LIST OF PANELS

In an era marked by global challenges such as climate change, rising inequality, technological disruption, and post-pandemic recovery, the interplay between public policy and market practices has never been more critical. This panel aims to explore the multifaceted role of public policy in steering market behaviours towards the creation of fair, sustainable, and healthy societies. By bringing together diverse perspectives from various sectors, regions, and policy domains, we seek to foster a comprehensive understanding of how market practices shape societal outcomes and how targeted policy interventions can drive positive change.

The relationship between markets and society has long been a subject of academic and policy debate. Yet, continued commitment to an economic fundamentalism characterised by individualism, privatisation, and financialisation – amid complex interconnected global crises – demands re-examination of these dynamics.

Current literature in public policy and economics recognises the potential for well-designed policies to shape market incentives and behaviours. Studies have demonstrated how regulatory frameworks, fiscal policies, and institutional arrangements can influence corporate decision-making, consumer behaviour, and overall market dynamics. Yet, there remains a gap in our understanding of how these policy levers can be effectively utilised to promote fairness, sustainability, and health across diverse contexts and scales.

This panel seeks to address this gap by exploring several key research questions:

How do different types of public policies (e.g., regulatory, fiscal, informational) influence market practices across various sectors and geographical contexts?

What role does public policy play in mitigating harms from market activities while promoting positive societal outcomes?

How can we effectively disrupt narratives of economic fundamentalism and economic growth with imperatives of fairness, sustainability, and human health?

What innovative policy approaches are emerging to address contemporary challenges such as climate change and environmental degradation, rising wealth inequality and social disorder, and the growing burden of premature death and disease?

How do processes of privatisation and financialisation impact the effectiveness of public policies in shaping market practices?

By examining these questions, the panel aims to contribute to both theoretical understanding and practical policy formulation. We hypothesise that effective public policy can serve as a powerful catalyst for aligning market practices with societal goals, although the specific mechanisms and outcomes may vary significantly across different contexts. We also posit that successful policy interventions will likely require adaptive, multi-stakeholder approaches that can respond to the complex and dynamic nature of modern markets.

This panel's scientific relevance lies in its potential to synthesise insights from diverse case studies, comparative analyses, and theoretical frameworks. By fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and critically examining  policy impacts, we aim to advance the scholarly discourse on the role of public policy in shaping market practices that support fairer, healthier, and more sustainable social outcomes.

We invite submissions for short papers that critically examine the role of public policy in shaping market practices towards fair, sustainable, and healthy societies. We welcome contributions from scholars, policymakers, and practitioners across various disciplines, including but not limited to public policy, economics, sociology, political science, public health, and environmental studies.

Papers may address, but are not limited to, the following themes:

Case studies of specific policy interventions and their impacts on market practices in different sectors or regions;

Comparative analyses of policy approaches across countries or sectors;

Theoretical frameworks for understanding the interplay between public policy and market behaviour, including ideological, institutional, and interest-based perspectives;

Empirical studies on the effectiveness of different policy tools in promoting fairness, sustainability, or public health;

Analyses of the challenges and opportunities presented by privatisation and financialisation in relation to public policy goals;

Innovative policy proposals for addressing contemporary global challenges (e.g., climate change, inequality);

Historical perspectives on the evolution of policy-market interactions and their societal impacts; and

Methodological approaches for evaluating the outcomes of policy interventions in market contexts.

We encourage papers that employ a wide range of methodological approaches, including quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. Interdisciplinary perspectives and novel theoretical frameworks are particularly welcome. Papers may focus on individual country case studies, cross-national comparisons, or global analyses.

Submissions should clearly articulate key research question(s), methodological approach, and relevance to the panel's theme. We are especially interested in papers that not only contribute to academic discourse but also offer insights for policy practitioners and decision-makers.

Authors are invited to submit commentaries and short research reports (3,000 words maximum, longer submissions will not be considered), overviewing the paper's aims, methodology, key findings or expected contributions, and contribution to the panel objectives.