Comparative historical analysis of institutions has long stood at the center of the social sciences—one that has acquired renewed urgency as democratic institutions face mounting strain across much of the contemporary world. Western democracy did not emerge suddenly or fully formed. Rather, it was the cumulative outcome of centuries of social conflict and political negotiation. It developed within a distinctive historical setting shaped by prolonged struggles among rival centers of authority—monarchs, churches, landed elites, and self-governing cities—through which norms of representation, accountability, and institutional constraint were gradually forged. Reconstructing the origins of these arrangements is essential not merely for historical understanding, but for recovering the lessons embedded in early democratic experience—lessons that speak directly to the conditions under which democratic orders can endure periods of stress. By contrast, many newer democracies in Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa, and elsewhere did not arise from such extended processes of institutional development. Instead, they were often the product of international intervention or rapid regime transitions.

This conference will bring world-leading scholars in historical political economy—a rapidly expanding field across the social sciences—to the University of Chicago campus on 9–10 October 2026. The conference will focus on the comparative historical analysis of democratic institutions, seeking to distinguish contingent vulnerabilities from recurrent structural risks and to identify the institutional foundations most critical to democratic resilience today.

CONFERENCE PROGRAM