‘PPEL in the Global South’ | Annual Conference on Philosophy, Politics, Economics and Law | Dec 11-14, 2025

The National Law School of India University (NLSIU), in collaboration with the International Network for Economic Method (INEM), the University of Hong Kong, and Purdue University, is hosting an international conference on ‘PPEL in the Global South,’ the annual conference on Philosophy, Politics, Economics and Law, from December 11 to 14, 2025.

About the Conference

In recent years, the fields of Philosophy, Politics, Economics and Law (PPEL) have seen a renewed interest in interdisciplinary engagement. Yet much of this discussion continues to take place within the context of Western experience, despite the increasing intellectual contributions from the Global South, particularly South Asia. There is a pressing need to expand and rethink the normative frameworks that shape these disciplines in the context of the institutional complexity, informality, and pluralism that mark the Global South, in order to develop more grounded, inclusive, and comparative approaches to the production of knowledge.

The conference represents an effort to provide a visible platform for scholars from India and other regions of the Global South to engage in sustained dialogue with peers from across the world. It also aims to contribute towards building a coherent intellectual community in India focused on philosophy, law, political theory, economics and adjacent disciplines. The conference on Philosophy, Politics, Economics and Law in the Global South brings together scholars engaged in these areas to reflect on questions of governance, justice, development, and institutional design, among others. The title has been chosen to reflect the broader ambition of organising similar events in other parts of the Global South in future years. PPEL in the Global South is co-organised by a global group of philosophers and economists with research interests across philosophy, politics, economics, and law.

Aim of the Conference

Building the Network

Unlike conferences that are tied to specific research projects or thematic grants, PPEL in the Global South is primarily conceptualised as a network-building initiative. The broader objective is to create a community of scholars engaged in normative research across the fields of Philosophy, Politics, Economics and Law, particularly in the Global South. The long-term objective is to generate shared scholarly output and to collaboratively build institutional infrastructure and an intellectual environment that can shape future research projects, mentoring, and institutional development.

Improving Interdisciplinary Dialogue

The intersection of philosophy, politics, economics and law is particularly relevant to the diverse and complex socio-economic landscapes of South Asian countries. These jurisdictions are beset with questions about democratic transformations and backsliding, economic growth and precarity, legal pluralism and institutional fragility, as well as stability in the larger context of age-old social hierarchies. Understanding these issues requires analytical frameworks that necessarily traverse disciplinary boundaries and engage in fair-minded normative inquiry. The PPEL Conference is designed to provide a platform for building and strengthening such interdisciplinary dialogues in the coming years.

Hub for Collaboration and Mentorship

By bringing together scholars from various countries and institutions, the conference will serve as a hub for initiating collaborative research projects, joint publications, and ongoing academic exchanges. The inclusion of both established and early-career scholars will facilitate mentorship relationships, which are crucial for sustaining and growing the research network beyond the conference.

Conference Programme

The conference programme is available as a live document here.

Contact

For any queries, please contact any of the following organising team members:

Dayal Paleri ()
Sidharth Chauhan ()
Ashna Singh ()
Kunal Nath Shahdeo ()
Sanjay Jain ()
Anviksha Drall ()
Rahul Raman ()