Where is the APSA Annual Meeting & Exhibition held?

The event takes place in Boston, USA.

What is the primary purpose of this event?

The APSA Annual Meeting & Exhibition serves as a major forum for political science professionals to present research, network, and discuss current political issues in Boston, USA.

APSA Annual Meeting & Exhibition

Name: APSA Annual Meeting & Exhibition
Start: 2026-09-03T00:00:00Z
End: 2026-09-06T00:00:00Z
Location: Boston

Sep 3–6, 2026Boston, USAIn-person

Starts in 26 daysRegistration open

The APSA Annual Meeting & Exhibition is a significant gathering for political science professionals, offering a platform for research presentation, networking, and engagement with contemporary political issues. Held in Boston, USA, this event brings together scholars, practitioners, and students to discuss advancements in the field. It serves as a crucial forum for disseminating new research and fostering collaborative opportunities within the global political science community.

Committees & topics

Topics
The State of Political Science as a Discipline · Democracy Under Threat: How to Understand, Protect, and Rebuild

Why it matters

This event is important for several reasons. Firstly, it provides a dedicated space for the exchange of ideas and research findings among political scientists. This intellectual cross-pollination is vital for the advancement of the discipline, allowing for critical evaluation and the development of new theoretical frameworks and empirical insights. Secondly, the meeting facilitates networking opportunities that can lead to significant collaborations, mentorships, and career development for attendees at various stages of their professional journeys. The concentration of expertise in one location allows for direct engagement with leading scholars and emerging voices in the field.

Furthermore, the APSA Annual Meeting & Exhibition plays a role in shaping the discourse around pressing global political challenges. By bringing together diverse perspectives and research methodologies, the event contributes to a more nuanced understanding of complex issues, from domestic governance to international relations. The discussions and presentations often highlight innovative approaches to political analysis and problem-solving, which can inform policy debates and public understanding. The event's location in the USA, a key player in global politics, further underscores its relevance as a hub for political thought and discussion.

How to prepare

To maximize the benefits of attending the APSA Annual Meeting & Exhibition, participants should engage in thorough preparation. This includes familiarizing oneself with the program schedule to identify sessions, panels, and workshops that align with individual research interests or professional development goals. Given the breadth of topics typically covered, strategic planning is essential to navigate the event effectively and ensure attendance at the most relevant discussions.

Attendees should also consider how to best present their own work, whether through formal presentations, poster sessions, or informal discussions. Preparing concise summaries of research and key findings can facilitate productive conversations and potential collaborations. For those seeking to expand their professional networks, researching the work of other attendees and identifying potential collaborators or mentors beforehand can enhance the quality of interactions. The event in Boston, USA, offers a prime opportunity for scholars to connect and contribute to the ongoing evolution of political science.

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 1 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

United States

As the host nation, the USA provides the primary academic and political context for the conference, influencing themes and participation.

Role in topic

The USA, as the host country, is central to the event, providing the logistical and academic infrastructure. Its political science institutions and scholars are typically well-represented, contributing significantly to the research presented and the discussions held. The event offers a platform for American scholars to engage with international peers and for international scholars to gain insights into American political thought.

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.

The State of Political Science as a Discipline

Political science emerged as a distinct academic discipline in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with the founding of the American Political Science Association in 1903 marking a key institutional milestone. Drawing on older traditions of political philosophy, law, and history, the field professionalized around the systematic study of government, power, institutions, and political behavior. Across the 20th century it expanded to include subfields such as comparative politics, international relations, political theory, public administration, and political methodology, and absorbed methodological turns ranging from behavioralism in the 1950s and 60s to rational choice in the 1980s and the credibility revolution in causal inference in the 2000s. The contemporary discipline is shaped by debates over methodological pluralism (qualitative, quantitative, formal, and interpretive approaches), the replication and transparency movement, and the integration of computational tools, large-scale text analysis, and experimental methods. At the same time, political scientists have grappled with questions about the field's public relevance: how to engage policymakers and citizens without compromising scholarly independence, how to diversify a profession long criticized for underrepresentation, and how to study politically sensitive topics such as authoritarianism, polarization, and political violence in increasingly restrictive research environments. Today political science sits at an inflection point. Funding pressures on higher education, attacks on academic freedom in several democracies, the rise of generative AI, and growing demand for evidence on democratic backsliding and global governance have all sharpened questions about the discipline's purpose, methods, and audiences. The field's challenge is to remain rigorous and cumulative while addressing urgent real-world problems where its expertise is most needed.

Key players

Democracy Under Threat: How to Understand, Protect, and Rebuild

After the post-Cold War expansion of electoral democracy in the 1990s, scholars and indices such as V-Dem, Freedom House, and the Economist Intelligence Unit have documented a sustained period of democratic backsliding beginning in the mid-2000s. Unlike classical coups, contemporary democratic erosion typically occurs incrementally and through legal means: elected leaders weaken judicial independence, capture electoral commissions and public media, harass civil society, and gerrymander or change rules to entrench incumbency. Cases such as Hungary under Fidesz, Turkey under the AKP, Venezuela under Chavismo, India under the BJP, and the United States after the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol have become focal points for research on how democracies decay from within. The causes are contested but overlapping: rising economic inequality and stagnation, cultural and demographic backlash, the collapse of traditional party systems, the information environment created by social media platforms, and the active export of authoritarian models and tactics by states such as Russia and China. Polarization—particularly affective polarization that frames political opponents as existential threats—has been identified as both a symptom and accelerant. International democracy-support institutions, including the EU, the OSCE, and the Community of Democracies, have struggled to respond, often constrained by their own member states' backsliding or by geopolitical priorities that elevate stability over reform. The agenda now centers on three linked questions: how to diagnose backsliding early using better measurement and comparative analysis; how to protect remaining democratic institutions through constitutional design, electoral safeguards, independent media, and resilient civil society; and how to rebuild democratic practice where it has eroded, drawing on lessons from past transitions in Latin America, Central Europe, and post-apartheid South Africa. Political scientists are increasingly asked to translate this work into actionable guidance for parties, courts, election officials, and citizens.

Key players