The American Political Science Association (APSA) is a

professional association A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to advocacy, further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that professio ...

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

students and scholars in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Founded in 1903 in the Tilton Memorial Library (now Tilton Hall) of

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pub ...

in New Orleans, it publishes four

academic journal An academic journal or scholarly journal is a periodical publication in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as permanent and transparent forums for the presentation, scrutiny, and ...

s: ''

American Political Science Review The ''American Political Science Review'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering all areas of political science. It is an official journal of the American Political Science Association and is published on their behalf by Cambri ...

'', '' Perspectives on Politics'', ''Journal of Political Science Education,'' and '' PS: Political Science & Politics''. APSA Organized Sections publish or are associated with 15 additional journals. APSA presidents serve one-year terms. The current president is John Ishiyama of the University of North Texas.

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

, who later became

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

, was APSA president in 1909. APSA's headquarters are at 1527

New Hampshire Avenue New Hampshire Avenue is a diagonal street in Washington, D.C., beginning at the Kennedy Center and extending northeast for about 5 miles (8 km) and then continuing into Maryland where it is designated Maryland Route 650. New Hampshire Avenu ...

NW in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, in a historic building that was owned by Admiral George Remy, labor leader

Samuel Gompers Samuel Gompers (; January 27, 1850December 13, 1924) was a British-born American cigar maker, labor union leader and a key figure in American labor history. Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and served as the organization's ...

, the American War Mothers, and Harry Garfield, son of President

James A. Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 4, 1881 until his death six months latertwo months after he was shot by an assassin. A lawyer and Civil War gene ...

and president of the association from 1921 to 1922. 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 Pi Sigma Alpha ( or PSA), the National Political Science Honor Society, is the only honor society for college and university students of political and social sciences in the United States. Its purpose is to recognize and promote high academic ...

, the honor society for political science students. It also periodically sponsors

seminar A seminar is a form of academic instruction, either at an academic institution or offered by a commercial or professional organization. It has the function of bringing together small groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on some parti ...

s and other events for political scientists, policymakers, the media, and the general public.

Conferences and meetings

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." 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 The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation of New York City in the United States, simply known as Mellon Foundation, is a private foundation with five core areas of interest, and endowed with wealth accumulated by Andrew Mellon of the Mellon family of Pitts ...

, APSA has organized political science workshops in various locations in Africa, APSA Africa Workshops. 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.

Awards

To recognize excellence in the profession, the Association offers the following awards: * Dissertation Awards * Paper and Article Awards * Book Awards * Career Awards * Goodnow Award * Teaching Award and Campus Teaching Award Recognition In addition to the APSA awards, the APSA organized sections also present over 100 awards at every Annual Meeting to recognize important research and contributions to the profession. These awards are presented at the Association's Annual Meeting.

Centennial Center for Political Science and Public Affairs

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. The Centennial Center, its facilities, and research support programs continue to be made possible in part through the generous donations of APSA members. The Centennial Center for Political Science and Public Affairs 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.

Congressional Fellowship Program

The APSA Congressional Fellowship Program is a highly selective, nonpartisan program devoted to expanding knowledge and awareness of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

. Since 1953, it has brought select

political scientists This is a list of notable political scientists. See the list of political theorists for those who study political theory. See also political science. A * Robert Abelson - Yale University psychologist and political scientist with special int ...

, 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.

Publications

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

*''

'' (APSR) *''Journal of Political Science Education'' *''Perspectives on Politics'' *''PS: Political Science & Politics'' *''Organized Section Journals''

Presidents of the American Political Science Association

* Frank J. Goodnow, 1904-1905 * Albert Shaw, 1905-1906 * Frederick N. Judson, 1906-1907 * James Bryce, 1907-1908 *

Abbott Lawrence Lowell Abbott Lawrence Lowell (December 13, 1856 – January 6, 1943) was an American educator and legal scholar. He was President of Harvard University from 1909 to 1933. With an "aristocratic sense of mission and self-certainty," Lowell cut a large f ...

, 1908-1909 *

, 1909-1910 * Simeon E. Baldwin, 1910-1911 * Albert Bushnell Hart, 1911-1912 * Westel W. Willoughby, 1912-1913 * John Bassett Moore, 1913-1914 *

Ernst Freund Ernst Freund (born January 30, 1864 in New York City – died October 20, 1932 in Chicago, Illinois) was a noted American legal scholar. He received a Dr. Jur. from the University of Heidelberg (1884) and a Ph.D. in political science from Columbia ...

, 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 James Wilford Garner (November 22, 1871, Pike County, Mississippi – December 9, 1938) was an American professor of political science. Biography He graduated from the Mississippi Agricultural and Mechanical College in 1892 and studied at the ...

, 1923-1924 * Charles E. Merriam, 1924-1923 * Charles A. Beard, 1925-1924 * William Bennett Munro, 1926-1925 * Jesse S. Reeves, 1927-1926 * John A. Fairlie, 1928-1927 * Benjamin F. Shambaugh, 1929-1928 * Edward S. Corwin, 1930-1929 * 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 Carl Joachim Friedrich (; ; June 5, 1901 – September 19, 1984) was a German-American professor and political theorist. He taught alternately at Harvard and Heidelberg until his retirement in 1971. His writings on state and constitutional theory ...

, 1962-1963 * C. Herman Pritchett, 1963-1964 * David B. Truman, 1964-1965 * Gabriel A. Almond, 1965-1966 * Robert A. Dahl, 1966-1967 *

Merle Fainsod Merle Fainsod (May 2, 1907 – February 11, 1972) was an American political scientist best known for his work on public administration and as a scholar of the Soviet Union. His books ''Smolensk under Soviet Rule'', based on documents captured by t ...

, 1967-1968 *

David Easton David Easton (June 24, 1917 – July 19, 2014) was a Canadian-born American political scientist. From 1947 to 1997, he served as a professor of political science at the University of Chicago. At the forefront of both the behavioralist and post ...

, 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 J. Austin Ranney (September 23, 1920 – July 24, 2006) was an American political scientist and expert on political parties in the United States. Ranney earned his bachelor's degree at Northwestern University, his master's degree at the University ...

, 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 Seymour Martin Lipset ( ; March 18, 1922 – December 31, 2006) was an American sociologist and political scientist (President of the American Political Science Association). His major work was in the fields of political sociology, trade union o ...

, 1981-1982 * William H. Riker, 1982-1983 * Philip E. Converse, 1983-1984 * Richard F. Fenno, Jr., 1984-1985 *

Aaron B. Wildavsky Aaron Wildavsky (May 31, 1930 – September 4, 1993) was an American political science, political scientist known for his pioneering work in public policy, budgeting, government budgeting, and risk management. Early years A native of Brooklyn i ...

, 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 James Quinn Wilson (May 27, 1931 – March 2, 2012) was an American political scientist and an authority on public administration. Most of his career was spent as a professor at UCLA and Harvard University. He was the chairman of the Council of A ...

, 1991-1992 * Lucius J. Barker, 1992-1993 * Charles O. Jones, 1993-1994 *

Sidney Verba Sidney Verba (May 26, 1932 – March 4, 2019) was an American political scientist, librarian and library administrator. His academic interests were mainly American and comparative politics. He was the Carl H. Pforzheimer University Professor at ...

, 1994-1995 *

Arend Lijphart Arend d'Angremond Lijphart (born 17 August 1936) is a Dutch-American political scientist specializing in comparative politics, elections and voting systems, democratic institutions, and ethnicity and politics. He is Research Professor Emeri ...

, 1995-1996 *

Elinor Ostrom Elinor Claire "Lin" Ostrom (née Awan; August 7, 1933 – June 12, 2012) was an American political scientist and political economist whose work was associated with New Institutional Economics and the resurgence of political economy. In 2009, ...

, 1996-1997 * M. Kent Jennings, 1997-1998 * Matthew Holden Jr., 1998-1999 * Robert O. Keohane, 1999-2000 *

Robert Jervis Robert Jervis (April 30, 1940 – December 9, 2021) was an American political scientist who was the Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of International Politics in the Department of Political Science at Columbia University. Jervis was co-editor of the ...

, 2000-2001 * Robert Putnam, 2001-2002 *

Theda Skocpol Theda Skocpol (born May 4, 1947) is an American sociologist and political scientist, who is currently the Victor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology at Harvard University. She is a highly influential figure in both sociology and pol ...

, 2002-2003 * Susanne Hoeber Rudolph, 2003-2004 *

Margaret Levi Margaret Levi (born 1947) is an American political scientist and author, noted for her work in comparative political economy, labor politics, and democratic theory, notably on the origins and effects of trustworthy government. Education Margar ...

, 2004-2005 *

Ira Katznelson Ira I. Katznelson (born 1944) is an American political scientist and historian, noted for his research on the liberal state, inequality, social knowledge, and institutions, primarily focused on the United States. His work has been characterize ...

, 2005-2006 *

Robert Axelrod Robert Marshall Axelrod (born May 27, 1943) is an American political scientist. He is Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at the University of Michigan where he has been since 1974. He is best known for his interdisciplinary work o ...

, 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 Jane Jebb Mansbridge (born November 19, 1939) is an American political scientist. She is the Charles F. Adams Professor of Political Leadership and Democratic Values in the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Mansbridge has made c ...

, 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 Janet M. Box-Steffensmeier (née Box) is an American political scientist and Distinguished University Professor at the Ohio State University. Box-Steffensmeier graduated ''magna cum laude'' from Coe College in mathematics and political science an ...

, 2020-2021 * John Ishiyama, 2021-22 * Lisa Martin, 2022-23 (president-elect)

APSA organized sections

APSA members may also join the 41 membership organized sections focused around research themes in political science. * 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 and Arms Control * 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

Presidential rankings

Since 2015, they have conducted two rankings of American Presidents.

2015

In 2015,

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

was rated the greatest President, while Democratic President James Buchanan was considered the worst. Barack Obama, president at the time of the survey, being ranked 18th.

2018

In 2018, Republican Abraham Lincoln was ranked the greatest American President, while

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

, president at the time of the survey, was ranked last. Previous president Barack Obama was ranked 8th.

Notes

References

External links

American Political Science Association

Political Science Now
{{authority control Professional associations based in the United States Dupont Circle Organizations established in 1903 Political science organizations Political science in the United States 1903 establishments in the United States Oral history Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C. 501(c)(3) organizations