25th -27th March 2026, Kreuzlingen (CH)
Organized by the Thurgau Institute of Economics at the University of Konstanz
Polarized Worlds
Keynote Speakers: Erin L. Krupka & Gabriele Spilker
Our worlds – our communities, cities, and countries – are becoming increasingly polarized in many different ways. Rifts in media, narratives, politics, culture, and religion are just a few examples. With this, social cohesion is endangered. Inequality of opportunity and in-group favoritism are on the rise, and major threats to political participation, such as hate speech and violence, loom large. We invite experimental and theoretical contributions from economics, political science and other social and behavioral sciences to analyze the causes and effects of polarization in different areas.
Keynote Speakers:
Erin Krupka is the Associate Dean for Faculty and a Professor at the University of Michigan School of Information. Her research as an experimental and behavioral economist focuses on how social norms and collective values shape behavior, and how they themselves can be shaped. Drawing from multiple social sciences, she applies her findings to issues like encouraging positive behaviors in organizations, shifting social norms, and addressing polarization, e.g., by studying how to design social media applications that encourage desirable norms to emerge endogenously.
Gabriele Spilker is Professor of „International Politics – Global Inequality“ at the Department of Politics and Public Administration of the University of Konstanz, and co-speaker of the Excellence Cluster „The Politics of Inequality“. Her main research interests concern both the determinants and the consequences of inequality. In particular, she investigates the consequences of climate change for migration and conflict, inequalities in perceiving globalization processes, and attitudes on environmental policies, which tends to be a particularly polarizing topic.
Important Dates:
| 14th January, 2026: | Submission deadline |
| 10th February, 2026: | Notification of acceptance |
| 24th February, 2026: | Registration deadline for presenters |
| 25th March, 2026, noon: | Theem starts |
| 27th March, 2026, 2:30 pm: | End of Theem (times are preliminary) |
If you would like to present your research, please submit an extended abstract (max. 2000 characters, or about 300 words) in .txt format below.
The conference fee is EUR 200 (including coffee breaks and the conference dinner).
Organized by:
| Ankush Asri | Fabian Dvorak | Holly Dykstra | Urs Fischbacher | Heidrun Oettl | Madeleine Hafner | Irenaeus Wolff |
Abstract Submission Theem
Where to stay
http://www.hotelsix.ch/ (directly at the border between Germany and Switzerland)
www.hotel-kreuzlingen.ch (near the restaurant Alti Badi and PH Thurgau)
http://www.hotel-konstanz.com (a hotel near the border in Konstanz)
www.hotelbarbarossa.de (in the old city of Konstanz)
http://www.hotel-viva-sky.de (near main train station Konstanz)
www.cityhotel-konstanz.de (also very near to the main train station)
How to get to theem
Theem takes place at the Kult-X, Hafenstrasse 8, CH-8280 Kreuzlingen.
By train
You can get to Kreuzlingen by train with the SBB (https://www.sbb.ch). The final station is Kreuzlingen. It is a 10 Minutes Walk from the Station to the TWI and the Kult-X.
You can reach Konstanz by Deutsche Bahn (https://www.bahn.de). From the main station take bus line 908 to get to the Thurgau Institute of Economics. Please get off the bus at the stop Helvetiaplatz.
By Bus
From Konstanz: There is a bus 908 from Konstanz directly to Kreuzlingen. (Zähringerplatz – Landschlacht) Take Stop „Helvetia-Platz“. 2025-roterarnold-linie-908.pdf
By car
You can get to Kreuzlingen from Zurich on highway N7. From the north you can get to Kreuzlingen on highway A81. Please follow direction Kreuzlingen centre. Parking is possible in the blue marked parking spots in the area and there are a few spots available at the TWI Office.
By plane
The international airport next to Kreuzlingen is Zurich Kloten. From Zurich Kloten there is a direct train connection taking about one hour to Kreuzlingen with the SBB (https://www.sbb.ch). It is a 10 Minutes walk from Kreuzlingen Station to the Event Location. The regional airport next to Kreuzlingen is Friedrichshafen. From Friedrichshafen situated on the north side of the Lake Constance you can get to Kreuzlingen by express bus, train or ship.
On the maps
