Taming polarization: Reforming the American federal republic conference - 16-17 October 2026
On 16 and 17 October 2026, the Phelan US Centre will be hosting the conference, Taming polarization: Reforming the American federal republic in the Great Hall of the Marshall Building. The conference brings together historians, political scientists, geographers, and legal scholars, analysts, and practitioners from the US, EU, and the UK with a roundtable public lecture event and three expert panel discussions.
The conference will consider the role of federalism in fuelling polarization in the US and how federalism may be leveraged to tame it. Speakers include Jamila Michener (Cornell University), Jamelle Bouie (New York Times), Heather Gerken (Yale University), Jonathan Rodden (Stanford University), Aziz Huq (University of Chicago), and Larry Kramer (LSE President and Vice Chancellor).
At a time when deep polarization has paralyzed politics in America, the Taming polarization conference will explore how the US got itself into this political fix and consider alternative strategies for restabilizing the Republic. Adopting a comparative and historical perspective, the conference will create a space for frank, sustained discussion of critical issues such as state autonomy, political representation, and fiscal equalization.
The conference will open on the evening of Friday October 16 with a roundtable from 18.30-20.00 on “Reforming the American Republic”, followed by a welcome reception for conference participants and invited guests. On Saturday October 17, the conference runs from 9.30-16.00, with roundtable discussions organised around the themes of “Regional devolution pathways”, “Rebalancing regional fiscal disparities”, and “Rethinking the rules of political representation.” The panels will explore these issues from multiple angles and viewpoints, with speakers from different disciplines advancing alternative political diagnoses, strategies, and solutions for taming polarisation. Between panels, LSE doctoral students will have opportunities to talk with participants about their research on these and related topics in short poster sessions.
Conference roundtable event - Friday 16 October, 18.30-20.00
Politics as usual in the US has given way to winner-take-all politics, where federal power is weaponized to “impose” highly conflictual preferences across the national territory, fueling resentment, polarization, and fragmentation at the regional and state levels. How did America get itself into this political fix and what steps can be taken to tame the divisions and rancor that are roiling its politics?
Roundtable panelists:
- Larry Kramer, President and Vice Chancellor, LSE (chair)
- Jamelle Bouie, New York Times
- Aziz Z. Huq, University of Chicago
- Suzanne Mettler, Cornell University
More information about how to register to attend the event will be available soon.
Conference panels - Saturday 17 October, 9.30-16.00
In recent decades, many countries have successfully explored the expansion of regional (subnational) powers in response to partisan and regional tensions like those whipsawing the US today. Would such a strategy work in America, or would it only intensify polarization given the regional alignment of the parties?
Roundtable panelists:
- Peter Trubowitz, LSE Phelan US Centre and Department of International Relations (chair)
- Pablo Beramendi, Duke University
- Ron Brownstein, CNN
- Emily Zackin, Johns Hopkins University
Fiscal imbalances between surplus and deficit states have become a lightning rod in debates over the expansion of states’ powers. What adjustments can be taken to redress the imbalances, and at what risk to devolving authority to the subnational level? This panel will explore the relationships between changes in the division of powers and the distribution of fiscal resources.
Roundtable panelists:
- Michael Storper, LSE Department of Geography and Environment (chair)
- Tracy Gordon, Urban Institute
- Jamila Michener, Cornell University
- Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, LSE Department of Geography and Environment
Long-running changes in America’s electoral geography have amplified differences over federal and state power on matters of policy. Recent changes in campaign financing and electoral procedures have raised the stakes. Struggles over political representation are now acute. This panel considers the possibilities for changing the rules of representation.
Roundtable panelists:
- Nicola Lacey, LSE Law School (chair)
- Jenna Bednar, University of Michigan
- Jonathan Rodden, Stanford University
- Ilya Somin, George Mason University