PPE Student Conference 2026: Progress under Pressure

This year’s PPE Student Conference will take place at the University of Lucerne on 3 July 2026. The conference is dedicated to the theme “Progress under Pressure” and asks how the idea of progress might be rethought under the conditions of today’s overlapping crises.

The conference has been planned and organised by students of the PPE programme. It brings together student presentations, workshops, two keynote lectures, and a final panel discussion.

Prof. Dr Jonathan Wolff will give an in-person keynote lecture on “Duties to the Future and the ‘Me’ Generation”. Prof. Dr Lisa Herzog will contribute an online keynote on “Progress in Economic Justice: What to Want, What to Do, and How to Get There”.

In the afternoon, four workshops will explore different perspectives on progress. These will be led by Prof. Dr Patrik Hummel on rethinking progress, Prof. Dr Joachim Blatter on systems, PD Dr Federica Gregoratto on work and meaning, and Prof. Dr Adrian Bardon on the sociopolitics of science denial. The day will conclude with a panel discussion bringing together the workshop leaders and Prof. Dr Martin Hartmann.

Registration and further information are available on the PPE website. The conference is generously supported by the Prof. Dr Dominic Schmidig Foundation.