the sample, methodology, problems, major findings, conclusions, or recommendations.

The amount of time devoted to each highlight may vary depending upon the author’s evaluation of the importance of each area related to the paper. Inexperienced extemporaneous speakers are advised to prepare a “reading text” of approximately 5 typed pages.