We are excited to announce that the Center for Social Conflict and Cohesion Studies (COES) in partnership with the Julius Baer Foundation, is hosting the international conference The Future of Social Mobility in Santiago, Chile, on December 3-4, 2025.
The conference aims to examine contemporary challenges and opportunities for social mobility, with a focus on addressing inequality and creating pathways for mobility, particularly in the context of persistent and emerging barriers. The event will bring together academics, policymakers, NGO professionals, funders, and philanthropists to share research, experiences, and solutions, as well as to critically and creatively discuss drivers and enablers of upward mobility.
As an inter- and transdisciplinary space, the conference welcomes contributions from a wide range of academic disciplines to provide the most updated research on social mobility. This will facilitate mutual learning and interaction with a broader context of social actors and institutions interested in this topic. The conference programme will feature plenary sessions, academic-only sessions, mixed sessions, and stories panels, culminating in a collaborative lab to consolidate insights and generate key conclusions.
COES currently welcomes submissions of paper and session proposals that contribute on one of these topics:
1. Intersectionality of race, ethnicity, gender, class, and territory in social mobility, which will explore how these factors shape social mobility.
2. Meritocracy, social mobility, and the critique to inequality, which will examine the role of meritocracy in perpetuating inequality.
3. New forms of social mobility and aspirations of prosperity, which will explore emerging pathways to social mobility and shifting aspirations of prosperity in today’s world.
4. Climate change, transitions, and social mobility, which will investigate the impact of climate change on social mobility.
Further details can be found in the call for abstracts below. The submission deadline is April 18, 2025, and the preliminary programme will be available online by September 5, 2025. Join us in exploring the complexities of social mobility and co-creating a more equitable future.
About COES
COES is committed to reducing wealth inequality through evidence-based policies that expand access to education, professional trainings, career networks and more for marginalised groups.
