🌍 Organising the SASE 2026 Mini-Conference on Power and Conflict in Illegal Markets

4 July 2026

I co-organised the mini-conference "Power and Conflict in Illegal Markets" (MC18) at the 38th Annual Conference of the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics (SASE) at Sciences Po Bordeaux, together with Matias Dewey, Gabriel Feltran, Elena Butti, and Annette Hübschle.

The mini-conference brought together an international and interdisciplinary community of researchers examining illegal markets through criminological, sociological, political, socio-economic, and anthropological perspectives. Across 24 presentations in seven sessions, participants explored how power relations, governance, digitalisation, conflict, and institutional change shape contemporary illegal markets. The discussions facilitated dialogue across career stages, disciplines, genders, countries, and regions.

The event provided an excellent opportunity to strengthen existing collaborations, establish new research connections, and advance interdisciplinary debates on the social organisation and governance of illegal markets; topics that are central to my research on digital drug markets, illicit economies, and socio-technical transformations.

📄 New article published in Trends in Organized Crime

25 June 2026

I am pleased to announce that my article "Trust, infrastructure and sociopolitics in online drug markets: an exploratory socio-technical analysis of cryptomarket uptake in Europe and Latin America" was just published in Trends in Organized Crime.

The article, co-authored with Tobias Boos, Julia Buxton, Matias Dewey, and Nigel South, examines why online drug markets (cryptomarkets) have become well established in Europe while remaining comparatively marginal in Latin America. Rather than explaining these differences through technology alone, we argue that cryptomarkets are socio-technical infrastructures whose development depends on historically embedded forms of trust, sociopolitical conditions, and drug-use cultures.

Drawing on an exploratory socio-technical framework, the paper identifies four interrelated dimensions that shape regional patterns of cryptomarket uptake: cultures of trust, the socio-political embeddedness of drug markets, trust in technological and postal infrastructures, and trust in financial systems and digital payment mechanisms. By placing digital drug markets within their broader institutional and social contexts, the article contributes to current debates on the digital transformation of illicit economies and outlines directions for future empirical research.

This research was funded in whole or in part by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) [10.55776/V961].

🏛️ Participating in the 69th UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND)

13 March 2026

I participated as part of the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy (ISSDP) delegation at the 69th Session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna.

As the principal United Nations policy-making body on international drug control, the CND reviews the global drug situation and debates responses to evolving challenges related to drug markets, drug use, and international drug policy. The 2026 session took place against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions, funding constraints, and increasingly contested consensus for the future of global drug policy, highlighting the importance of evidence-informed research and international dialogue.

This engagement complements my research on illegal drug markets, digital drug economies, governance, and the political economy of illicit markets.

💡 Contributing to the EUDA Technology Foresight Workshop on Future Drug Markets

14 February 2026

I was invited as an expert to participate in the Technology Foresight Workshop hosted by the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) in Lisbon.

The workshop brought together researchers from diverse academic disciplines alongside representatives from law enforcement, policy, industry, and civil society to examine how emerging technologies may transform the supply and demand dynamics of contemporary drug markets. Discussions focused on identifying future research priorities and developing evidence-informed, innovative responses to technological change while considering broader social, ethical, economic, environmental, and political implications.

The workshop complements my research on the governance and social organisation of illegal markets, with a particular focus on digitalisation, emerging technologies, and their implications for drug markets and public policy.

📢 Recent media activities and public engagement

31 January 2026

I’ve been actively engaging with media on drug markets, the drug supply chain, and drug policy — topics I enjoy discussing because they combine my ongoing research with real-world impact. In January 2026, I gave interviews in three media outlets where I talked about the operation of illicit drug markets, geopolitical developments, how the digitalisation changes drug markets, how supply chains adapt to globalisation and digitalisation, and what these dynamics mean for drug policy responses.

Below are the interviews where I share insights, data, and perspectives that I hope will inform both public debate and policy discussions.

scilog - the FWF Science Magazine: Illicit markets on the darknet: buying drugs by mouse click (28 January) and Illegale Märkte im Darknet: Drogenerwerb per Mausklick (28 January)

Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung: Die Auswirkungen auf den heimischen Drogenhandel (8 January) and Kokain-Alarm in Genua! Fracht auch für uns gedacht (10 January)

German newspaper BILD-Zeitung: Kommt jetzt weniger Kokain nach Deutschland? (7 January)

🔔 Call for Papers – 17th ESA Conference – RN09 Economic Sociology

11 January 2026

The Call for Papers of the ESA Research Network on Economic Sociology (RN09) for the 17th European Sociological Association Conference in Warsaw (25–28 August 2026) is open now. We welcome contributions that examine how economies, markets, organisations and technologies shape democratic life, solidarity and sustainability. Topics include but are not limited to inequality, digitalisation, finance, ecological transition, political economy and conceptual advances in economic sociology, with an emphasis on policy-relevant and solution-oriented research.

📝 Abstract Deadline: 9 February 2026 (extended)

📅 Conference Dates: 25–28 August 2026

👉 Call for Abstracts (RN09): Click here

🌐 Conference website: https://www.europeansociology.org/conference/2026

👉 Abstract Submissions: https://www.conftool.com/esa2026/

Please share within your networks.

The coordinators of the ESA Research Network Economic Sociology (RN09) are Giacomo Bazzani (Florence University, Italy) and Alberto Veira Ramos (University Carlos III de Madrid, Spain). Advisory board members: Fatih Karakaya (Istanbul Univ., Turkey), Alexandra Keiner (Weizenbaum Institute, Berlin, Germany), Lillqvist Ella (University of Vaasa, Finland), Daniel Maman (Ben Gurion University, Israel), Matilde Masso (Univ. da Coruña, Spain), Marlena Rycombel (Univ. Warsaw, Poland), Meropi Tzanetakis (WU Vienna, Austria) and Mihai Varga (Free Univ. Berlin, Germany).

🔔 Call for Abstracts – Digital Criminology | STS Conference Graz 2026

15 December 2025

We warmly invite abstract submissions for the Digital Criminology session at the STS Conference Graz 2026 (4–6 May, TU Graz). The session brings together criminology, STS, sociology, media studies and related fields to explore how digital platforms, datafication, AI and hybrid socio-technical environments are reshaping crime, harm, justice and control. We particularly welcome theoretically informed and or empirically grounded contributions that move beyond narrow notions of “cybercrime” and engage with online/offline entanglements.

The Session is organised in collaboration with Piotr Siuda.

📝 Abstracts: 400 - 600 words

📅 Deadline: 27 January 2026

Full session details and submission information:

👉 Conference website: https://stsconf.tugraz.at

👉 Call for Abstracts (ID: 12): Click here

Feel free to share within your networks. We look forward to your contributions.

🚀 Research Assistant Position

5 November 2025

I am looking for a motivated Research Assistant to join my project team at the Institute for Sociology and Social Research, WU Vienna. The position (part-time, 10 hours/week) starts on 1 March 2026 for six months initially, with the possibility of extension.

📅 Application deadline: 18 November 2025

📩 Apply or reach out directly if you’re interested, or share this post with someone who might be a great fit!

For further details, please see the full job description here.

🔔 Call for Papers – SASE 2026 Mini-Conference

25 October 2025

We are pleased to announce the Call for Papers for the Mini-Conference ‘Power and Conflict in Illegal Markets’ as part of the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics (SASE), to be held in Bordeaux, 1–3 July 2026.

Organised in collaboration with Matías Dewey, Gabriel Feltran, Annette Hübschle, and Elena Butti, this mini-conference explores how actors navigate secrecy, coercion, and informal governance within illicit economies around the world. It aims to shed light on dynamics of conflict, accountability, and institutional adaptation across contexts where the boundaries of legality and power are continuously blurred.

📄 Call for Papers: Click here

📅 Submission deadline: 16 December 2025

🔗 Submit your abstract: https://app.oxfordabstracts.com/stages/78125/submitter

📍 Conference details (MC18): https://sase.org/events/2026-bordeaux/#mini-conferences

🎤 Speaking at the International Crime Science Conference 2025

24 October 2025

I’m delighted to share that I will be speaking at the International Crime Science Conference 2025, hosted by UCL on 18 November 2025. My talk, The Socio-Technical Embedding of AI-Facilitated Drug Distribution, explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping digital drug markets, both as a tool for innovation and as a source of new challenges for governance and regulation.

This year’s conference focuses on cyber-physical and hybrid threats, bringing together researchers and practitioners to examine emerging risks and responses across domains, from ransomware and disinformation to the misuse of AI and the security of intelligent machines. Expect stimulating discussions that bridge algorithms, ethics, and the social dimensions of technology.

📍 Venue: University College London

📅 Date: Tuesday, 18 November 2025

🔗 Find out more and register: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/event-ticketing/app/ev/25013/