The International Political Science Association
(IPSA), founded under the auspices of UNESCO
in 1949, is an international scholarly association.
IPSA is devoted to the advancement of political
science in all parts of the world.
During its history it has helped build bridges
between East and West, North and South, and
has promoted collaboration between scholars
in both established and emerging democracies.
Its aim is to create a global political science
community in which all can participate, most
recently it has been extending its reach in
Eastern Europe and Latin America.
IPSA has consultative status with the Economic
and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC),
with the United Nations Educational Scientific
and Cultural Council (UNESCO) and it is a
member of the International Social Science
Council and of the Global Development Network.
== History ==
Since its beginning, national political science
associations have constituted its core.
Its founder members included American, Canadian,
French and Indian political science associations.
By 1960, 24 more national associations had
joined up.
Since then, collective membership has been
expanding at a steady pace.
Today, 54 national associations are collective
members of IPSA.
Each collective member is represented on IPSA’s
central governing organ, the council.
The council lays down broad policy guidelines
for the association and elects the executive
committee, which is responsible for the conduct
of IPSA’s affairs between congresses.
Individual and associate membership was introduced
in the early 1950s.
Starting with 52 members in 1952, IPSA’s
individual membership now stands at more than
3 400 members.
The association has worked hard to increase
the involvement of women, who now make up
more than a third of the membership.
Associate membership is open to institutions
engaged in research or teaching in the area
of political science and is hovering at around
110 institutions worldwide.
== Mission ==
The special mandate of IPSA, expressed in
its Constitution, is to support the development
of political science in all parts of the world,
building academic networks linking East and
West, North and South.
Its aim is to create an inclusive and global
political science community in which all can
participate.
It seeks to promote collaboration between
scholars in emerging and established democracies
and to support the academic freedoms needed
for the social sciences to flourish.
The activities and policies of IPSA reflect
its global mission.
It has been highly successful in the encouragement
of national political science associations
and today there are over 50 such associations
affiliated with IPSA.
IPSA has maintained its links with the United
Nations and has supported the development
of other international and regional political
science organizations.
IPSA World Congresses of Political Science
are now held every second year, moving between
continents.
The participation of scholars from less developed
countries is supported through travel grants
and the Global South Solidarity Fund.
IPSA’s research committees offer opportunities
for political scientists working in particular
sub-fields of the discipline to associate
with colleagues from around the world.
Organizing events between World Congresses
and playing a major role in these Congresses,
the research committees encourage the worldwide
pooling of skills and resources by working
both together and in conjunction with specialist
sub-groups of national associations.
IPSA publications, including the lead journal
International Political Science Review, the
International Political Science Abstracts,
World Political Science, Participation, and
the IPSA Portal, also seek to meet the needs
of political scientists in different parts
of the world.
As part of IPSA’s global mission to support
and promote political science, it now conducts
summer schools in research methods across
the globe, for example, in South America and
South Africa.
IPSA strives to ensure balanced representation
in terms of region, gender and stage of career
in all its activities – for example, the
creation of a new research committee must
be supported by political scientists from
at least seven countries and two continents.
Conference panels and roundtables are expected
to display similar diversity, with representation
from more than one continent and at least
four countries.
By linking scholars from North and South as
well as East and West, IPSA seeks to strengthen
the networks that underpin a global political
science community.
Such linkages put political science in a stronger
position to contribute to the quality of public
deliberation and decision-making as well as
to the understanding of an increasingly interconnected
political world.
Ultimately, IPSA supports the role of political
science in empowering men and women to participate
more effectively in political life, whether
within or beyond the states in which they
live.
== Academic activities ==
IPSA’s academic activities fall under three
main headings: 1) organizing biennial world
congresses as well as regular events between
congresses; 2) promoting research in political
science, notably through a wide-reaching network
of research committees (RCs); and 3) disseminating
research and information through a range of
publications.
IPSA’s principal academic activity is the
biennial congress.
Starting in 1950 and 1952, world congresses
have since been taking place every three years.
From small beginnings, they have developed
into major international scientific occasions,
typically attracting about 2000 participants.
As of 2012, world congresses are held every
other year.
In addition to these major events, IPSA sponsors
other types of scholarly meetings such as
conferences, roundtables and workshops.
Since the 1970s, one of the most dynamic areas
of growth within IPSA has been the activity
of its RCs.
In addition to organizing panels at the triennial
congresses, RCs organize their own meetings
between congresses, publish newsletters and
issue other publications.
IPSA now has 49 active RCs with interests
ranging from political finance to gender and
language politics and comparative democratization.
== List of Research Committees ==
== 
Summer schools ==
IPSA offers summer schools in São Paulo,
Brazil (since 2010), Stellenbosch, South Africa
(2011-2013), Singapore (since 2012), Ankara,
Turkey (since 2013), and Mexico (since 2016).
IPSA summer schools are intended to give social
sciences scholars access to high-quality advanced
training in qualitative and quantitative social
science and political science research methods.
== Publishing ==
IPSA's extensive publishing program has included
International Political Science Abstracts
(IPSA) (1951–present); International Political
Science Review (1980–present) and the bulletin
of the association, Participation.(1977–).
More recently, IPSA has offered an online
publication, IPSAPortal, which provides ratings
and links for the top 300 web sites for political
science worldwide.
Finally, IPSA offers a monthly information
email called Newsletter.
Since 2014, IPSA also publishes World Political
Science, in collaboration with De Gruyter.
== Awards ==
The association awards various scholarly awards
to leading scholars in the field, including
the Karl Deutsch Award.
Karl Deutsch Award
Prize of the Foundation Mattei Dogan awarded
by the International Political Science Association
for High Achievement in Political Science
Stein Rokkan Award
Francesco Kjellberg Award for Outstanding
Papers Presented by New Scholars
Wilma Rule Award: IPSA Award for the Best
Paper on Gender and Politics
Global South Award
Meisel-Laponce Award
APSA-IPSA Theodore J. Lowi First Book Award
RC01 Award for Concept Analysis in Political
Science
RC01 Best C&M Working Paper Award
RC27 Charles H. Levine Memorial Book Prize
RC27 Ulrich Kloeti Award
== 
List of World Congresses and Presidents ==
== 
IPSA Secretaries General ==
François Goguel, FNSP, Paris (1949-1950)
Jean Meynaud, FNSP, Paris (1950-1955)
John Goormaghtigh, Brussels (1955-1960)
Serge Hurtig, FNSP, Paris (1960-1967)
André Philippart, Carnegie Endowment, Brussels
(1967-1976)
John Trent, University of Ottawa (1976-1988)
Francesco Kjellberg, University of Oslo (1988-1994)John
Coakley, University College Dublin (1994-2000)Guy
Lachapelle, Concordia University (2000
