Call for Papers – Workshop in Boston

Transnational Political Networks and the Future of Global Order is a multi-year research project supported by Carnegie Corporation that investigates why certain transnational political networks achieve (or fall short of) breakthroughs in international cooperation, even amid polarization and geopolitical crisis.

Submission Deadline: May 15th, 2026

This workshop brings together early-career scholars to investigate how transnational political networks – and the transformational ideas they champion – shape the possibilities for international cooperation. We invite paper proposals, including from advanced PhD candidates, for a workshop on transnational political networks to be held at the Center for International Affairs and World Cultures, Northeastern University, Boston, MA on 24-25 September 2026 (hotel, meals, and travel will be covered). 

Transnational political networks – groups of individuals who transcend national boundaries – are major forces shaping global order, despite great power competition. At both the societal and elite levels, they have catalyzed new areas of international cooperation across a wide range of issue areas, such as climate change, nuclear weapons, outer space, and artificial intelligence. We aim to break new ground through our focus on transnational political networks driven by transformational, rather than transactional, ideas for international cooperation. 

This call for papers is open in terms of issue area under investigation and region(s) of the world. Priority will be given to under-investigated case studies that have the potential to shed new light on pathways to breakthroughs in international cooperation, particularly those that have a bearing on the future of global order.  All cases should feature one or more transnational political networks (at the societal and/or elite level) and a transformational idea that goes beyond narrow self-interest to advance cooperation across national boundaries. The emphasis is on revealing mechanisms or strategies for change. Outcomes of international cooperation may be strong or weak.

Proposals should be around 300 words and include a short bio (total length no longer than 1 page). Each proposal should clearly indicate: 

1. The specific transnational political network(s) under investigation (societal or elite-level)
2. The transformational idea championed by the network(s)
3. The breakthrough in international cooperation the network(s) sought to achieve – whether realized, partial, or still in progress – and evidence of the network’s role in that outcome

Please send proposals to Professor Mai’a K. Davis Cross, Director of the Center for International Affairs and World Cultures: [email protected] by 15 May 2026.

This workshop is the fifth in the series after previous workshops in Boston, Oslo, Dublin, and New Delhi.  Across the series as a whole, we find that groundbreaking ideas are more likely to succeed when they have transformative potential, optimism, and the capacity to harness “ultrasociality” – the human inclination to be empathic, cooperative, and socially-oriented (Cross 2024). 

Support for this project is provided by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York. Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic foundation created by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to do “real and permanent good in this world.”