International Political Science Association

International Political Science Association
Name	International Political Science Association
Abbreviation	IPSA
Formation	1949
Founder	Karl Popper; Isaiah Berlin; Gustav Ranis
Type	Learned society
Headquarters	Geneva; United Nations Office at Geneva
Region served	Worldwide
Languages	English language; French language; Spanish language
Leader title	President
Leader name	Sven Steinmo; Helga Hernes
Parent organization	International Social Science Council

Contents

International Political Science Association is a global scholarly association dedicated to the comparative study of political science and related fields. It fosters collaboration among scholars, national associations, and institutions such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, World Bank, and European University Institute. Through congresses, research committees, and publications, it connects academics from regions including Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, and Oceania.

History

Founded in 1949 in the aftermath of World War II and amid the expansion of United Nations-linked institutions, the association emerged alongside organizations like the International Labour Organization and UNESCO. Early figures associated with its formation included scholars connected to Harvard University, University of Cambridge, and University of Chicago, reflecting intellectual currents from the Cold War era. During the 1950s and 1960s the association paralleled developments at the Council of Europe, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and the European Coal and Steel Community, adapting to decolonization trends exemplified by events such as the Indian independence movement and the creation of new states in Africa. Later decades saw engagement with comparative projects tied to the European Union integration, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the post-1991 reshaping of political research after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

The association operates through an elected Executive Committee and a rotating Presidency, similar to governance structures at the American Political Science Association and the Royal Institute of International Affairs. It maintains formal relations with the International Science Council and consultative status with the UNESCO system. Administrative activities are coordinated from offices located in Geneva and through liaison with regional hubs such as the African Union secretariat and the Organisation of American States headquarters. Key governance documents reflect practices seen in bodies like the European Court of Human Rights and adhere to procedural norms akin to those in the International Court of Justice.

Membership includes individual scholars, institutional members, and national associations paralleling groups such as the Brazilian Political Science Association, Association Française de Science Politique, Japanese Political Science Association, and the International Association for Political Science Students. National and regional associations affiliated span from the Kenya Political Science Association to the Australian Political Studies Association, and include university departments at University of Oxford, Stanford University, Sciences Po, and University of Cape Town. Collaborative links extend to center-level partners like the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Brookings Institution, and the Council on Foreign Relations.

Research committees within the association cover themes comparable to topics in journals like American Political Science Review, Journal of Democracy, Comparative Political Studies, and European Journal of International Relations. They coordinate comparative projects on subjects intersecting with literature from the United Nations Development Programme, World Health Organization, and the International Monetary Fund. The association publishes proceedings and book series alongside publishers such as Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, and Routledge; it also maintains newsletters and research reports analogous to publications by the European Consortium for Political Research and the International Studies Association.

The association convenes world congresses that attract delegates from institutions like Columbia University, University of Toronto, Peking University, and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. These events are comparable in scale to meetings of the International Sociological Association and the World Economic Forum, featuring panels on topics relating to institutions such as the European Commission, the African Development Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank. Regional conferences collaborate with bodies like the ASEAN secretariat, the African Union Commission, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

The association grants prizes and honors comparable to awards given by the Nobel Committee in other fields and to recognitions from the Guggenheim Foundation and the Ford Foundation. Awards acknowledge work related to scholars connected with John Rawls, Hannah Arendt, Robert Dahl, Elinor Ostrom, and Samuel Huntington, and recognize influential publications in venues such as World Politics and Perspectives on Politics. Honorary memberships often include leading figures from universities like Yale University, Princeton University, Università di Bologna, and policy institutions such as the United Nations system.