2nd Dortmund Disputes on Economic Justice

2nd Dortmund Disputes on Economic Justice

Date: June 25 and 26, 2026.

Place: Dortmund, Germany

Keynotes: Chiara Cordelli (University of Chicago), Bas van der Vossen (Chapman University)

The annual ‘Dortmund Disputes on Economic Justice’ serve as a forum for discussing questions of economic justice, including the role of markets, the nature of property, the justifiability of taxes, the importance of workplace democracy, the problem of economic inequality, and, more generally, the merits of capitalism and socialism. While debates on economic justice often occur within specific political camps, the Dortmund Disputes aim to foster discussion across political boundaries by bringing together scholars with diverse outlooks—liberal egalitarian, libertarian, socialist, conservative, or otherwise—who share the goal of advancing our understanding of economic justice.

Following the successful first installment in 2025, which featured Miranda Fleischer and Nicholas Vrousalis, the second installment will take place on June 25–26, 2026. The keynote speakers are Chiara Cordelli and Bas van der Vossen. Chiara Cordelli, Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, works on social and political philosophy, especially political economy and democratic theory. She is the author of The Privatized State (2020), a Kantian critique of privatization that develops a democratic theory of public administration. Bas van der Vossen, Professor in the Smith Institute for Political Economy and Philosophy and the Philosophy Department at Chapman University, works on political philosophy, with a focus on political economy, global justice, and property rights. His books include In Defense of Openness (2018) and Debating Humanitarian Intervention (2017).

We invite scholars to apply with an abstract of around 500 words for a 40-minute talk. Abstracts will be selected based on their quality, fit with the spirit of the conference, and alignment with the research interests of the keynote speakers. They should be sent as PDF attachments to Karina Janke [[email protected]], prepared for blind review. The deadline for submission is February 1, 2026.

We will strive to secure funding to cover travel and accommodation expenses for speakers, but applicants should not rely on its availability.

Organizers of the Conference: Jonas Harney, Peter Königs

Organizers of the Conference Series: Jonas Harney, Peter Königs, Christian Neuhäuser, Lea Prix, Dick Timmer (TU Dortmund University)

Contact: [email protected]