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American Political Science Association
View on WikipediaThe American Political Science Association (APSA) is a professional association of political scientists in the United States. Founded in 1903 in the Tilton Memorial Library (now Tilton Hall) of Tulane University in New Orleans,[1] it publishes four academic journals: American Political Science Review, Perspectives on Politics, Journal of Political Science Education, and PS – Political Science & Politics. APSA Organized Sections publish or are associated with 15 additional journals.
Key Information
APSA presidents serve one-year terms. The current president is Taeku Lee of the University of British Columbia.[2] Woodrow Wilson, who later became President of the United States, was APSA president in 1909. APSA's headquarters are at 1527 New Hampshire Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., in a historic building that was owned by Admiral George Remy, labor leader Samuel Gompers, the American War Mothers, and Harry Garfield, son of President James A. Garfield and president of the association from 1921 to 1922.[3]
APSA administers the Centennial Center for Political Science and Public Affairs, which offers fellowships, conference, research space and grants for scholars, and administers Pi Sigma Alpha, the honor society for political science students. It also periodically sponsors seminars and other events for political scientists, policymakers, the media, and the general public.
Conferences and meetings
[edit]The association broadly aims to encourage scholarly understanding of political ideas, norms, behaviors, and institutions, and to inform public choices about government, governance, and public policy. APSA's mission is to "support excellence in scholarship and teaching and informed discourse about politics, policy and civic participation."[4] APSA conducts several annual conferences, which provide an environment for scholars and other professionals to network and present their work, along with other pertinent and useful resources. The APSA Annual Meeting is among the world's largest gatherings of political scientists. It occurs on Labor Day weekend each summer.
The APSA Teaching and Learning Conference is a smaller working group conference hosting cutting-edge approaches, techniques, and methodologies for the political science classroom. The conference provides a forum for scholars to share effective and innovative teaching and learning models and to discuss broad themes and values of political science education—especially the scholarship of teaching and learning.
With funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, APSA has organized political science workshops in various locations in Africa, APSA Africa Workshops.[5] The first workshop was convened in Dakar, Senegal in partnership with the West African Research Center from July 6–27, 2008. The annual residential workshops are led by a joint U.S. and African organizing team and aimed at mid-and junior-level scholars residing in Africa. They will enhance the capacities of political scientists and their resources in East and West Africa while also providing a forum for supporting their ongoing research. Each three week workshop brings together up to 30 scholars and cover substantive issues, methodologies, and reviews of research. See also, APSA International Programs.
Centennial Center for Political Science and Public Affairs
[edit]Through its facilities and endowed funding programs, APSA'S Centennial Center for Political Science and Public Affairs supports political science teaching, research, and public engagement. Opened in 2003, the centenary of APSA's establishment, the Centennial Center encourages individual research and writing in all fields of political science, facilitates collaboration among scholars working within the discipline and across the social and behavioral sciences and humanities, and promotes communication between scholars and the public.[6]
The Centennial Center, its facilities, and research support programs continue to be made possible in part through the donations of APSA members. It assists APSA members with the costs of research, including travel, interviews, access to archives, or costs for a research assistant. Funds can also be used to assist scholars in publishing their research. Grants can range in size from $500 to $10,000, depending upon the research fund.[6]
Congressional Fellowship Program
[edit]The APSA Congressional Fellowship Program is a highly selective, nonpartisan program devoted to expanding knowledge and awareness of Congress. Since 1953, it has brought select political scientists, journalists, federal employees, health specialists, and other professionals to Capitol Hill to experience Congress at work through fellowship placements on congressional staffs.
The nine-month program begins each November with an intensive one-month introduction to Congress taught by leading experts in the field. After orientation, fellows work in placements of their choosing and also participate in ongoing seminars and enrichment programs.
Through this unique opportunity, the American Political Science Association enhances public understanding of policymaking and improves the quality of scholarship, teaching and reporting on American national politics.[7]
Publications
[edit]One key component of APSA's mission is to support political science education and the professional development of its practitioners. The APSA publications program attempts to fill the diverse needs of political scientists in academic settings as well as practitioners working outside of academia, and students at various stages of their education.
Journals
[edit]- American Political Science Review (APSR)
- Journal of Political Science Education
- Perspectives on Politics
- PS: Political Science & Politics
- Organized Section Journals
List of APSA presidents
[edit]- Frank J. Goodnow, 1904–1905
- Albert Shaw, 1905–1906
- Frederick N. Judson, 1906–1907
- James Bryce, 1907–1908
- Abbott Lawrence Lowell, 1908–1909
- Woodrow Wilson, 1909–1910
- Simeon E. Baldwin, 1910–1911
- Albert Bushnell Hart, 1911–1912
- Westel W. Willoughby, 1912–1913
- John Bassett Moore, 1913–1914
- Ernst Freund, 1914–1915
- Jesse Macy, 1915–1916
- Munroe Smith, 1916–1917
- Henry Jones Ford, 1917–1918
- Paul Samuel Reinsch, 1918–1919
- Leo S. Rowe, 1919–1920
- William A. Dunning, 1920–1921
- Harry A. Garfield, 1921–1922
- James Wilford Garner, 1923–1924
- Charles E. Merriam, 1924–1925
- Charles A. Beard, 1925–1926
- William Bennett Munro, 1926–1927
- Jesse S. Reeves, 1927–1928
- John A. Fairlie, 1928–1929
- Benjamin F. Shambaugh, 1929–1930
- Edward S. Corwin, 1930–1931
- William F. Willoughby, 1931–1932
- Isidor Loeb, 1932–1933
- Walter J. Shepard, 1933–1934
- Francis W. Coker, 1934–1935
- Arthur N. Holcombe, 1935–1936
- Thomas Reed Powell, 1936–1937
- Clarence A. Dykstra, 1937–1938
- Charles Grove Haines, 1938–1939
- Robert C. Brooks, 1939–1940
- Frederic A. Ogg, 1940–1941
- William Anderson, 1941–1942
- Robert E. Cushman, 1942–1943
- Leonard D. White, 1943–1944
- John Gaus, 1944–1945
- Walter F. Dodd, 1945–1946
- Arthur W. MacMahon, 1946–1947
- Henry R. Spencer, 1947–1948
- Quincy Wright, 1948–1949
- James K. Pollock, 1949–1950
- Peter H. Odegard, 1950–1951
- Luther Gulick, 1951–1952
- E. Pendleton Herring, 1952–1953
- Ralph J. Bunche, 1953–1954
- Charles McKinley, 1954–1955
- Harold D. Lasswell, 1955–1956
- E.E. Schattschneider, 1956–1957
- V.O. Key, Jr., 1957–1958
- R. Taylor Cole, 1958–1959
- Carl B. Swisher, 1959–1960
- Emmette Redford, 1960–1961
- Charles S. Hyneman, 1961–1962
- Carl J. Friedrich, 1962–1963
- C. Herman Pritchett, 1963–1964
- David B. Truman, 1964–1965
- Gabriel A. Almond, 1965–1966
- Robert A. Dahl, 1966–1967
- Merle Fainsod, 1967–1968
- David Easton, 1968–1969
- Karl W. Deutsch, 1969–1970
- Robert E. Lane, 1970–1971
- Heinz Eulau, 1971–1972
- Robert E. Ward, 1972–1973
- Avery Leiserson, 1973–1974
- Austin Ranney, 1974–1975
- James MacGregor Burns, 1975–1976
- Samuel H. Beer, 1976–1977
- John C. Wahlke, 1977–1978
- Leon D. Epstein, 1978–1979
- Warren E. Miller, 1979–1980
- Charles E. Lindblom, 1980–1981
- Seymour Martin Lipset, 1981–1982
- William H. Riker, 1982–1983
- Philip E. Converse, 1983–1984
- Richard F. Fenno, Jr., 1984–1985
- Aaron B. Wildavsky, 1985–1986
- Samuel P. Huntington, 1986–1987
- Kenneth N. Waltz, 1987–1988
- Lucian W. Pye, 1988–1989
- Judith N. Shklar, 1989–1990
- Theodore J. Lowi, 1990–1991
- James Q. Wilson, 1991–1992
- Lucius J. Barker, 1992–1993
- Charles O. Jones, 1993–1994
- Sidney Verba, 1994–1995
- Arend Lijphart, 1995–1996
- Elinor Ostrom, 1996–1997
- M. Kent Jennings, 1997–1998
- Matthew Holden Jr., 1998–1999
- Robert O. Keohane, 1999–2000
- Robert Jervis, 2000–2001
- Robert Putnam, 2001–2002
- Theda Skocpol, 2002–2003
- Susanne Hoeber Rudolph, 2003–2004
- Margaret Levi, 2004–2005
- Ira Katznelson, 2005–2006
- Robert Axelrod, 2006–2007
- Dianne Pinderhughes, 2007–2008
- Peter Katzenstein, 2008–2009
- Henry E. Brady, 2009–2010
- Carole Pateman, 2010–2011
- G. Bingham Powell, 2011–2012
- Jane Mansbridge, 2012–2013
- John Aldrich, 2013–2014
- Rodney E. Hero, 2014–2015
- Jennifer Hochschild, 2015–2016
- David A. Lake, 2016–2017
- Kathleen Thelen, 2017–2018
- Rogers Smith, 2018–2019
- Paula D. McClain 2019–2020
- Janet Box-Steffensmeier, 2020–2021
- John Ishiyama, 2021–2022
- Lisa Martin, 2022–2023
- Mark E. Warren, 2023–2024
- Taeku Lee, 2024–2025
- Susan Stokes, President-Elect
APSA organized sections
[edit]APSA members may also join the 52 membership organized sections focused around research themes in political science.[a]
- 1. Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations
- 2. Law and Courts
- 3. Legislative Studies
- 4. Public Policy
- 5. Political Organizations and Parties
- 6. Public Administration
- 7. Conflict Processes
- 8. Representation and Electoral Systems
- 9. Presidents and Executive Politics
- 10. Political Methodology
- 11. Religion and Politics
- 13. Urban Politics
- 15. Science, Technology and Environmental Politics
- 16. Women and Politics Research
- 17. Foundations of Political Theory
- 18. Information Technology and Politics
- 19. International Security
- 20. Comparative Politics
- 21. European Politics and Society
- 22. State Politics and Policy
- 23. Political Communication
- 24. Politics and History
- 25. Political Economy
- 27. New Political Science
- 28. Political Psychology
- 29. Political Science Education
- 30. Politics, Literature, and Film
- 31. Foreign Policy
- 32. Elections, Public Opinion, and Voting Behavior
- 33. Race, Ethnicity and Politics
- 34. International History and Politics
- 35. Comparative Democratization
- 36. Human Rights
- 37. Qualitative and Multi-method Research
- 38. Sexuality and Politics
- 39. Health Politics and Policy
- 40. Canadian Politics
- 41. Political Networks
- 42. Experimental Research
- 43. Migration and Citizenship
- 44. African Politics
- 45. Class and Inequality
- 46. Ideas, Knowledge and Politics
- 47. American Political Thought
- 48. International Collaboration
- 49. Middle East and North Africa Politics
- 50. Civic Engagement
- 51. Education Politics and Policy
- 52. Formal Theory
- 53. International Relations Theory
- 54. American Political Economy
- 55. South Asian Politics
Awards
[edit]To recognize excellence in the profession, the Association offers awards in the following categories:
- Dissertation Awards
- Paper and Article Awards
- Book Awards
- Career Awards
- Teaching Award and Campus Teaching Award Recognition
These awards are presented at the Association's Annual Meeting.[8]
In addition to the APSA awards, the APSA organized sections also present over 200 awards annually to recognize important research and contributions to the profession. These awards are presented at the section's business meetings and receptions, held in conjunction with the APSA Annual Meeting.
Notes
[edit]- ^ The numbers in the list represent the official number for the sections. The missing sections/numbers (e.g. 12) represent sections that disbanded.
References
[edit]- ^ "The American Political Science Association Founded at Tulane". Retrieved November 19, 2020.
- ^ "American Political Science Association > ABOUT > Governance > APSA Presidents and Presidential Addresses: 1903 to Present". www.apsanet.org. Retrieved 2019-09-22.
- ^ "Office Tour | Policy Studies Organization". www.ipsonet.org. Archived from the original on 2019-01-30. Retrieved 2019-01-30.
- ^ "APSA Strategic Plan" (PDF). Retrieved May 23, 2020.
- ^ "Africa Workshops |". web.apsanet.org. 2 November 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
- ^ a b "About the Centennial Center". Retrieved 2024-09-07.
- ^ See more on the Congressional Fellowship Program.
- ^ "American Political Science Association > PROGRAMS > APSA Awards". www.apsanet.org. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
External links
[edit]American Political Science Association
View on GrokipediaHistory
Founding and Early Development (1903–1945)
The American Political Science Association was established on December 30, 1903, in New Orleans, Louisiana, during a joint meeting with the American Historical Association, as an outgrowth of efforts to formalize political science as a distinct academic discipline focused on the systematic study of government and politics.[7] [8] Key figures, including scholars from Columbia University such as Frank J. Goodnow and John W. Burgess, played central roles in organizing the association, with Goodnow elected as its inaugural president to lead the push for professionalization amid the emerging social sciences.[9] [10] This founding reflected a deliberate effort to carve out political science from the broader historical and economic fields, emphasizing institutional structures and theoretical foundations over immediate policy advocacy. From its inception, the association navigated ideological tensions by distancing itself from the reformist orientations prevalent in history and economics associations, which often prioritized activist agendas during the Progressive Era.[11] Founders advocated for empirical rigor and scientific methodologies, viewing political theory and comparative analysis of state institutions as core to establishing the field's intellectual autonomy and credibility.[9] Goodnow's presidential address underscored this commitment, calling for objective scholarship that advanced understanding of political processes without subordinating analysis to partisan or reformist ends.[12] Such positioning allowed APSA to foster a professional identity grounded in causal analysis of power dynamics and governance, even as external Progressive influences encouraged broader social science integration. Early activities centered on modest annual meetings and scholarly dissemination, with the launch of the American Political Science Review in November 1906 serving as the association's flagship outlet for peer-reviewed research on topics like constitutional law and administrative efficiency.[13] Membership began small, with 214 enrollees in the first year, expanding gradually to a few hundred by the 1920s amid growing university programs in political science, though it reached approximately 1,900 by 1929.[8] These developments maintained a focus on institutional and theoretical inquiry, resisting overt entanglement with reform movements despite the era's political ferment, thereby laying groundwork for disciplined empirical study unencumbered by ideological activism.[11]Postwar Expansion and Professionalization (1946–1980)
Following World War II, the American Political Science Association experienced marked expansion, driven by the broader proliferation of university programs in political science, facilitated by the GI Bill's support for veterans' education and subsequent federal investments in higher education infrastructure. This growth aligned with the Cold War-era emphasis on social sciences to inform policy on national security and governance, leading to increased institutional resources and scholarly output within APSA. Membership, which stood at approximately 2,857 in 1940, surged into the thousands as the discipline professionalized amid these developments.[14] A pivotal shift during this era was the adoption of behavioralism, which dominated American political science from the 1950s through the early 1970s, focusing on observable behaviors, empirical data collection, and quantitative analysis rather than normative theory or institutional description. This approach, rooted in a commitment to scientific objectivity, encouraged the use of statistical methods and survey research to test hypotheses about political phenomena, reflecting a broader postwar push for rigor akin to natural sciences. APSA's journals and annual meetings increasingly featured such work, institutionalizing behavioral methods as the disciplinary core while marginalizing traditionalist perspectives.[15] In 1953, APSA established the Congressional Fellowship Program, placing political scientists in congressional offices to enhance practical understanding of legislative processes and bridge academic theory with policymaking, without endorsing partisan positions. This initiative underscored the association's dedication to applied yet neutral scholarship, with fellows contributing to committee work and gaining firsthand exposure to governance. Over the program's first decades, it placed hundreds of scholars, reinforcing APSA's role in professional development amid expanding government operations.[16] The late 1960s brought internal tensions, exemplified by the founding of the Caucus for a New Political Science in 1967, which criticized behavioralism's purported detachment from pressing social problems like civil rights and the Vietnam War, advocating instead for politically engaged research. The caucus disrupted APSA meetings and pushed for reforms, but these challenges ultimately affirmed the association's apolitical ethos, as leadership resisted mandates for activism and prioritized methodological neutrality in scholarly standards. This episode highlighted the discipline's maturation, balancing innovation with institutional stability through the 1970s.[17]Modern Challenges and Adaptations (1981–Present)
In the decades following 1980, the American Political Science Association expanded its membership to over 11,000 by the 2020s, reflecting growth amid broader professionalization in political science, while enhancing international outreach through initiatives like the Targeted International Membership program established in 2005 to include scholars from eligible overseas countries.[18][19] This internationalization effort aimed to broaden networks and perspectives, as outlined in APSA's strategic priorities, including expanded global programming and partnerships detailed in the 2025 Executive Director's Report.[20][21] The COVID-19 pandemic prompted rapid adaptations, including the shift to virtual events and webinars starting in 2020 to sustain professional development and conferencing amid travel restrictions and health risks.[22][23] APSA also developed resources for online teaching and civic engagement projects tailored to fully virtual formats, enabling continuity in graduate training and public outreach.[24] These digital tools addressed logistical challenges while highlighting the discipline's reliance on empirical methods over in-person advocacy. Diversity initiatives intensified, with programs like the Diversity Fellowship Program awarding 12-14 fellowships of $5,000 annually since its formalization, targeting underrepresented doctoral applicants, and the Ralph Bunche Summer Institute focusing on minority recruitment.[25][26] APSA identified diversity, equity, and inclusion as a core challenge for 2024-2026, funding research grants for underserved communities and hosting dedicated annual meeting events to foster mentorship.[27][28] The APSA-administered NSF Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants, supporting up to 25 awards of 15,000 yearly for data-driven dissertation work, continued from prior decades with a $1.41 million renewal in 2023 extending administration through 2026, alongside 2025 grantee announcements emphasizing basic research advances.[29][30] These grants underscore a persistent disciplinary emphasis on causal inference and rigorous methodologies, even as interdisciplinary approaches incorporating big data and formal theory gained prominence in APSA conferences and divisions.[31][32] Facing declining public trust in academia—evidenced by perceptions of ideological bias and reduced faith in empirical expertise—APSA launched task forces, such as the 2014 effort to improve communications of the discipline's societal value through alternative outreach beyond traditional conferences.[33] This included advocating for academic freedom against authoritarian pressures and promoting non-partisan, evidence-based engagement to counter challenges like politicized scholarship critiques.[34][35]Mission, Governance, and Membership
Core Objectives and Principles
The American Political Science Association (APSA), founded on December 30, 1903, at Tulane University, seeks to advance the scientific study of politics by promoting rigorous empirical inquiry into political institutions, behaviors, ideas, norms, and processes.[36] [37] Its foundational mission prioritizes evidence-based scholarship and teaching to foster understanding of political phenomena, without prescribing specific policies or engaging in activism.[37] [5] This approach emphasizes verifiable data and causal mechanisms over normative advocacy, distinguishing APSA from partisan or ideological organizations by upholding a nonpartisan constitution that prohibits support for political parties, candidates, or public policy stances extraneous to academic inquiry.[5] Central to APSA's principles is a commitment to scholarly pluralism, open inquiry, and academic freedom, which are intended to enable diverse perspectives in analyzing political realities through first-principles reasoning and empirical validation.[37] [38] The association's ethical guidelines reinforce these by supporting freedom of expression and intellectual standards that prioritize factual accuracy and methodological rigor in research dissemination.[39] Historically, this has manifested in avoidance of partisan endorsements, as evidenced by the organization's endurance through periods of ideological pressure, such as the 1960s radicalism, while maintaining focus on impartial analysis.[5] Empirical data, however, reveal implementation challenges for intellectual diversity, with surveys of political science faculty showing a pronounced left-leaning skew—such as ratios exceeding 10:1 liberal to conservative identifiers in recent decades—which may constrain exposure to alternative causal frameworks and heighten vulnerability to ideologically filtered interpretations.[40] [41] [42] Despite APSA's stated pluralism, this imbalance, documented across multiple studies of faculty self-reports and hiring patterns, underscores tensions between aspirational principles and disciplinary practices, potentially undermining the causal realism essential to truth-seeking political science.[43] [42]Organizational Structure and Leadership
The American Political Science Association (APSA) is headquartered at 1527 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, in Washington, D.C., where its central administrative operations are conducted.[18] The association's governance is led by an elected Council comprising 31 members and officers, which holds ultimate authority over strategic direction, finances, and programmatic decisions.[44] This Council is supported by various standing committees, including those for audit, executive functions, and policy oversight, ensuring accountability in financial management and operational standards.[45] [46] APSA's president, elected annually by the membership, serves a one-year term beginning at the conclusion of the Annual Meeting and provides guidance on key initiatives while chairing the Council.[47] [48] Council members and officers are selected through electronic ballots distributed to the full membership no fewer than 120 days after the Annual Meeting, promoting broad participation in leadership selection.[49] The structure facilitates decentralized activities through organized sections, which allow subfield-specific autonomy while maintaining central oversight for association-wide coherence and professional standards.[48] [50] Day-to-day operations are managed by the Executive Director, who oversees staff, strategic planning, and implementation of Council directives. As of September 16, 2024, Dr. Kimberly A. Mealy serves in this role, following a search process led by a committee appointed by the president.[51] [52] Annual business meetings, held during the association's primary conference, provide a forum for membership input on governance matters, reinforcing democratic processes within the organization.[53] The Executive Director submits annual reports to the Council and membership, detailing financial health, program outcomes, and strategic progress, as evidenced by the 2024 report highlighting expansions in research support and professional development.[54]Membership Demographics and Trends
The American Political Science Association's membership primarily comprises political scientists and affiliated professionals, with approximately 10,549 individual members as of September 2023, predominantly academics holding PhDs from research universities.[55] While the association offers categories for students, K-12 educators, consultants, and other non-academic practitioners, these groups remain a minority, as the core base consists of university faculty and researchers focused on advancing the discipline.[56] Departmental memberships, numbering 519 in 2023, further underscore the academic orientation, providing institutional access to resources for hundreds of political science programs.[55] Geographically, U.S.-based members dominate at roughly 78% of the total, though international participation has expanded, with scholars from over 103 countries representing 22% (more than 2,230 individuals) in 2023.[57] This growth aligns with APSA's strategic goals to increase global engagement, including targeted international memberships that offer discounted access to journals, conferences, and eJobs services.[19] Such trends reflect broader internationalization in political science, yet the membership continues to skew toward elite U.S. institutions, where PhD training emphasizes quantitative methods and policy analysis from top-tier programs.[58] Ideological composition among members mirrors patterns in the political science profession, where surveys consistently show overrepresentation of left-leaning perspectives; for instance, registered Democrat faculty outnumber Republicans by ratios exceeding 10:1 in many departments, based on voter registration and donation data.[59] [60] This imbalance, evident in APSA's governing council—which in 2023 included no openly Republican members among its 31 seats—prompts scrutiny of viewpoint diversity, as conservative scholars report lower participation rates amid perceived politicization of academic norms.[6] Efforts to address retention include student fellowships and inclusive programming, though these primarily target underrepresented racial and gender groups rather than ideological gaps.[26] Membership trends indicate stability with modest growth ambitions, aiming for a 1% annual increase from 2023 levels, amid challenges like declining academic job markets that disproportionately affect early-career members and exacerbate homogeneity in professional affiliations.[55]Publications
Flagship Journals
The American Political Science Association's flagship journals serve as principal venues for advancing political science scholarship through rigorous peer-reviewed publications emphasizing empirical rigor and theoretical innovation. The American Political Science Review (APSR), founded in November 1906, stands as the discipline's oldest and most prestigious generalist journal, publishing quarterly issues that encompass original research articles, review essays, and short replications across all subfields of political science.[61][62] APSR enforces stringent standards, requiring authors of conditionally accepted manuscripts to deposit reproducibility packages—including data, code, and materials—on the APSR Dataverse to facilitate verification and extension of findings.[63] Its influence is evidenced by an h-index of 215 and a 2024 impact factor of 7.18, positioning it atop political science rankings by citation metrics.[64][65][66] Perspectives on Politics, inaugurated in March 2003, complements APSR by prioritizing synthetic articles that connect specialized research to wider theoretical, policy, and public debates, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue within and beyond academia. Published quarterly, it features essays, book reviews, and reflections designed for accessibility to diverse audiences while upholding peer review to ensure scholarly quality.[67] This journal addresses gaps in traditional outlets by encouraging work that engages causal mechanisms and real-world implications, though its editorial choices reflect the field's prevailing emphases. PS: Political Science & Politics, also quarterly, focuses on the profession itself, delivering timely analyses of current political events, methodological advancements, teaching practices, and career-oriented content to support political scientists' professional development.[68] It includes syllabi, data sets, and debates on disciplinary trends, with peer review tailored to practical relevance rather than narrow specialization.[69] Collectively, these outlets prioritize empirical substantiation and replicability, yet critiques note that their content often mirrors the ideological homogeneity of political science faculty—predominantly left-leaning—which may constrain publication of findings challenging progressive orthodoxies, as evidenced by underrepresentation of conservative-leaning empirical work in top journals.[70]Affiliated and Section Journals
The American Political Science Association's organized sections sponsor or affiliate with 19 peer-reviewed journals dedicated to specific subfields, providing targeted publication venues for specialized political science research beyond APSA's flagship offerings.[71] These journals emerged as sections developed since the 1980s, enabling subdisciplinary communities to curate scholarship aligned with their foci, such as experimental methods, federalism, or race and ethnicity in politics.[50] Section membership, typically $10–35 annually atop APSA dues, grants subscribers online access and, in many cases, print editions, with frequencies ranging from biannual to six issues per year.[71]| Section Number | Section Title | Journal Name | Publication Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations | Publius | Quarterly |
| 2 | Law and Courts | Journal of Law and Courts | Biannual |
| 3 | Legislative Studies | Legislative Studies Quarterly | Quarterly |
| 4 | Public Policy | Policy Studies Journal | Quarterly |
| 5 | Political Organizations & Parties | Party Politics | 6 issues |
| 8 | Representation and Electoral Systems | Representation | Quarterly |
| 10 | Political Methodology | Political Analysis | Quarterly |
| 11 | Religion and Politics | Politics and Religion | Quarterly |
| 13 | Urban Politics | Urban Affairs Review | 6 issues |
| 15 | Science, Technology, and Environmental Politics | Review of Policy Research | 6 issues |
| 16 | Women & Politics Research | Politics & Gender | Quarterly |
| 18 | Information Technology and Politics | Journal of Information Technology and Politics | Quarterly |
| 22 | State Politics & Policy | State Politics & Policy Quarterly | Quarterly |
| 23 | Political Communication | Political Communication | Quarterly |
| 29 | Political Science Education | Journal of Political Science Education | Quarterly |
| 32 | Elections, Public Opinion, and Voting Behavior | Political Behavior | Quarterly |
| 33 | Race, Ethnicity, and Politics | Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics | Biannual |
| 42 | Experimental Research | Journal of Experimental Political Science | Biannual |