Melbourne, Australia

22-23 March 2020
20-22 March 2021

*************************COVID-19 HAS CAUSED POSTPONEMENT OF THE 2020/2021 CONFERENCE*********************

Founded in 2008 by Cameron Anderson (UC-Berkeley) and Frank Flynn (Stanford University), the PSI Network is a curated, invitation-only consortium of the world’s most respected scholars of social hierarchy. Most of the membership comprises psychologists, sociologists, and management scholars studying individuals; however, we're eager to welcome colleagues examining groups, organizations, and societies, from disciplines including economics, history, anthropology, political science, philosophy, and more.

PSI’s biannual conference has been held at Stanford, Northwestern, NYU, London Business School, and UC-San Diego. In 2021, it comes to Australia for the first time; we're excited to introduce our stellar academic membership to the most vibrant and cultured city in the region, and to foster stimulating discussions and new opportunities for collaboration. As always, PSI Network Conference attendance is curated to ensure the highest quality in discussions and presentations. We regret that doctoral students are not invited to the conference (other than those from the host university).

Because the 2021 conference requires more travel than usual for most attendees, our organizers (Jen Overbeck and Katie Greenaway) have created a new and more substantial format for the conference. An optional half-day Teaching Preconference (Saturday, 20 March) will kick things off before the main academic program on Sunday, 21 March. Then, for the first time at a PSI conference, the Monday program welcomes  members of the business community. This Collaborative Program (Monday, 22 March) is open to members of selected organizations, starting with lunch and ending with an evening reception.

Registration will re-open no earlier than July 2020, once we have more clarity around the feasibility of international travel and conference gatherings.

 

Click here for more detailed conference information

Click here to register

 

Draft Program (may be revised due to changes in speaker availability)

Sunday 21 March:

Academic Program
     This day features 6 hourlong talk sessions (each talk includes ample Q&A time)

  • New discoveries in CONTROL (Speakers: Aleksandra Cichocka; Anyi Ma)
  • New discoveries in STATUS (Speakers: Chris von Rueden; Khandis Blake)
  • New discoveries in INFLUENCE (Speakers: Stephen Spiller; Noah Goldstein)

Monday 22 March:

AM – Academic Program, cont’d

  • New discoveries in Power (Speakers: Lisa D. Cook, Nate Fast)
  • Tentative: Power in the political sphere (guest speaker)
  • Tentative: Discussion time

PM – Collaborative Program -- Two sessions - parallel panel tracks:

   Session 1:
       Track 1: Navigating the post-#metoo movement
       Track 2: From boardrooms to situation rooms: Safeguarding against inequality & destructive power

     Session 2:
       Track 1: “Ignorance is bliss”: Governance failures in ethical oversight
       Track 2: Diversity & effectiveness: Tradeoffs or amplifiers?