Launched in 2020, the Max Planck Summer School on the Political Economy of Conflict and Redistribution (PolEcCon) celebrated its fifth anniversary and offered a wide-ranging program featuring many international experts.
This year's Summer School was organized by Kai A. Konrad (Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance and CEPR), Dan Kovenock (Economic Science Institute, Chapman University), and Dominic Rohner (Geneva Graduate Institute, University of Lausanne, and CEPR). It took place from July 21 to 24 at the Harnack House in Berlin and provided a framework for valuable academic exchange and numerous interesting discussions.
Professor Kai A. Konrad opened the Summer School with a lecture on “Strategic Aspects of Fighting in Alliances”. This kicked off a series of presentations covering topics such as conflicts in Africa, the various advantages and disadvantages of alliances, and many other related subjects.
Participants took advantage of this opportunity to present their work, engage in discussions with international experts from the fields of economics and political science and further develop their ideas through collaborative exchange.
The multifaceted presentations significantly enriched the program, making it both informative and diverse. Over the course of the four-day conference, participants were exposed to a wide array of new perspectives and insights across various topics.
The breakout discussion sessions, held during this summer school, offered a valuable opportunity for participants to engage more deeply with one another. These sessions facilitated meaningful dialogue around the presented works, encouraged the exchange of ideas, and helped attendees refine and clarify their future research directions.
August 2025