Division Calls

2018 Division Chair Contact List

***2019 Division Calls Coming Soon***
Table of Contents

Division 1: Political Thought and Philosophy: Historical Approaches

Division Chairs: Elizabeth Markovits, Mount Holyoke College; Genevieve Rousseliere, Duke University

The Political Thought and Philosophy section invites proposals from all areas of political theory. We are especially interested in proposals focused on the ways in which the history of political thought, and conceptual disputes within that history, can both fuel and illuminate the phenomenon of democratic discontent. Do the conceptual models we have inherited from the history of political thought contribute in fundamental ways to this discontent? And which/whose history is that? What other interpretive frameworks, institutional arrangements, and languages of citizenship might be better suited to such contemporary challenges as social inequality and political exclusion, post-colonial legacies, citizenship and statelessness, environmental rights and obligations, reconfigurations of state and economic power, political agency, and individual subjectivity in a global age?

We are committed to promoting intellectual exchange across multiple theoretical and methodological approaches, time periods, texts, traditions, and geographical spaces. Thus, we welcome panel proposals organized with this sort of dialogue in mind. We are also especially interested in the work by those historically underrepresented in the field. We look forward to proposals from scholars at all stages of the profession and particularly appreciate panel proposals that include scholars from across the ranks.

Division 2: Foundations of Political Theory

Division Chairs: Lida Maxwell, Trinity College and Shalini Satkunanandan, University of California, Davis

The Foundations of Political Theory section invites proposals from all areas of political theory. We are especially (but not exclusively) interested in considering individual papers and organized panels that consider the forms of discontent currently playing out in the U.S. political scene and beyond. Building on this year’s conference theme, “Democracy and its Discontents,” we invite proposals that consider what kinds of discontent are “foundational” – that is, pertain to the very bases of reigning structures of governance. Papers and panels might examine the causes, features, history, and implications of democratic discontent. Should discontent be understood as an affect that necessarily haunts democracy and its (inevitable?) exclusions? Or is it primarily the result of a dysfunctional institutional form?  Is discontentment fatal to democracy, or is there a kind of politics that may help us to address it? We also welcome papers and panels that consider the political role of political theory in theorizing, cultivating, and redirecting democratic discontent.

We are ecumenical as to approaches to political theory, and are keen to have organized panels that do not limit themselves to one methodological strain, school, or orientation of political theory.

Division 3: Normative Theory

Division Chair: Banu Bargu, The New School; Farah Godrej, University of California, Riverside

This year’s conference theme, “Democracy and Its Discontents,” invites timely reflections on one of the core themes of political theory in light of specifically acute problems. In keeping with this theme, we welcome a broad range of approaches that focus on the exploration of existing forms of democracy and democratic practice, with particular attention to sources of the discontent that arises from within. How are democracy and democratic practice, broadly construed, either enabled or constrained? What are the tendencies and forces that undermine democratic systems, values, and practices? What are the grievances, exclusions, and injustices that do not find expression or representation, and why? How might democratic ideas, processes and practices be reconceived in ways that account for silences, dissonances, and “discontents”? What are the roles, responsibilities, promises and limitations of “normative” theorizing with regard to such reconceiving? We are also interested in proposals that consider different conceptions of democracy, their normative foundations, structural configurations, promises and limitations. How might alternative visions of democracy animate social forces that produce different forms of individual or collective resistance? How might these counteract the erosion of existing democracies or reconfigure existing political realities? And, how might political theory converge with empirical work—or, alternatively learn from its interdisciplinary “cousins” such as anthropology, history or cultural studies—in re-assessing the meaning, purpose and viability of democracy?

We are committed to curating a diverse program that reflects different intellectual traditions, methods, and perspectives. Non-conventional, minoritarian, interdisciplinary, and experimental approaches are particularly welcome, as are global, comparative, feminist, and critical approaches. We also encourage proposals that consider different conference formats that are now available. We would like to invite contributions that will help us foster a real dialogue in which we can think together about the problems of the present.

Division 4: Formal Political Theory

Division Chair: Ian Turner, Yale University

The Formal Political Theory division welcomes paper, poster, or panel proposals that use game theory, social choice theory, or computational modeling to answer questions related to any substantive field in political science. As Formal Political Theory is uniquely situated to evaluate how democratic institutions, or the lack of these institutions, impact political behavior, policy outcomes, and public welfare, substantively cohesive proposals that span subfields and address the conference theme, “Democracy and Its Discontents,” are especially welcomed.

Division 5: Political Psychology

Division Chairs: Spencer Piston, Boston University; Alexandra Scacco, New York University

The political psychology division welcomes submissions on a wide array of topics relating to the way groups and individuals experience politics, perceive their circumstances, process information, form preferences, and behave.  We especially encourage paper and panel proposals that relate to comparative politics and/or the politics of race. Additionally, we welcome submissions addressing the questions political psychologists are most interested in answering:  How best can we assess citizens’ true preferences and their effects on public policy? How do individuals weigh information as they form their preferences?  What factors affect the reception and acceptance of elite messages? Who really leads whom and when?  How much of a role do stereotypes and prejudices play in shaping opinions and behavior, and how can they be overcome? What forces exacerbate or mitigate interethnic conflict? How well do the assumptions underlying democracy hold once psychological processes are understood? We welcome proposals from a diverse array of methodologies and disciplinary perspectives.

Division 6: Political Economy

Division Chairs: Victor Menaldo, University of Washington Seattle and Rory Truex, Princeton University

The Political Economy section welcomes paper and panel proposals from emerging and established research areas in political economy, broadly understood. Submissions that address the annual meeting’s theme of “Democracy and Its Discontents” through the lens of political economy are especially welcome. How does the flow of goods, capital, people and ideas across borders affect perceptions of democracy? What sets of institutions are most fragile and most resilient in the face of illiberal pressures? How does economic inequality relate to political inequality?  We welcome proposals on these and other questions. We encourage substantively cohesive panel proposals that bring together scholars from within and across subfield lines, as well as across different world regions.

Division 7: Politics and History

Division Chairs: Megan Franceis, University of Washington and Colin Moore, University of Hawaii

The Politics and History section welcomes paper and panel proposals that make theoretical, conceptual, and empirical contributions to our understanding of history and politics. In keeping with this year’s conference theme, “Democracy and Its Discontents,” papers that consider the challenges democratic regimes have faced in the past are especially encouraged. However, submissions need not be limited to the conference theme. The section also encourages submissions from scholars whose work focuses on institutional development, immigration, social movements, citizenship, ideational formation, and the carceral state. Research in the traditions of American political development, comparative-historical analysis, and historical-institutionalism are encouraged. The Section especially welcomes cohesive panel proposals that bring together scholars who study different parts of the world and those at different stages of their careers.

Division 8: Political Methodology

Division Chair: Teppei Yamamoto, MIT

The Political Methodology division welcomes all types of proposals addressing any aspect of empirical political methodology. The possible topics include but are not limited to: statistical modeling, measurement techniques, design of experiments and observational studies, causal inference, computation and machine learning methods, survey methodology, estimation and hypothesis testing, and methods for large and complex data sets. We encourage proposals that develop new, generally applicable techniques, but innovative applications of existing techniques to any substantive subfield of political science are also very welcome.

This year, we particularly welcome full panel and roundtable proposals that are organized around cohesive topics of interest to both methodologists and applied political scientists. We also encourage submissions of short course and workshop proposals that are intended to disseminate recent methodological developments to the broader community of applied researchers. Proposals that fit this year’s conference theme are also welcome.

Division 10: Political Science Education

Division Chairs: Amber Dickinson, Oklahoma State University; Michael Rogers, Arkansas Tech University

Given our dual purpose of promoting the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) as well as promoting exemplary undergraduate education in our discipline, Division 10: Political Science Education has merged with Division 9: Teaching & Learning. The division seeks a diverse set of proposals in a variety of formats that speak to the 2018 American Political Science Association’s theme of Democracy and Its Discontents. Our section is strongly committed to honoring the diversity of institutions with which APSA members are associated, and we welcome submissions from political scientists at community colleges and two-year institutions, as well as from four-year colleges and universities. As an academic discipline, political science plays a central role in studying democracy and identifying its discontents. As educators training future citizens and governmental leaders, political scientists play an important role in maintaining the health of democracy. Hopefully, our research and educational practices counter democracy’s discontents, but we may also contribute to them. This is what we need the SoTL to test and determine.

Therefore, Political Science Education welcomes traditional paper and panel proposals from all academic disciplines that explore the role of education and the assessment of its practices In particular, our section is interested in research on how educational practices promote democracy (through citizenship training, educating future government officials and bureaucrats, promoting civic engagement, developing pedagogies that enhance self-governing skills and practices, etc.) or in adding to its discontent (through poor undergraduate education, neglecting citizenship training, promoting and/or reinforcing the civics gap, failing to identify the true causes of democracy’s discontent, etc.). Such proposals may explore and evaluate new and old pedagogies, the uses of technologies in the classroom or on campus, the roles of simulations and games, internships, externships, service learning, etc.

Also, our section solicits proposals for other, non-traditional conference settings, including Mini-conferences that are extended time-blocs focused on the theme of democracy and its discontent, as well as Research Cafés, Sequential Paper presentations where scholars can receive feedback from an exclusive discussant, Roundtables, Author(s) Meet Critics sessions, Short Courses (perhaps not limited to Wednesday), and Poster Presentations with discussants.

***Divisions 9 (Teaching and Learning in Political Science) & 10 (Political Science Education) have been combined in 2018***

 

Division 11: Comparative Politics

Division Chairs: Jennifer Gandhi, Emory University and Guillermo Trejo, University of Notre Dame

The Comparative Politics section welcomes proposals that make theoretical, conceptual, and/or empirical contributions to any area of comparative politics. We particularly welcome submissions that address this year’s conference theme: Democracy and its Discontents. We encourage proposals that examine how democracies are coping with the emergence of new economic, social and cultural cleavages that, in part, are driven by the flow of labor and capital across borders. We are also interested in proposals that study how democracies are confronting new forms of violence, including terrorist attacks and outbreaks of criminality. Proposals might focus on how these new cleavages and forms of violence influence the willingness of voters and politicians to challenge the legitimacy of existing institutions and remake them to serve their own purposes. Proposals also might consider whether these changes constitute a threat to democracy itself, further blurring the line between democracies and electoral autocracies. Our expectation is that successful proposals will tie this year’s conference theme to various sub-disciplines within Comparative Politics or to other subfields such as American Politics or International Relations. We are open to submissions from scholars working from various theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches. Well-organized panel proposals that also reflect the diversity of our discipline are particularly welcome.

Division 12: Comparative Politics of Developing Countries

Division Chairs: Sarah Brooks, Ohio State University; Tariq Thachil, Vanderbilt University

The Comparative Politics of Developing Countries Division welcomes paper and panel proposals for research that advances our understanding of politics in developing countries.  Submissions that address the annual meeting’s theme of “Democracy and Its Discontents” are especially welcome. Many of the subjects raised in this theme, such as the consequences of identity politics or issues of democratic institutional consolidation, have long been central to the inquiries organizing this division. Other arenas of particular interest may include investigations of key public policy arenas, the causes and consequences of popular protests, and the effects of international and internal migration in both democratic and non-democratic regimes across the developing world.  We are especially interested in research that addresses important substantive questions with theoretical and empirical contributions, and encourage substantively cohesive panel proposals that bring together scholars from within and across subfield lines.

Division 13: Politics of Communist and Former Communist Countries

Division Chair: Pierre Landry, Chinese University of Hong Kong; Mary Gallagher, University of Michigan

We encourage submissions that tackle theoretically important questions, specifically but not restricted to issues of regime endurance, stability and instability, legitimacy and popular support, political participation, the sustainability of democratic institutions among former communist regimes and the sustainability of autocracy among remaining ones, sub-national and local politics, as well as inquiries about the relationship between domestic politics and the wider international context. We especially welcome submissions that are explicitly comparative in scope, both between and within cases, whether cross-national or cross-regional/sub-national.

Division 14: Comparative Politics of Advanced Industrial Societies

Division Chairs: Bonnie Meguid, University of Rochester; Jonathan Polk, University of Gothenburg

The division welcomes paper and panel proposals that identify theoretically and substantively important problems in the study of advanced industrial societies, as well as proposals that employ diverse and innovative methodological approaches and empirical data. In accordance with this year’s theme, “Democracy and Its Discontents,” we welcome both comparative institutions and comparative behavior proposals that examine questions about the extension or stability of democracy and democratic norms – in terms of formal and informal institutions or the preferences and actions of voters – in the face of international and domestic challenges. We are also receptive to proposals that go beyond the conference theme to address key issues across advanced industrial societies.

Division 15: European Politics and Society

Division Chair: Jane Gingrich, University of Oxford

This section welcomes papers and panels that pertain to European politics and society, broadly understood. We are particularly welcoming of papers that address the 2018 meeting theme “Democracy and its Discontents.” We are open to innovate panel formats, including author meets critics and thematic roundtables, which address the conference themes. Both popular and elite commitment to the institutions of liberal democracy has been called into question in several European countries. Elsewhere, established party systems have undergone immense change, with new challenger parties making major electoral in-roads. What explains democratic backsliding in some European democracies? What explains the varied success of populist movements on both the left and the right? How are European democracies addressing the social and economic pressures accompanying demographic and technological change, migration, and uneven growth?   Panels that examine the changing nature of democracy in European countries and the European Union, new social and political cleavages, social movements, changing electoral politics, and the changing nature of democratic capitalism are particularly welcomed.

Division 16: International Political Economy

Division Chairs: Rachel Wellhausen, University of Texas at Austin

The International Political Economy (IPE) section welcomes papers and panel proposals for the 2018 APSA conference. We seek papers addressing theoretically and empirically important problems that link economic and political factors, broadly defined. Papers may come from any theoretical or methodological perspective, and they may explore any of the many substantive issue areas shaped by international economic and political forces. In keeping with this year’s theme, “Democracy and Its Discontents,” papers dealing with tensions between globalization and domestic politics are especially welcome. Potential topics of interest include the political economy of economic openness; effects of inequality; response to financial crisis; relationships between domestic and international economic institutions; and other questions sparked by contemporary political challenges. We highly encourage cohesive panel and roundtable proposals that focus on the conference theme.

Division 17: International Collaboration

Division Chair: David Bearce, UC Boulder

The International Collaboration division welcomes papers and panel proposals for the 2018 APSA conference under the following theme: “Democracy and Its Discontents.” All proposals dealing with international collaboration will be considered. This broad subject area includes, but is not limited to, international organizations, international law, diplomacy, economic coordination, conflict resolution, and transnational advocacy. Proposals that address either international conflict or political economy are welcome, as are proposals from different theoretical and/or methodological perspectives.

 

Division 19: International Security 

Division Chairs: Austin Carson, University of Chicago; John Schuessler, Texas A&M; Dan Lindley, University of Notre Dame

The focus of APSA 2018 is Democracy and Its Discontents.  Many causes of war and challenges to peace emerge from struggles over power, the pace and direction of democratization, and the value of democracy itself as a form of governance.  From drones and autonomous weapons to cyber intelligence and conflict, challenges to democratic oversight and oversight are numerous.

Thus, section 19, International Security and Arms Control, should have plenty to contribute to the conference theme as much of our work focuses on democratization and governance, from changes in the balance of power and its effects on conflict and new types of conflict and forms of governance in the Middle East and Africa. Indeed, from attempts to undermine NATO and Western forms of governance to challenges to democracy from caliphates to the mixed Chinese model, it is hard to think of any area in security studies and arms control that is not undergoing affected by the ebbs and flows of democratization.

ISAC therefore welcomes paper and panel proposals on international security issues, broadly defined. These include causes of war and peace, proliferation, cybersecurity, military effectiveness, civil-military relations, alliances and security institutions, evolution of conflict, terrorism, internal conflict, intervention, peacekeeping, and arms control. ISAC is interdisciplinary and multimethod, and welcomes papers from and appealing to academics, researchers, and policymakers. Proposals addressing important questions, policy relevant issues, and/or involving empirical richness will be favored.

***Divisions 18 (International Security) & 19 (International Security & Arms Control) have been combined in 2018***

Division 20: Foreign Policy

Division Chair: Thomas Dolan, University of Central Florida

The Foreign Policy section invites paper, panel, and roundtable proposals broadly related to the study of foreign policy, and particularly those that relate to the conference theme, “Democracy and Its Discontents.”  Foreign policy scholars have long been interested in how democracy influences states’ foreign policy formulation and execution.  This year’s theme, in particular, raises questions about how democracies conduct their relations with each other and with non-democracies in a period of global change.   What are the causes and consequences of domestic contention over established foreign policies, like European Union membership in the UK or the nature of American engagement in the world?  How does discontent within democracies influence the foreign policies of non- or partially-democratic states?  Have efforts to spread discontent about democracy affected the foreign policies of democratic and less democratic states?  We welcome proposals reflecting a broad range of approaches to the study of foreign policy, and are particularly interested in those that involve theoretical or methodological innovation.

Division 21: Conflict Processes

Division Chairs: Matthew Fuhmann, Texas A&M University and Emily Ritter, University of California, Merced

The Conflict Processes section invites paper, panel, and roundtable proposals related to the onset, resolution, and dynamics of political conflict. We adopt a broad conception of conflict that includes civil and interstate war, low-level military disputes, insurgency, domestic repression, terrorism, non-violent resistance, economic conflict, deterrence and coercion, and the persistence of peace. This year’s conference theme, “Democracy and Its Discontents,” carries implications for political conflict: the rise of illiberalism internationally threatens both international and domestic peace and stability. We are especially interested in proposals that consider the implications of democratic backsliding for conflict within and between countries. However, we are open to proposals that address any dimension of political conflict and violence. We encourage proposals that advance new ideas and engage in cross-fertilization of theoretical insights across substantive areas of political violence. We welcome proposals from a broad array of theoretical and empirical approaches that are focused on increasing our understanding of conflict processes.

Division 22: Legislative Studies

Division Chairs: Michael Rocca, University of New Mexico and Jonathan Slapin University of Essex (United Kingdom)

Citizens’ perceptions of legislatures as ineffectual or unrepresentative can lead to discontentment with democracy. Following the theme of this year’s conference, “Democracy and Its Discontents”, we welcome papers and panels that explore how legislative behavior and institutions affect support for and trust in democracy, both among voters and elites. With “outsider” populist parties and candidates competing for office across the United States, Europe and other developed, and developing democracies in recent years, we are particularly interested in how the actions of individuals and parties in legislatures affect and are affected by the desire to represent various ideologies, interests, identities, and groups in the population. To that end, we welcome proposals that engage with the ways in which legislatures, and legislative institutions, facilitate legitimacy and trust within political systems, broadly defined. Among the topics that we would hope that panels would explore would be: the determinants and consequences of variations in representation (both descriptive and substantive) in legislatures, the role of the legislature in a broader political system (both democratic and non-democratic), the evolution and impact of political institutions in legislative settings, the factors that contribute to effective policymaking in legislatures, the link between legislatures and other branches of government (e.g. judiciary and executive), the roles and evolution of political parties in legislative settings, and the determinants and consequences of polarization in legislatures. We are also interested in papers and panels focusing on other topics of interest to scholars of legislative politics, including scholars of sub-national assemblies, as well as legislative practitioners. The legislative studies section embraces proposals from a broad array of theoretical foundations and empirical methodologies, including large and small-sample empirical studies, historical analyses, and formal theory.

Division 23: Presidents and Executive Politics

Division Chair: Nicole Mellow, Williams College

The Presidents and Executive Politics Division welcomes paper and roundtable proposals that address core questions about democracy and executive governance, broadly defined, both in the United States and around the world.  We encourage submissions that employ innovative theoretical and methodological approaches to yield new perspectives on long-standing questions.  Consideration will also be given to complete panel proposals, particularly to those that resonate with the overarching theme on democracy and its discontents, and we welcome proposals with connections to other divisions.

This year’s conference theme on democracy and its discontents focuses our attention on questions that are central to the study of presidents and executive institutions.  Around the globe in recent years, democratic elections have produced populist leaders and demagogues as voters have signaled dissatisfaction with the status quo. What do voters expect of executives (what are they rewarding and what are they punishing?), and to what extent are executive institutions capable of meeting popular expectations? Do the practices of modern democratic politics inevitably lead to dissatisfaction with executive leadership? In the United States and elsewhere, executives are coming to power with limited democratic mandates and presiding over deeply divided polities. How does this condition their exercise of power? Does it invite the use of new tools of executive governance or greater reliance on some strategies for accomplishing executive agendas over others? With what consequence? How is the exercise of executive authority in this time of popular discontent challenging established norms and/or practices of executive governance? Should we be classifying or conceptualizing democratic leadership in new ways, or are existing terms and understandings sufficient for comprehending politically significant outcomes? How much utility remains for distinguishing the exercise of democratic versus non-democratic executive power? Given the growth of economic inequality, illiberal practices, internal polarization, and nationalist demands, under what conditions should presidential power be applauded and when should it be of concern?

Division 24: Public Administration

Division Chair: Scott Robinson, University of Oklahoma

Public administration scholars have long struggled with the reconciliation of bureaucratic organizations with democracy.  From debates over the politics/administration dichotomy through the dialogues between Herbert Simon and Dwight Waldo to recent scholarship on topics like transparency, responsiveness, and public participation, public administration continues to struggle with how to understand democracy and its discontents within administrative systems.  The section welcomes proposals for papers and panels on a wide range of topics connecting scholarship into public administration systems to major questions about the state of democracy and its critics.  This can include research into the mechanisms of democratic control of administrative organizations – whether by formal institutions or direct interaction with the public.  This can also include research into the role that administrative organizations play in the maintenance (or loss of legitimacy in democratic regimes.  We particularly encourage work that investigates these issues across national settings or in national settings that have been neglected in the contemporary literature.

Division 25: Public Policy

Division Chair: Sarah Anzia, Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley

The Public Policy section serves a diverse community of researchers who study policy to address the big questions of political science: who governs, and to what ends?  The section welcomes proposals on all aspects of the policy process and the causes and consequences of government decisions (and non-decisions).  These submissions could involve policy development and change, policy feedback, policy diffusion, agenda setting, historical and comparative perspectives on policy, and many more.

Proposals addressing this year’s conference theme – Democracy and Its Discontents—are particularly welcome.  Across the world, democratic governments are seeing a rise in nativism, populism, and identity politics—in many places leading to significant shifts in the electoral climate and to changes to national and subnational policy priorities.  In the United States, these forces have risen to prominence alongside a pronounced increase in economic inequality and party polarization.  In light of these developments, several questions emerge:  How have public policies contributed to these trends, and how are these trends shaping debates on issues related to immigration, law enforcement, job creation, and the welfare state?  How have they altered debates in the United States about trade, fiscal and monetary policy, healthcare, and climate policy—and how will future policy developments in these areas further affect the political environment?  As governments grapple with changes in the composition of their budgets, how will policymakers’ decisions and non-decisions affect different groups in society, such as younger and older citizens and citizens of lower and higher socioeconomic status?  What do these effects portend for future political engagement?  And what role have political organizations—such as labor groups and conservative groups—played in either moderating or contributing to shifts in long-term budgetary priorities in the United States and beyond?

The Public Policy section is open to all methodological and theoretical perspectives.  While paper proposals are welcome, we strongly encourage well-organized panel proposals.

Division 26: Law and Courts

Division Chair: Amanda Bryan, Loyola University Chicago

APSA 2018 explores the theme of “Democracy and Its Discontents”. As democracies around the world have become increasingly beleaguered by popular grievances and challenged by polarization and divisiveness, law and courts have taken on more complicated and more important roles in government. The Law and Courts section invites papers, panels, and roundtables on a diverse range of topics in law and judicial politics, including those that aim to deepen our understanding of how the discontents of democracy shape legal systems and how legal systems have shaped these emerging challenges. Proposals that develop novel theoretical ideas, original data, or innovative methodological approaches are especially welcome.  The section also encourages submissions that might be suitable for co-sponsorship with other divisions.  Proposals that clearly and concisely articulate the project and research question are most appreciated.

 

Division 27: Constitutional Law and Jurisprudence

Division Chairs: Ken Kersch, Boston College; Anthony Chen, Northwestern University

The Constitutional Law and Jurisprudence division invites proposals exploring the conference theme of “Democracy and its Discontents” as it relates to questions of legal philosophy and constitutional law.   In the United States and around the world, recent political and economic developments have powerfully intersected with questions of identity, civic membership, economic and political inequality, and partisan and ideological polarization, raising serious concerns about the future of contemporary models of constitutional democracy committed to the rule of law.   Many observers from diverse political perspectives have argued that we are in a period of crisis concerning constitutional and legal norms and institutions.   We are especially interested in papers that either explicitly or implicitly address these issues, particularly when they speak in publicly relevant ways to the newly emerging questions and debates arising out of these politically volatile and uncertain times.   Such papers might address, amongst other things, related questions concerning the origins, development, functionality, stability, legitimacy, and transformation of constitutional, legal, and jurisprudential norms, institutions, and regimes, especially as they relate to alternative majoritarian democratic, illiberal, and authoritarian models and temptations.  Submissions availing themselves of new insights arising out of interdisciplinary studies are encouraged.  All complete panel proposals will be given serious consideration, but the strongest consideration will be given to proposals that exhibit a high degree of intellectual coherence and feature participants from a diverse range of career stages, institutions, and backgrounds.  The chairs reserve the right to add junior (pre-tenure) scholars to any panel that does not already include them.

Division 28: Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations

Division Chair: Philip Rocco, Marquette University

The Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations Section invites conference participation proposals for the 2018 APSA Annual Meeting. In addition to traditional paper proposals, we encourage submissions for full panels, roundtables, and author-meets-critics sessions. We welcome theoretically grounded and methodologically rigorous proposals that contribute to our knowledge of political and policy dynamics in federal systems. This includes proposals with a comparative perspective and those focused exclusively on American federalism and intergovernmental relations. Additionally, we are interested in proposals that respond to the conference theme, “Democracy and Its Discontents”, particularly those that evaluate how have federal systems responded to recent political-economic crises and challenges to democratic norms and institutions.

Division 29: State Politics and Policy

Division Chair: Jennifer Clark, University of Houston

The State Politics and Policy Section invites conference proposals for the 2018 APSA Annual Meeting.  We welcome proposals for panels, papers, posters, and roundtables pertaining to subnational governments.  We especially encourage proposals related to the 2018 APSA theme, “Democracy and Its Discontents.”  The states’ role in our federal system offers considerable challenges as well as opportunities to address some of the key issues pertaining to economic inequality, partisan polarization, and the rights of immigrants, minorities, women, and other underrepresented groups.  Research investigating the institutional underpinnings of representation, accountability, political behavior and policymaking can fit nicely into this theme.  However, we also welcome proposals that challenge, extend, or move beyond the conference theme.  Proposals focusing on subnational units both inside and outside the U.S. are encouraged as are proposals using diverse methodological approaches.

Division 30: Urban and Local Politics

Division Chairs: Jill Simone Gross, Hunter College, CUNY and David Imbroscio, University of Louisville

Following the theme for this year’s conference, “Democracy and Its Discontents,” the Urban and Local Politics Section welcomes proposals that engage issues around the broad area of democratic governance and its struggles and contestations, both at the urban/local scale and between the urban/local scale and higher scalar domains.  We are open to a range of methodological approaches and epistemological standpoints, particularly those positioning the study of urban politics in dialogue with both political science sub-disciplines (comparative, international relations, area studies, public policy, race, gender, etc.) and/or cognate disciplines (geography, planning, sociology, law, etc.). All of which have, of late, produced a voluminous amount of important and innovative urban political analysis. Per established norms, we welcome both qualitative and quantitative approaches and particularly encourage the submission of proposals focusing not only on domestic urban/local politics but other world regions as well.  Likewise, we strongly encourage proposals that employ a comparative analytic lens to critically examine the dynamics of urban political phenomena cross-nationally.

Division 31: Women and Politics Research

Division Chairs: Christina Bejarano, University of Kansas and Susan Franceschet, University of Calgary

The Women and Politics Section invites proposals that directly engage with issues concerning women, gender, and sexuality. We are particularly interested in proposals that address the conference theme, “Democracy and its Discontents.” Democracy’s shortcomings have long been at the forefront of women and politics research, with scholars exploring gender gaps in political participation, women’s under-representation in public office, gender inequalities in the policy process, and the more insidious forms of inequality in families and society that reinforce women’s unequal status as citizens. We welcome submissions that critically investigate the gendered dimensions of democratic institutions and practices, as well as women’s roles in struggles for democracy. We highly encourage submissions exploring how gender and sexuality intersect with other identities like religion, race, and ethnicity to shape how women experience democracy, and, in many cases, seek to improve it.

We encourage paper submissions and organized panel submissions. Panel submissions must include at least four papers, a panel chair, and a discussant. Where appropriate, the program co-chairs may add additional papers to these panels. We ask that all faculty members submitting proposals also volunteer to serve either as panel chairs or as discussants. Since the conference now includes new presentation formats, we encourage proposals for one of these new formats. Please submit all proposals to a second APSA section to allow us the opportunity to co-sponsor panels.”

Division 32: Race, Ethnicity and Politics

Division Chairs: Stella Rouse, University of Maryland and Candis Watts Smith, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The study of race and ethnicity is of particular importance at a time when we face political, social, and economic challenges to democracy, both in the United States and around the world. An increasingly diverse and interconnected world provokes questions about how racial and ethnic groups address political challenges as well as how they interact with other groups in various environments.

The Race, Ethnicity, and Politics Section invites submissions that challenge our understanding of democratic governance as it relates to the interplay of dominant and underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. We are interested in scholarship that advances our theoretical, methodological, and practical understanding of how racial and ethnic groups promote their interests, express their grievances, and challenge or conform to existing power structures. In particular, we invite research that takes a comparative approach, both within and across borders, and that relies on innovative tools to address these questions.

We encourage submissions that embrace the range of innovative presentation formats for APSA 2018 such as teaching, research and outreach cafes; mini-conferences; short courses; 30-minute paper presentations; and author(s) meet critics discussions, as well as more traditional papers, panels, and roundtables. Given the interdisciplinary nature of Race, Ethnicity and Politics, we will actively seek opportunities to co-sponsor with other divisions and members of other social science disciplines.

Division 33: Religion and Politics

Division Chair: Tanya B. Schwarz, Hollins University, and Andrea Hatcher, Sewanee: The University of the South

Questions about the impacts of religion on democratic processes are often at the heart of debates about religion and conflict/peace, secularism, multiculturalism, and globalization. In line with the theme for this year’s general conference, the APSA Religion and Politics Section invites submissions of individual papers, panels and roundtables that explore the relationship between religion (and/or secularism) and democracy from various perspectives and vis-à-vis diverse issue areas. What is the relationship between religion and democracy? Do strong democracies require a strict separation of religion and the state? Is such a separation even possible? When does religion (or secularism) contribute to illiberal vs. liberal practices? How does religion interact with other factors such as gender, class, and race within the context of democratic politics? How are immigration and refugee flows changing or challenging understandings about the appropriate role of religion in democracies? How do different religious actors conceptualize democracy? Can religious understandings provide new ways to think about democratic possibilities? How are religious organizations contributing to or challenging democratic institutions?

How do religious or secular discourses shape democratic norms, including norms related to human rights? How does secularism manage multicultural challenges? What is the role of religious freedom in furthering and maintaining democratic ideals? What is the role of scholars, especially political scientists and IR scholars, in contributing to, informing and supporting common narratives about the relationship between religion (or secularism) and democracy? We invite panels and individual papers addressing these and other related questions at the intersection of religion and politics in either contemporary or historical frameworks, as well as across diverse geographic and cultural contexts. In addition, we encourage submission of new and innovative program formats, such as mini-workshops, interactive discussion and conversation style sessions, and other styles and formats. Religion and Politics is an interdisciplinary field and panels and papers that foster exchange between diverse theoretical and analytical approaches are welcome.

Division 34: Representation and Electoral Systems

Division Chair: Miki Caul Kittilson, Arizona State University

The section welcomes paper and panel proposals on a broad range of topics related to representation and electoral systems, and particularly to the relationship between the two. How do electoral systems shape representation, and how does representation affect electoral systems?  Electoral systems shape party incentives and party system choice sets, and have implications for policy and public support. Comparative frameworks are encouraged—across countries, regions or over time.

Proposals addressing the conference’s core theme of “Democracy and its Discontents” are especially welcome. Given the growing tensions and upheavals in democracies, it is imperative to examine how citizens’ participation may be strengthened in electoral design and policymaking. Paper and panel submissions are encouraged, and a wide variety of methodological approaches are welcome. Panel submissions must include at least four papers, a panel chair and at least one discussant.

Division 35: Political Organizations and Parties

Division Chairs: David Kimball, University of Missouri, St. Louis and Dan Shea, Colby College

The Political Organizations and Parties (POP) section welcomes proposals for papers, panels, and roundtables on any topic related to political organizations and parties, including interest group politics, political and social movements, political activism, political parties and the intersection of two or more such organizations or activities. POP encompasses research on legislatures, elections, policy-making, and any other aspect of politics in which political organizations participate. We especially encourage proposals that address the 2018 conference theme, Democracy and Its Discontents. Scholars are encouraged to provide thorough descriptions of their proposed paper to aid in the selection and panel creation process.

Division 36: Elections and Voting Behavior

Division Chair: Yanna Krupnikov, Stony Brook University

The section welcomes paper and panel proposals on a wide range of topics related to elections and voting behavior, including political participation, electoral choice, polling and electoral forecasting, party influence and competition, campaigns, and electoral integrity, from any national or comparative perspective. Research advancing new theories, analyzing original data, or employing innovative experimental and observational methods are especially welcome. Proposals addressing the conference’s core theme of “Democracy and Its Discontents” are encouraged, but we welcome all proposals that are theoretically and empirically compelling. We are especially interested in proposals for substantively cohesive panel and roundtables.

Division 37: Public Opinion

Division Chair: Thomas Leeper, London School of Economics and Political Science

The section welcomes proposals on a wide range of topics related to public opinion, including insights into micro-level foundations and macro-level dynamics, polling and methods of studying public opinion, electoral and referendum campaigns, and the causes and effects of opinion formation, from any national or comparative perspective. Research advancing new theories, analyzing original data, or employing innovative experimental, observational, and qualitative methods are encouraged. Proposals addressing the conference’s core theme of “Democracy and Its Discontents” are also encouraged but we welcome all proposals for individual papers, complete panel, as well as roundtable discussions and other formats.

Division 38: Political Communication

Division Chairs: Jessica Feezell, University of New Mexico

The Political Communication section invites papers, panels, and roundtable submissions for the 2018 APSA conference. Proposals that address the conference theme, “Democracy and its Discontents,” are particularly welcome. The broad and diverse field of political communication can provide many insights into, and raise critical new questions in response to, this theme. Proposals might engage with, but are not limited to, questions such as the following: How do media influence perceptions of democracy and its legitimacy? How have digital media altered the nature of collective action and public discourse? In what ways have recent changes on the political landscape disrupted media institutions—and citizens’ responses to those institutions—and to what effect? Under what conditions can media reach disparate audiences to share common information? Do the classic media theories require revision in a fragmented media environment? Proposals that are theoretically rooted and empirically rigorous will be given preference. Proposals should not exceed one page in length and should clearly state research questions, theoretical underpinnings, methodological approaches, and overall implications.

 

Division 39: Science, Technology & Environmental Politics

Division Chair: Sara Rinfret, University of Montana

The Science, Technology, and Environmental Politics (STEP) Section welcomes proposals which enhance our understanding of the role science, technology, and the environment address this year’s theme – Democracy and its Discontents. STEP proposals should provide innovative methodological approaches that engage scholars across disciplines in important topics the cut across science, technology, and environmental politics. We encourage scholars to submit proposals which explore topics, theories, and methods relevant to STEP and how we can answer question relevant in our changing democracy.

Division 40: Information Technology and Politics

Division Chair: Ben Epstein, Depaul University

The Information Technology & Politics section invites paper, panel and roundtable proposals relating to research on new media, digital communications, and other manifestations of political activity using information technology, broadly construed. We particularly encourage proposals connecting to the APSA 2018 theme of Democracy and its Discontents. How does the use of information technology enhance or threaten democratic institutions, nations, and processes around the world? What role do mobile communications and digital infrastructure play in recent political events and conflicts connected polarization, inequality, nativism, identity politics, and populism? How are informal norms of democratic behavior such as opposition rights, political knowledge, political news consumption and trust, governmental accountability, and transparency being affected by digital communications and social media in the U.S. and around the world? What affect are new communication technologies having on developing democracies around the world? These questions and debates should be thought of as a starting point rather than an exhaustive list of potential topics to be tackled by authors in the ITP section. The section encourages ambitious proposals that take on theoretically rich and underexplored questions using robust and appropriate research methods.

 

Division 41: Politics, Literature, and Film

Division Chair: Davide Panagia, University of California, Los Angeles

Echoing the 2018 APSA theme, “Democracy and Its Discontents,” the theme for this year’s Politics, Literature, and Film section is “From Perfectionism to Dystopia: Democracy’s Discontented Futures.” The diversity of literatures, films, and other mediatic modes of presentation and representation in circulation today are unique in their capacity to offer voyages to political futures near or far. Such voyages can promise better lives to come, or discontented and even nightmarish prospective realities. From the aspirational authoritarianism of Twitter feeds, the rediscovery of The Handmaid’s Tale, or the political aesthetic of Afro Futurism, to the political challenges of the Anthropocene, or the incipience of populist unrest, the themes of perfectionism and dystopia seem to be ubiquitously embraced by, and entangled with, our contemporary democratic imaginaries and vocabularies. In light of this, this year’s Politics, Literature, and Film section welcomes proposals that explore the many media forms that experiment with and engage the political dynamics of perfectionism, dystopia, and democracy’s discontents.

Division 42: New Political Science

Division Chair: Alix Olson, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Democracy is often referred to as if its meaning, value, practice and effects were self-evident, rather than a polysemic and contested concept. In the United States, for example, the election of Donald Trump was as much an expression of democratic energies as were the countless protests in reaction to his election. If at its base however democracy consists of people taking collective control over decisions that affect their wellbeing then democracy today is facing distinct challenges and taking surprising forms around the world. In a world marked by growing precariousness for a wide range of people and for the environment, liberal democracy’s promises of liberty, equality and dignity are under particular scrutiny. It is a crucial task for radical scholarship today to examine the history of democracy and its discontents as well as the emergence of new contradictions, challenges and possibilities of democracy as both a lived reality and analytical category.

New Political Science seeks to actively engage with progressive forces of change and to contribute critical analyses to “the struggle for a better world.” In light of this mission, our current global political moment forces to the center of analysis contestations surrounding collective understandings of what constitutes a “better world.” We are especially interested in proposals that contribute to our understanding of, and raise critical questions about, the cultural, social, political and institutional realities of present-day democracies and democratic practices. By no means exhaustive, papers and panels may wish to explore: struggles over democratic values in light of intensified income inequality, the erosion of social welfare protections, the growing power of finance capital, and the privatization of public goods; the legitimacy of norms in democracies that engender and perpetuate injustice based on race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, immigration status, and age; pressing problems of globalization (massive poverty and exploitation, ecological destruction, mobility rights for workers and immigrants) that transcend or destabilize conventional accounts of democracy; tensions between the oligarchic and/or populist capture of liberal democracy and the simultaneous rise of activist social movements that embody direct and radical democratic forms; and the transformative possibilities of various expressions of “discontentedness.”

New Political Science invites submissions that address the annual meeting’s theme of “Democracy and Its Discontents” from any of the subfields of political science as well as from interdisciplinary perspectives and welcomes innovative program formats.

Division 43: International History and Politics

Division Chair: David Steinberg, Johns Hopkins University

The International History and Politics section invites paper and panel proposals that examine international relations from a historical perspective. We welcome papers that use historical cases to test or build theory and those utilizing historical methods to understand contemporary cases. Proposals may focus on any substantive area of international relations, including but not limited to conflict and security, political economy, environmental issues, and international institutions. Submissions that address this year’s APSA program theme, “Democracy and its Discontents,” through the lens of international history are especially welcome.

Division 44: Comparative Democratization

Division Chair: Erica Frantz, Michigan State University

The Comparative Democratization section seeks papers and panels that address fundamental questions regarding the study of democratization and democracy in the modern world.  These questions include, but are not limited to, those pertaining to theoretical discussions of democratization and democracy; the role of institutions, the state, and non-state actors in transitions to and from democracy; authoritarian durability and survival; and broader themes pertinent to pathways of political change. In light of the theme for APSA 2018 on the challenges to democracy, papers and panels that probe questions related to democratic consolidation and backsliding will be especially welcome.  The section welcomes work defined by either its theoretical insights (e.g., new definitions of key ideas, formal-theoretical work) or methodological innovations (e.g., in measurement, estimation) and research on any region of the globe.  The section also welcomes submissions that depart from the standard panel format, as described on the APSA website.

Division 45: Human Rights

Division Chair: Bethany Barrett, Roosevelt University

We welcome proposals for analytic, empirical, and theoretical research on human rights norms, concepts, and practices, along with policy-relevant research concerning the political causes, consequences, and amelioration of human rights violations.

In keeping with the 2018 Annual Meeting theme of “Democracy and its Discontents,” we especially invite proposals that focus on the nexus between human rights, participation, and dissent.  How do states and other international actors define the relationship between democracy and human rights? When tensions between democracy and human rights emerge, how do states and international actors navigate these?  What actors support inclusion of human rights protections as an essential element of democracy? How do recent actions of states, organizations, as well as individuals, (e.g., terrorist acts in France, Turkey, and in the United States; England’s Brexit; and the rhetoric by right-wing politicians in Europe and America) redefine or raise new challenges to the contours of democracy and human rights?  How do citizens across the world view human rights, particularly in the face of such issues as the increasing terrorist threat, the continued conflict in Syria, the prevalence and spread of the Black Lives Matter movement, and debates about immigration? How do these different audiences address and convey their views? Lastly, how do those who aspire to enlarge the role of human rights (e.g., humanitarian intervention, R2P, the validity of third and fourth generation rights including issues regarding climate change and the environment) promote these, even in the face of democratic decision making processes that sometimes do not?

To enhance the presence of human rights research on the program, we encourage constituted panels with diverse topics and composition, as well as proposals amenable to co-sponsorship with other sections–which should be indicated by the presenter.

Division 46: Qualitative and Multi-Method Research

Division Chair: Ryan Saylor, The University of Tulsa

The Organized Section on Qualitative and Multi-Method Research invites paper, panel, and roundtable submissions on qualitative methodology and mixed methods approaches broadly understood. This call includes conventional methodological topics, as well as associated issues regarding epistemology, ontology, and the philosophy of science. Topics of interest include conceptualization, measurement, causal mechanisms, process tracing, case selection, counterfactuals, comparative historical analysis, comparative area studies, set theoretic approaches and qualitative comparative analysis, archival research, field research and interviews, data transparency and replication, interpretivism, discourse analysis, and ethnography. The section also welcomes papers that highlight how statistical and related techniques may buttress traditional qualitative methods, as well as papers that explore the strengths and limitations of multi-method research designs. Submissions may be methodological or substantive; substantive papers should emphasize how they innovatively harness qualitative or mixed methods. In addition, papers that engage the 2018 conference theme, “Democracy and Its Discontents,” are particularly welcome.

Division 47: Sexuality and Politics

Division Chair: Patrick Egan, New York University

In light of the 2018 APSA meeting’s theme “”Democracy and Its Discontents,”” the Sexuality and Politics division particularly encourages proposals this year to present papers addressing the implications of the decline in trust in democratic governance for sexual politics worldwide.

Democracies have long been at the vanguard of forwarding the formal rights of sexual minorities and establishing and protecting sexual freedom. What then are the implications of the widespread loss of faith in democracy and the rise of populist parties and authoritarian leaders for the politics of sexuality–and particularly, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) movements?  In this era, are newly established rights fragile or resilient?  Are sexual minorities targets for anti-democratic movements and leaders, or do such attacks fail to win support and votes?  What is to become of the still-nascent effort by some democracies to promote sexual rights across borders through international institutions?  And what can be said of the politics of sexual and reproductive health and the regulation of sexuality?

As always, the section welcomes diverse methodological approaches to the study of the politics of sexuality, including political theory as well as qualitative and quantitative empirical research.

Division 48: Health Politics and Policy

Division Chair: Julia Lynch, University of Pennsylvania

The APSA conference theme for 2018 is “Democracy and Its Discontents.” In alignment with this theme, we invite panel proposals and individual submissions on the wide range of topics in health politics and policy that can shed light on democracy and its discontents. In recent years the politics of health and health care have been a central site for the enactment of discontent with democracy.  Nowhere is this more obvious than in the US.  Both opposition to and defense of the ACA have generated grassroots mobilization, particularly directed at members of the US House and Senate; declining life expectancy due to “diseases of despair” among white working-class men raise fears of a populist backlash; and the “Black lives matter” movement has refocused examination of racial and ethnic politics in the US on structural violence, revealing both a public health crisis and a crisis of democratic politics.  New normative frameworks that can accommodate the relationship between health and political representation are needed, as elsewhere in the world, health inequalities have become a new vernacular for discussing the failures of neoliberal politics and policy; while the lack of democracy and transparency in both the global health system and many national governments raises critical challenges for improving population health and combating communicable and non-communicable diseases.

In domestic politics, comparative politics, political theory and international relations, then, we see ample opportunities for political scientists to weigh in on the relationship between health and democratic discontent and contentment. We strongly encourage submissions related to public health and population health as well as health care policy, and to health issues such as disability, violence, addiction, mental health, racial and ethnic health disparities, and the social determinants of health that are often overlooked in political science research.  We also welcome contributions relating to health and health care outside of the rich industrialized democracies. Panels that engage with a single health theme but cut across the usual intellectual divides (e.g. between politics and policy, health and health care, the US and the rest of the world) are particularly welcome.  We are also keen to consider other formats such as roundtables, author-meets-critics sessions, policy briefings, and (intellectual) speed-dating sessions.  We also encourage you to submit proposals to a second APSA section as well as this one. This will facilitate co-sponsored panels.  Finally, we gladly welcome submissions from those who wish to serve as chair or discussant of a panel.

Division 49: Canadian Politics

Division Chair: Melissa Haussman, Carleton University

The 2018 Program theme contains some large questions, including: “how do we understand the impact of international factors such as migration, automation, and changes in economy on domestic political party systems?….What are the consequences of regime shifts for social policy, welfare, courts, or the media?  Is the legitimacy of democracy in crisis, or is this simply a transitory phase?”

Relating all these big questions to the Canadian democracy and its place in the world, some thoughts for framing 2018 proposals may include but are not limited to the following.  In the 2015 federal campaign, Justin Trudeau promised that “2015 would be the last election conducted under the first past the post electoral system.”  Since that time and backing away from that statement, we have seen the change to party systems in BC, Alberta and Quebec-would this seem to illustrate the need to change electoral rules or not?

Similarly, we have noticed both shifts toward more liberal, participatory democracy in Canada and towards illiberalism.  On one hand, we have seen the election of openly gay Mayors in one of Canada’s largest cities and two openly gay provincial Premiers.   Prime Minister Trudeau appointed women as half of his Cabinet Ministers.  In 2017, the Trudeau government announced a large influx of national funding for international pro-choice efforts, with the largest portion going to Africa.  On the other end of the political spectrum, we saw the Conservative government table legislation to force female immigrants to remove the niqab when being sworn in as citizens (later overturned in court), and Quebec requires women to remove the niqab when interacting with government services.  The PQ government passed its “Charter of Quebec Values,” described as promoting secularism in the province but seen as anti-Islamic.  Similarly, Conservative leadership candidate Kellie Leitch called for new immigrants to take a “Canadian values” test in 2016.

Another area for proposals includes Canada’s role in the global political economy.  Will the world continue to “need more Canada” as previous national governments have stated, or will the Trump government curtail the workings of NAFTA?

Division 50: Political Networks

Division Chair: Jennifer Larson, New York University

Few instances of political activity involve actors making decisions independently.  Instead, politicians try to persuade each other to support policies, potential protesters can see what others are doing before taking to the streets, and countries forging international agreements often already have ties to many other countries.  The political networks section invites proposals that entail research in any substantive domain of political science that explicitly accounts for these kinds of interconnections.  Specifically, we invite original research that addresses the relationships among a set of units, be they politicians, voters, countries, organizations, political texts, and so on.  Empirical, theoretical, and purely methodological contributions are welcome.  We encourage both single-paper proposals as well as organized proposals for thematic panels, short courses, workshops, and non-traditional formats.

Division 51: Experimental Research

Division Chairs: Betsy Sinclair, Washington University, St. Louis and Sarah Brierley, Washington University in St. Louis

The Experimental Research section invites proposals addressing the use of experimental methods from all subfields of political science. We welcome theoretical, methodological, or empirical proposals. Methodological work that discusses both the benefits, as well as the limitations, of experimental research is particularly encouraged.

This year’s conference theme—“Democracy and Its Discontents”—offers scholars an opportunity to present experimental research related to democratic accountability, political parties and elections, institutional reform, representation and participation. We welcome research on these topics and others.

We strongly encourage the submission of well-organized panel proposals. Scholars are also free to submit individual paper proposals, and other formats (e.g., roundtable, semi-structured debates, and short courses) with a view toward greater inclusion of participants at different career levels.

Division 52: Migration and Citizenship

Division Chairs: Jeannette Money, University of California, Davis and Tom Wong, University of California, San Diego

Migration and citizenship are issues that are central to the theme of the 2018 APSA annual meeting, “Democracy and its Discontents.” As section chairs, we welcome paper and panel proposals that address how migration, whether “forced” and “voluntary,” affects domestic politics and, vice-versa, how domestic politics affects migration. The discontents of democracy are often manifested by scapegoating the migrant “other.” Do debates over who counts as a member of the polity, which invariably attend migration, engender similar political responses across democracies and non-democracies, and do they resolves these tensions in similar ways?

From the perspective of countries of destination, migration raises the issues of access to rights, immigrant incorporation, and political participation, including citizenship acquisition. Globalization also brings to the fore the nexus between migration, immigration control, and state sovereignty. From the perspective of countries of origin, it remains unclear whether theories generated in the “Global North” explain the politics of migration and citizenship in the “Global South.” Or, do new theories need to be developed to understand the different contexts?

Migrant and refugee “crises” further connect states to the international system. However, the efficacy of international institutions when it comes to facilitating interstate cooperation on migration continues to be questioned. What do history and theory tell us about the prospects for global governance on migration? How do security issues enter the political arena and affect policy choices?

We welcome individual paper proposals as well as well-organized panel proposals, and other formats (e.g., roundtable, semi-structured debates, short courses) with a view toward greater inclusion of participants at different career levels.

Division 53: African Politics Conference Group

Division Chairs: Kristin Michelitch, Vanderbilt University and Kennedy Opalo, Georgetown University

The African Politics Conference Group (APCG) invites submissions for proposals that focus on sub-Saharan African countries. We welcome proposals that reflect all areas of inquiry in the study of African politics, as well as a wide range of methodological approaches. We are particularly interested in submissions that speak to the 2018 annual meeting’s theme, “Democracy and it’s Discontents”. Over the last 30 years, African states have undergone degrees of democratization and autocratization across different dimensions of democracy. Meanwhile, the inability of many democratizing states to effectively provide public goods and services has left many citizens disillusioned with the promise of democracy as a panacea to poor governance and ineffective service delivery. In addition to these domestic concerns, African citizens have also called into question the role of foreign actors in influencing their governments’ policy choices and incumbents’ ability to stay in power regardless of poor performance. Lastly, different non-state institutions – including traditional authorities, the private sector, and cultural associations – continue to play an important role in enriching political culture in African states through their mediation of the relationship between citizens and the state. We welcome proposals that consider these factors and their implications for democracy and non-democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Division 54: Ideas, Knowledge and Politics

Division Chairs: Nick Clark, Susquehanna University; Jacob Roundtree, Harvard University

Division 55: Class and Inequality

Division Chair: Nicholas Carnes, Duke University

Does economic and social class inequality threaten democracy itself? This year, the Class and Inequality section encourages proposals that study the links between inequality and the discontents of democracy from a variety of theoretical and methodological perspectives. The rise of economic inequality around the globe is one of the most significant social, economic, and political developments of the last half century. The Class and Inequality Section invites paper proposals from all subfields that address the topics of economic inequality and social class stratification, especially those with broad implications for scholars working in other areas of the discipline. We hope to create diverse panels that explore important questions about class and inequality from a variety of different intellectual perspectives.

Division 56: American Political Thought

Division Chair: Greg Weiner, Assumption College

The section on American Political Thought invites proposals for papers, traditional panels, and roundtables that address political thought arising from the American experience, including republicanism, constitutionalism, equality, liberty, citizenship, federalism, education, the role of the state, race and literature. The 2018 APSA theme of Democracy and its Discontents is especially familiar to the field of American Political Thought given the complex relationship between democracy and the American Founding as well as the subsequent American experience, so we particularly encourage paper and panel proposals that explore American contributions to democratic thought. The American Political Thought section aspires to the rigorous study of American political ideas in the context of a political order uniquely and enduringly shaped by them. As such, proposals that address the full range of American thought, both historically -from the colonial period and the Founding through the 19th century to more recent history – and in terms of disciplinary approach, including but not limited to political theory, political development, law, constitutionalism, and politics and literature, are all welcome.