The School of Social Policy and Society at the University of Birmingham is delighted to announce that it will host the 2026 RC19 International Sociological Association Annual Conference.

This conference will showcase the global and international dimensions of social policy and how these continue to shape and be shaped by social welfare challenges as well as policy and practice innovations at the domestic level. By recognising the fundamental role of international policy actors in national agenda-setting and policy transfer, as well as the global impact of domestic economic and foreign aid decisions, Global Social Policy interrogates the politics of global partnerships and equitable access to resources in a world connected by common concerns for “equity, security and solidarity” as highlighted in the 2025 World Social Report.  

Hot on the heels of the Second World Social Development summit in Qatar (November, 2025), this conference will help take stock of the state of art, highlight new research, and facilitate wide-ranging collaborations for researchers, practitioners and policy makers who are tackling issues of social change and social welfare across and within countries.