Building Bridges in a Fragmented World Economy

IESE Barcelona - April 27-28, 2026

In a world increasingly marked by polarization and geopolitical tensions, both overt and subtle, this conference aspires to unite thought leaders—from both scholarship and business practice—in international business, international relations, cross-cultural management, global economics, and political science. Together, we aim to generate transformative insights on how we can connect— and reconnect—across the many divides that characterize our global society.

The Social Trends Institute and IESE Business School are organizing a multi-disciplinary experts meeting and convening a small group of scholars and experts (around 40 people) to work on some interrelated objectives:

1) What forces—geopolitical, economic, technological, cultural, and psychological—are driving today’s unprecedented levels of global fragmentation, and how do they interact to reshape the world order?

2) What lessons from history, diverse regions, and varied cultural perspectives can help us better navigate today’s geopolitical tensions and societal divides?

3) What innovative pathways, policies, and organizational practices can mitigate the critical challenges confronting globalization?

4) How can social, business, and political leaders reduce the harms of fragmentation, foster proximity and common purpose across boundaries, and mobilize collective action on society’s grand challenges? What contributions can academia make in developing evidence-based insights that shape practice and policy?

5) How can we re-envision a form of globalization that builds bridges rather than barriers—one that is inclusive, sustainable, and capable of bringing people, organizations, and nations closer together?

This is an interdisciplinary meeting that seeks to generate an open debate among scholars, policy makers and business leaders with a deep understanding of these issues, across different academic disciplines.

Our goal is to create an intellectually stimulating environment where participants feel challenged, stretched, and inspired. Through deep dialogue, we aim to co-create innovative research agendas—individually or collaboratively—across disciplines. These agendas will seek to address the profound complexities of our times and lay the groundwork for meaningful, impactful scholarship.

The Conference consists of a panel session with policy makers and executives, as well as nine sessions, each with a scholar presenting their ideas followed by a collective reflection and moderated discussion. There will be six sessions on the first day and four on the second day.

We expect to have around 40 engaged participants, including speakers, moderators, and the audience.

Monday, April 27, 2026

8:45 to 9:15 Arrival and registration

9:15 Conference Opening by the Dean and the conference organizers

9:30 Session 1

Finding Beauty in a Fractured World