For something a bit different at ECPR 2025

When: Sometime 26 – 29 August, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Standing group section: S05 “Addressing Policy Change and Stasis in Public Policy and Policy Process Research2

Chairs: Mario Angst, University of Zürich & Federico Holm, Center for Progressive Reform & Colorado State University.

Submit to the panel by January 6th!

There is a lot that can go wrong in analyzing public policy. Some of it funny, some of it tragic, but we hardly ever share it openly. This is the opportunity to do so. Inspired by the "Data Mishaps Night" of the Data Science community, this panel brings mishaps in public policy analysis into the light of day. We welcome submissions from light-hearted to serious.

Bring your data analyses gone spectacularly wrong, visualizations turning into nightmarish pictures, interactions with stakeholders and policy makers that went sideways or resulted in unwanted outcomes, strange data gathering experiences, multi-year projects data gathering efforts that were lost when the PI dropped their laptop from the balcony or AI that lacked the intelligence they claimed it had. Dogs eating manuscripts are welcomed here.

The only condition: You tried your best to analyze public policy in the process.

We want to offer a potentially cathartic and definitely enlightening look at lessons learned.

How to submit to the panel:

1. Submit your mishap as a regular "paper" at for the ECPR General Conference (propose a paper)
2. No, you do not have to write a paper about it (but you obviously can)
3. Submit to Section S05 "Addressing Policy Change and Stasis in Public Policy and Policy Process Research"
4. Note in your submission: This submission is intended for the panel "Public Policy Analysis Mishaps"
5. Come join us (online or irl) in Thessaloniki in summer