We are excited to annouce this Call for Papers for the workshop “Discursive and Epistemic Selectivity in Global Environmental Negotiations” with Sciences Po Prof. Dr. Colin Hay and leader of the TwinPolitics Group Prof. Dr. Alice Vadrot.
The workshop will focus on the application of discursive and epistemic selectivity theory to the political process of negotiating global environmental agreements.
Global environmental negotiations have come under increasing pressure in recent years (Nature, 2024). Meetings such as COP29 in Baku on climate change, COP16 in Cali on biodiversity, and INC-5.2 in Geneva for a global plastics treaty have exacerbated concerns that global environmental policy does not reflect the implications of available scientific knowledge and expertise. The concepts of discursive (Hay, 2002) and epistemic (Vadrot, 2014) selectivity can help to explain this phenomenon by emphasizing how certain forms of knowledge are favoured over others in negotiation settings, and how their meaning is constructed through discourse.
In this workshop, we will seek to operationalize both conceptual approaches in the setting of global environmental negotiations, with a special focus on the relationship between science and policy. We invite researchers with an interest in global environmental negotiations, constructivist perspectives on IR, or discourse theory to join us in this endeavor!
The workshop will take place at the University of Vienna on January 23 2026 (9 a.m. – 5:30 pm). Please submit an abstract for consideration to participate in our workshop. Abstracts should be no more than 300 words and should clearly outline the focus and key arguments of your proposed contribution. The deadline for submission is 15 December 2025. Please send your abstract to env.powi@univie.ac.at with the subject line: Abstract Submission – Workshop Discursive and Epistemic Selectivity.
Agenda
9:00 – 10:30
Discursive and Epistemic Selectivity Today. Deliver an update on the theory, and developments since its conception.
10:30 – 11:00: Coffee Break
11:00 – 12:30
Discursive and Epistemic Selectivity in Environmental Negotiations. Discuss the theory’s applicability to the field of environmental negotiations, with a focus on the role of science.
12:30 – 14:00: Lunch
14:00 – 15:30
Operationalizing Discursive and Epistemic Selectivity. Develop methodological pathways for studying discursive selectivity in the field of environmental negotiations.
15:30 – 16:00: Coffee Break
16:00 – 17:30
Discursive and Epistemic Selectivity and other Discursive Concepts. Broaden the scope to other discourse theoretical theories that are relevant for discursive selectivity.
About the workshop leaders
Colin Hay is Professor of Political Sciences (Professeur des Universités) in the Centre d’études européennes et de politique comparée (Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics) and Director of Doctoral Studies in the School of Research. He is Affiliate Professor of Political Analysis at the University of Sheffield, UK, where he was the founding co-director of the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute (SPERI). He was previously Professor of Political Analysis and Head of Department in POLSIS at the University of Birmingham, UK. He has held visiting positions at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University (US), in the Department of Political Science at MIT (US), in the School of Politics and International Relations at Australian National University (Australia) and in the Department of Government at the University of Manchester (UK).
Alice Vadrot is a Professor for International Relations and Environment. Her focus is on researching the interface between science and politics in international environmental diplomacy and developing new methodological approaches to examining the role of knowledge in international negotiations. As part of the EU project MARCO-BOLO (2022-2026), she is investigating the need for data in biodiversity policy and nature conservation practice. Vadrot is a member of the Young Academy of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), the Mission Board of the EU Water Mission, the Management Board of the Environment and Climate Hub of the University of Vienna and the management team of the Austrian Biodiversity Council.
For more information, or for participants who need support attending the workshop from places outside Austria, please contact felix.nuetz@univie.ac.at and alice.vadrot@univie.ac.at.
