The 32nd international FISS conference

Rebalancing Social Protection: Selectivity, Universality and the Future of Social Security

Sigtuna, Sweden

1-3 June 2026

Call for papers

Conference Theme: Rebalancing Social Protection: Selectivity, Universality and the Future of Social Security

The Foundation for International Studies on Social Security (FISS) invites researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to register for its upcoming conference.

This is the 32nd edition of the FISS conference. These conferences are intimate events that provide an excellent opportunity for young researchers to engage in meaningful discussions with senior researchers and practitioners in a supportive environment. With around 70 participants, the conference is small, and attendees come from all over the world. The conference will be held in the charming town of Sigtuna, Sweden’s former Viking capital. This unique location offers a rare and beautiful atmosphere that fosters conviviality and vibrant intellectual exchange.

FISS focuses on social security in the broadest sense, encompassing all interventions, benefits, and services aimed at strengthening social rights. This inclusive approach ensures a rich, diverse exploration of ideas and practices in social policy.

This year’s theme focuses on the challenges posed by the implications of the ongoing polycrisis and military conflicts for social policy worldwide. Specifically, it addresses the enduring tension between selectivity and universality classical issue that gains renewed relevance in a context of rising social needs and increasing pressure on public budgets. Selective instruments promise efficiency and targeted support but often come at the cost of complexity, lower take-up, poverty traps, and fragile political legitimacy. Universal arrangements, by contrast, tend to strengthen social cohesion and public support, but raise concerns about fiscal sustainability and distributive precision.

The conference will focus on the tension between selectivity and universality, which lies at the heart of contemporary debates on the future of social security and social policy.

To inform this discussion, the conference will look beyond national and European experiences, actively engaging with perspectives from across the world. In particular, we will welcome keynote speakers from Latin American countries, where innovative policy approaches and institutional arrangements offer valuable and potentially inspiring insights for rethinking the balance between universal and selective forms of social protection.

Submissions are welcome on the general topic of social security and social policy, including micro and macro analyses, case studies and comparative work, quantitative as well as qualitative contributions.

Submissions are encouraged on the following specific topics:

Crisis Policy Responses: Evaluation of policy measures during the COVID-19 pandemic and the inflation crisis, with a focus on lessons learned.
Ecological Transition and Social Policy: Development of new policies to mitigate the social impacts of the transition to a sustainable and climate-neutral economy.
The Digital Revolution: Exploring its effects on work and social protection systems, with special attention to safeguarding the rights and welfare of platform workers.
Military spending and its potential relationship with contemporary welfares states.

Submission details:

Individual paper submissions can be submitted online.

Submissions for the Panel Sessions for the FISS 2026 Conference should be sent to the conference secretariat at: FISS-OC@uantwerpen.be. Proposals for panel sessions should include the session title, speaker names and affiliations, abstracts, and a proposed chairperson. Proposals should not exceed 1,200 words.

Submissions from current postgraduate students and recent graduates are particularly encouraged.

The FISS Best Paper Prize will be awarded by a selection committee from the FISS Board of Governors, and the winning paper will (subject to a review process) be published in The Journal of Poverty and Social Justice. The author(s) will also receive two years’ free subscription to the journal.

Important dates:

Submission of Paper Abstracts and Panel Session Proposals: March 4, 2026

Notification of applicants: March 25, 2026

Early booking & registration begin: March 25, 2026

Conference: 1-3 June 2026