Related Group Calls

Related Group Contact List

Table of Contents

Aging Policy and Politics Group
Michael Gusmano, Rutgers University

The theme for this year’s meeting of the American Political Science Association is “Democracy and Its Discontents.” Aging politics and policy reflect the in deep political divisions facing democracies around the world. Population aging has long raised questions about the affordability of health, long-term care, pension and other policies. How well are democracies responding to these challenges? How are new political cleavages and the rise of populism, nativism, and illiberalism shaping debates about aging? To what extent do these emerging political cleaves map on to existing generational divisions? The Aging and Politics Committee invites paper and panel proposals that address these and other related questions. Questions can be directed to Michael K. Gusmano at Rutgers University (mkg93@sph.rutgers.edu).

American Enterprise Institute
Dennis Coyle

American Public Philosophy Institute
Christopher Wolfe

The American Public Philosophy Institute promotes the study and development of a natural law public philosophy rooted in the principles of the American Founding, one that pursues freedom and prosperity and is grounded on the moral integrity of the culture and of our social and political institutions.
The APPI is open to any proposals that fit within its mission. In addition, in line with the 2018 APSA theme, “Democracy and Its Discontents,” it would be particularly receptive to papers that discuss the current state of democracy in the United States in light of the principles of the Founding. For example, what did the Founders think about the role of elites, populism, and the possibility of compromise in politics (especially legislative activity), and how does their thought bear upon contemporary American politics? Do developments in contemporary liberalism, especially in the areas of free speech and religious liberty, constitute a backsliding from the principles of the Founding and the Constitution? What were the Founders’ assumptions about the background culture of American democracy and how have contemporary changes in American culture changed American politics?

American Society for Political and Legal Philosophy
Andrew Valls

Asian Pacific American Caucus
Charles Lee, Loan Le

The Asian Pacific American Caucus calls for proposals on the engagement of Asian Pacific Americans in both domestic and transnational politics. In accordance with this year’s conference theme, “Democracy and Its Discontents,” we welcome proposals that critically examine how the challenges and dilemmas of democracy impact Asian Pacific American community or, conversely, how Asian Pacific American community creates challenges and dilemmas for democracy, whether historically or in the contemporary era. Echoing the conference’s theme statement, we encourage proposals that work across subfields, sub-disciplines, and theoretical/empirical approaches to engage these complex questions. These inquiries may encompass a diverse and even intersecting set of issues including racialization, transnationalism, political attitudes and participation, civic engagement and mobilization, immigration and citizenship, gender and sexuality, media and popular culture, labor and social movements, foreign policy, or the global economy. We are not limited to these topics, however, and will consider papers on all issues related to Asian Pacific American politics, broadly conceived.

Association for Israel Studies
Oded Haklai

The theme statement for the 2018 APSA annual meeting is ”Democracy and Its Discontents”, a highly pertinent issue for Israeli politics. Challenges to, concerns with, and questions about the nature of Israel’s democracy exist from multiple directions. The complex relationship between the Jewish and democratic definition of the state, state-majority-minorities relations, the role of religion and politics, and the status of the territories Israel conquered in the 1967 war are central to the debate about the quality of Israel’s democracy. Moreover, world-wide trends including the rise of populism, nativism, and illiberalism are said to have not passed over Israeli politics. And likewise, notions that leaders are elected to rule rather than govern in accordance with liberal democratic norms have become salient in Israeli discourse, raising questions about limitations on civil society and opposition activity. How do we understand and explain these developments?
The Association for Israel Studies seeks papers that examine this theme in Israeli politics. We welcome submissions that examine Israel as a case study or in comparative perspective.

Association for Politics and the Life Sciences
Albert Somit, Steven Peterson

The Association for Politics and the Life Sciences’ is issuing this “call for papers” for the 2018 annual meeting (to be held in Boston, from August 30 through September 2, 2018).
APLS focus is represented well on the organization’s official web site: “The Association for Politics and the Life Sciences (APLS) is an international and interdisciplinary association of scholars, scientists, and policymakers concerned with evolutionary, genetic, and ecological knowledge and its bearing on political behavior, public policy and ethics.”
The Association for Politics and the Life Sciences is organizing one panel, workshop, or symposium for the 2018 American Political Science Association meeting. We invite proposals for papers as well as offers to serve as panel discussants and chairs. Papers on all topics are welcome, whether bioethics, biopolicy, neurobiological aspects of behavior, evolutionary effects on politics, etc.
The conference theme for APSA in 2018 is “Democracy and Its Discontents.” APSA encourages submissions that tackle questions associated with this theme. Papers addressing this theme are welcomed.

Association for the Study of Nationalities
Zsuzsa Cergo

The Association for the Study of Nationalities (ASN) invites paper proposals that address the 2018 APSA theme of “democracy and its discontents.” We welcome papers from all subfields of political science that focus on questions of nationalism, the politics of ethnicity, and contemporary challenges of democratic government in Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe, Russia, Ukraine, the Caucasus, and Eurasia. Information about the ASN may be found at http://nationalities.org/.

Association Française de Science Politique
Jennifer Fredette, Vincent Pons

The AFSP Group welcomes paper, panel, roundtable and short course proposals on a wide range of topics related to the study and/or practice of French and European Political Science. Proposals that include political scientists from France as well as other countries are encouraged along with proposals that focus on the theme of this year’s meetings (Democracy and Its Discontents). Co-sponsorships with other groups/divisions are required for acceptance. The group is co-administered with the French Politics Group.
For more information about the AFSP, please consult http://web.apsanet.org/fpg/

Association of Chinese Political Studies
Steve Balla

The Association of Chinese Political Studies (ACPS) welcomes submissions from interested scholars and practitioners for its panel at the 2018 annual meeting of the American Political Science Association. The conference theme, “Democracy and Its Discontents,” is immediately relevant in the study of contemporary and historical China.  The ACPS invites paper proposals that apply diverse theoretical and empirical approaches to the analysis of China-related research questions, particularly those that address the extent to which we are living in, as asserted in the conference theme statement, “challenging times for democracy.”  In the Chinese context, such questions naturally span a wide array of issues in both domestic politics and China’s relations with other nations and its place in the international system.

Association of Korean Political Studies
Mikyoung Kim, Emory University

The year 2018 marks the 70th commemoration of divided Korea. The Association of Korean Political Studies is calling for papers on the theme of ‘Prospects of Inter-Korea Reconciliation and Integration: From Transitional Justice Perspective.’

The proposed panel aims to interrogate the following questions:
*What are the strengths and weaknesses of Transitional Justice (hereafter, TJ) as an explanatory framework for Korean experiences?;
*What are the issues and topics that TJ paradigm has failed to contemplate on for the Korean experiences?;
*How would both Koreas, South and the North, differ from each other in their responses to the past injustices?; and
*What can explain their differences and similarities?
The efficacy of TJ paradigm will be critically assessed from the Korean peninsula as a laboratory, and vice versa. The empirical topics pertaining to inter-Korea reconciliation will provide critical yet productive insights to other post-division and post-conflict societies. The panel under this proposal thus aims to achieve the following three goals:
*Exploration of viable means to achieve reconciliation in domestic landscape as well as integration in cross-societal terrain;
*Productive and critical engagement of Eurocentric theory with the Korean context in order to advance it; and
*Probe into peace-building mechanisms to transform the current negative state of peace to the positive reconciliation and peaceful cohabitation in unified Korean society.

Please send 200-250 words abstract to Mikyoung Kim (mkkim_33@hotmail.com) by December 31, 2017.

Brazilian Political Science Association
Renato Perissinotto, Cristina Buarque de Hollanda

British Politics Group
Terrence Casey, Rose-Hulman

The British Politics Group welcomes proposals for papers, panels, roundtables and other innovative formats on any topic related to British politics for the 2018 APSA annual meeting in Boston. We are open to proposals that focus on the United Kingdom as a case study as well as those that provide comparative perspectives on British politics.
Proposals may wish to consider the theme for the 2018 APSA Annual Meeting, “Democracy and Its Discontents,” which invites participants to consider the wider implications of the waves of populist discontent evident in many polities and how these connect with global economic transformation. For the United Kingdom, this suggest examinations of how political discontent is transforming Britain’s political parties and democratic institutions; issues of austerity and the proper role of the state in social welfare; how Britain manages contentious issues of immigration; whether we will continue to have a “United” Kingdom; and Britain’s political and economic relationship with the EU, US, and the rest of the world post-Brexit, among other topics. We are open to any and all worthy proposals.
Note that all proposals must go through the APSA on-line process and must be submitted by the regular APSA deadline. Please follow APSA guidelines for submissions, e.g. paper proposals will need an abstract of the paper and full contact details for the presenter(s); panel proposals will need panelist names, paper titles, and abstracts. Please also note that all presenters including co-authors must be dues-paying members of the BPG in order to appear on the program (presenters may join the BPG after acceptance to the conference). Information about the British Politics Group, including membership information, may be found at britishpoliticsgroup.blogspot.com
Additional questions may be addressed to the Program Chair, Terrence Casey, at casey1@rose-hulman.edu or BPG Executive Director, Janet Laible, at jml6@lehigh.edu

Campaign Finance Research Group
Michael Malbin, Diana Dwyre

The 2018 Annual Meeting is an opportunity to bring together scholars, policymakers and others to discuss the state of political finance policy, practice and scholarship. The Campaign Finance Research Group invites proposals for individual presentations or papers that address new developments in campaign finance scholarship, policy proposals, and practice. We particularly welcome proposals that address the 2018 conference theme, Democracy and its Discontents.

Cato Institute
John Samples, Christopher Preble

The Cato Institute, a related group of the APSA, will be organizing at least one panel/workshop/symposium for the 2018 American Political Science Association meeting.

The title of our panel “Democracy and Libertarian Discontent” fits well within the overall theme of the convention. In recent years libertarian scholars Bryan Caplan, Ilya Somin, and Jason Brennan have published strong critiques of democracy. This panel will explore the substance and validity of those critiques. We are open to papers that accept or reject the validity of current libertarian discontent with democracy.

Please send an abstract with your name, address, professional affiliation, and e-mail to:

Dr. John Samples
Vice President
The Cato Institute
1000 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: (202) 789-5248
E-mail: jsamples@cato.org

Center for the Study of the Constitution

Center for the Study of Federalism
Troy Smith, Brigham Young University

Federalism’s Role in Promoting Democracy: The Theories of Heather K. Gerken and Ilya Somin
The Center for the Study of Federalism at the Robert B. and Helen S. Meyner Center for the Study of State and Local Government invites proposals that examine the theories of federalism developed by Professors Heather K. Gerken (“Federalism All The Way Down”) and Ilya Somin (Democracy and Political Ignorance). Following the 2016 elections, we have seen a renewed interest in federalism and its connections to democracy. Professors Gerken and Somin provide some trenchant and relevant proposals for understanding contemporary American federalism and how to reform it to better serve the American people and polity. We would welcome papers that evaluate Gerken and Somin’s theories based on existing policies and practices, compare and contrast the theories, and critically evaluate Gerken and Somin’s theories based on the federalism and democratic literatures.

Christians in Political Science
Kimberly Conger and Darren Guerra, Biola University

Christians in Political Science invites proposals for papers and panels. We celebrate the diversity of our work as Christian scholars from a variety of institutions – small colleges and large research universities, secular and religious campuses. We welcome and encourage proposals from members of CPS active in any sub-field within political science. Individual paper submissions are welcome, but we especially encourage proposals of entire panels that offer a coherent and unifying theme. We particularly welcome a panel centered around the conference theme of “democracy and its discontents.”

International Churchill Society (The Churchill Centre)
James Muller, University of Alaska, Anchorage

The International Churchill Society (previously known as The Churchill Centre) will organize its related group panel at the 2018 annual meeting of the American Political Science Association in Boston, focusing on the theme “Winston S. Churchill on Democracy and Its Discontents.”
Churchill’s long life and political career coincided with the change in Britain’s constitutional monarchy from a regime founded on aristocracy to one founded on democracy. Although he inherited a faith in Tory democracy from his father, who taught him to trust the people, he famously limited his praise of democracy to the observation that it was preferable to other regimes that were worse. Might he better be described as a friend and well-wisher of democracy than as a partisan and true believer?

In keeping with the 2018 APSA theme for the annual meeting, our panel will consider Churchill’s understanding of democracy’s advantages and disadvantages, focusing on crucial events in political history that bear on this question, as illuminated by Churchill’s writings and statesmanship. Prospective presenters or discussants of papers are invited to propose themselves to James W. Muller, academic chairman of the International Churchill Society and APSA related group organizer for the Society.

The annual black tie academic dinner of the International Churchill Society will be held in conjunction with the APSA meeting.

Ciceronian Society
Josh Bowman, Louisiana State University

The Ciceronian Society welcomes paper proposals for the 2018 APSA Annual Meeting. The Ciceronian Society is an intellectual society devoted to the examination of three core themes: Tradition, Place, and ‘Things Divine.” We are especially excited about the prescient and related theme of “Democracy and Its Discontents.” To learn more about the Ciceronian Society, visit ciceroniansociety.com or email Executive Director, Josh Bowman, at ciceroniansociety@gmail.com.

Claremont Institute for the Study of Statesmanship and Political Philosophy
Joseph Postell, University of Colorado – Colorado Springs

The Claremont Institute is dedicated to the study of the principles of the American founding and to enhancing and maintaining an understanding of those principles in the academy and in the public mind. The Institute understands this mission in broad terms, and is thus interested in the tradition of political philosophy that was read by the founders and that influenced their thinking, as well as issues in contemporary American politics and foreign policy that might be informed by the principles of the Founding. The Institute sponsors panels and roundtables at the annual meeting that explore these themes; interested parties should contact Institute Senior Fellow Ronald J. Pestritto (rpestritto@hillsdale.edu), who serves as organizer for these panels.

Committee for Political Sociology
Emilie van Haute, Universite Libre de Bruxelle; Laurence Morel, European University Institute

Party (elite) resentment among citizens is a central theme in both the societal debate and the scientific debate. In many representative democracies, political parties and politicians are among the least trusted institutions and are negatively assessed in the public opinion. Ferrin and Kriesi (2016) recently argued that the electoral dimension of representative democracy in which parties play a major role is under strong pressure and therefore needs to be re-examined. Yet the source of this resentment is not fully understood. Especially, the dynamic relationship between citizens and party elites is often overlooked.

Yet these are crucial aspects of the current challenges that representative democracies face. Recent populist critiques mostly target the process or feeling of being represented and fuel attacks on parties and representatives, more than they challenge the quality of substantive representation. Above and beyond criticisms towards specific policies, populism antagonizes the relation between citizens and their representatives, fostering feelings of democratic resentment. Understanding the sources of this resentment will shed new light on one of the most central contemporary challenges of representative democracies.

Therefore, we welcome panel and paper proposals that aim at identifying and characterizing citizens’ attitudes towards the contribution of parties to representative democracy: how do citizens assess the role of parties and party elites, and what drives their evaluations? Are there specific functions that parties exercise that are more negatively evaluated than others and why? How do they characterize party elites, and how do they perceive reforms and attempts of party elites to reconnect with citizens?

We welcome panels and papers that aim at understanding the determinants of citizens’ assessment of parties, but also that aim at understanding how these assessments are related to party (elite) resentment among citizens.

Committee on Viable Constitutionalism
Jeremy Janow, American University

Communitarian Network

Comparative Latin American Politics and Political Economy
Jonathan Hartlyn, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The 2018 meeting theme, “Democracy and Its Discontents,” is one that scholars of Latin American politics and political economy have long examined, alongside issues of outright democratic erosion and those relevant to non-democratic states, all of which continue to have resonance today across the region.  In accordance with the meeting theme, we are especially interested this year in papers that explore the evolution of democratic trends in the region in this post-commodity boom era.  Possible topics to be explored include the evolution of democracy and its discontents in relationship to political party systems and patterns and forms of representation; inequality and social policy; corruption, corruption scandals, the media and the judiciary; social mobilization, protest, violence and security; explanations for differences across sub-national units; manipulation of electoral and other rules by state actors; and electoral trends and political behavior.  Of interest also are papers that explicitly address democratic erosion or topics related to non-democratic regimes in the region.  Other topics could include the changing impact of trans-national trends such as migration, or of international actors such as the United States or the People’s Republic of China, international organizations such as the Organization of American States (OAS), or regional or sub-regional groupings of states.

The Comparative Latin American Politics and Political Economy Related Group welcomes submissions from a broad range of theoretical and empirical approaches and encourages theme and non-theme proposals.  Our preference is to co-sponsor panels with APSA sections; accordingly, submissions should be made to us and another section, including (but not limited to) Comparative Democratization, Comparative Politics of Developing Countries, Comparative Politics, Human Rights, International Political Economy, International Collaboration, or Political Economy.”

Comparative Urban Politics
Jeffrey Paller, University of San Francisco

As societies across the world face extreme pressure on democratic institutions and illiberal political developments, urban residents are at the forefront of demanding democracy. Alternatively, the city is an arena for contentious struggles over rights, distribution, migration, and development. Patterns of democracy and its discontents are shaping cities across the world in important ways. The process of rapid urbanization has led to new political communities being formed; shifting forms of identity and claims to citizenship; and new relationships of accountability between representatives and constituents. What are the political ramifications of rapid urbanization? Cities can no longer be understood solely within a national context but should be examined within an international and comparative framework. The Comparative Urban Politics related group welcomes panel and paper proposals addressing any aspect of the politics and governance of cities in a comparative context. Panel proposals that include perspectives from both the developed and developing world, have broad appeal across the discipline, and draw from significant fieldwork will be favored. Since we only have one panel on the APSA program, it is advisable to submit your proposals to other Sections as well.

Complexity and Public Policy Group
Michael Givel, Ohio State University

Given the current challenges to democracy in the United States and beyond, we invite you to address the complex relationships and forces at work within democracies, between democracies, and against democracies. Consider addressing these critical issues in relation to resiliency and plausible models of representation that will bolster decision making that could lead to better democratic outcomes.

Conference Group on Italian Politics and Society
Erik Jones; Atonella Seddone

Italian Democracy and its Discontents
The CONGRIPS 2018 APSA Panel has adopted the APSA Conference Theme Statement, ‘Democracy and its Discontents’ for the Italian case. Italian democracy has been undergoing significant economic, social and political challenges in the past twenty years and especially in the past decade following the eruption of the economic crisis of 2008. This has a brought a variety of challenges to existing political parties, actors and institutions, and the emergence of new political forces which are challenging the status quo and traditional politics. There appears to be a deep-seated and continuing dissatisfaction on the part of the public with Italian politics, the party system and broader political system, as reflected in rising support for anti-establishment parties and increasing skepticism towards the European Union and reforms proposed by the existing political class. Italian politics, in short, seems to have become characterized chiefly by its discontents.

CONGRIPS welcomes paper proposals on any aspects of these discontents: on the origins, nature and the impact of social, economic and political ideas, movements, parties, policies which contest established practices, parties and politics in Italy. The aim is bring together a set of papers which together convey the richness and complexity of the politics of discontent in Italy today, which itself is a reflection of broader trends in Europe and beyond. Applications should be submitted via the APSA process. Informal enquiries can be made to the CONGRIPS Program Chair, Martin Bull: m.j.bull@salford.ac.uk or director@ecpr.eu.

Conference Group on Jurisprudence and Public Law
David Fagelson, American University

The Conference Group for Jurisprudence and Public Law is seeking submissions that follow the 2018 Annual Meeting theme of “Democracy and Its Discontents”. This theme has special resonance for our group because of the relationship between democratic legitimacy and the rule of law.  Among the pathologies of modern American democracy is the increasing influence of national security on more aspects of public life. The attendant secrecy has not only made democratic accountability more difficult, but it has enabled branches of government to cover up breaches of lawful authority and outright corruption. Whistleblowers, who used to be the last line of defense against this legal and political unaccountability, are increasingly being subjected to espionage charges and other methods to shield lawless behavior.

This situation raises concerns about the moral basis of our legal obligation to laws subject to such limited democratic provenance. Just as importantly, the lack of legal accountability of officials and entire bureaucracies raises questions about the extent to which the rule of law governs some political institutions. Does the constitutional requirement that all official behavior be subordinate to constitutional control hold true in practice?

The conference group is interested in panel and paper proposals that delve into some aspects of these themes or any other theme which implicates issues of jurisprudence, public law and the various discontents of modern democratic society in America, or globally.  All methodologies, including empirical, conceptual and ethical analyses are welcome.

Conference Group on the Middle East
A. Richard Norton, Boston University; Denis Sullivan, Northeastern University

The Contours of Freedom in the Middle East
Freedom is nowhere absolute and students of ethics and politics have devoted considerable thought to the boundaries of individual and group liberties. Yet, there is little doubt that Middle Eastern governments have constricted personal freedom of speech, assembly, belief and, often, even dress to an unusual extent.  The use of public space is often severely restricted in terms of acts of expression or protest.  Punishment for crossing formal or tacit redlines are all too often severe, including fines, prison, police or thug violence, retaliatory dismissals, travel restrictions and orchestrated press campaigns.

The CGME invites papers exploring the question of freedom in the Middle East. Participants may examine cases studies, surveys of government approaches to constricting or expanding the realms of freedom, the role of formal or informal groups in challenging or supporting limitations on freedom, and innovative efforts to extending liberty or responding to repression.
The CGME welcomes empirically informed papers as well as theoretically oriented papers.

 

Conference Group on Taiwan Studies
Kharis Templeman, Stanford University

CGOTS invites paper and panel proposals on Taiwan’s domestic politics and cross-Strait and international relations that are consistent with the theme of “Democracy and Its Discontents.”

These are challenging times for democracy around the world. In many established democracies, the aftermath of the 2008 and the 2011 economic crises is opening up new spaces for new challengers and popular grievances. The complex relationship between national systems of rule and a global economy is leading to greater tensions both within democracies and between them. Existing rules and party systems are under strain as new cleavages emerge, with populism, nativism, and illiberalism all jostling for popular support, as well as new experiments in representation. Developed democratic systems are experiencing greater discontent among voters. Global flows of people, capital, and investment undermine national identities and institutional arrangements. At the same time, there are challenges to the legitimacy of international institutions that are seen as limiting economic and democratic choices.

For the 2018 Annual Meeting, we encourage participants to consider questions about “Democracy and Its Discontents” in Taiwan, especially those that speak to the strengths and weaknesses of Taiwan’s democracy, its political transformation in recent decades, and the domestic and factors that continue to influence its politics. These could include questions about shifts in Taiwanese public opinion: has it become less polarized, for instance, on questions of national identity and cross-Strait relations, and how do those differences relate to age, gender, and socioeconomic status? Do Taiwanese citizens by and large still support democratic ideals, and are they happy with how democracy is working?

Taiwan’s domestic political economy is another topic with comparative relevance: for instance, what are the causes and consequences of rising inequality, stagnant wages, an aging society, and its shifting place in international economic relations? Taiwan has thus far been spared much of the illiberal populist backlash that has led to political upheaval in many other democracies, young as well as old: but why? For how long? With what consequences for Taiwan’s party system, its electoral politics, and the quality of its democracy? More concretely, was the increase in social mobilization that culminated in the Sunflower Movement in 2014 a backlash against broader forces of globalization, a narrower concern about cross-Strait relations and national identity, or some combination of the two?

We would also especially welcome proposals that consider in innovative ways the evolution of the China factor in Taiwan’s politics. In what ways has the PRC’s influence changed over recent years? What have been the long-term consequences of its deepening economic ties to the island and the increasing exchanges of people and goods across the Taiwan Strait—particularly those occurring as a result of agreements signed during the Ma Ying-jeou era? Proposals might also address the abrupt changes in cross-Strait dialogue now that a DPP government is back in power and Beijing has given it the cold shoulder, or the other regional and international opportunities and challenges facing the Tsai administration, including relations with the new administration in the United States.

Please send proposals to APSA: (http://community.apsanet.org/annualmeeting/call/papers).
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Kharis Templeman (kharis@stanford.edu), CGOTS Coordinator. Travel support for CGOTS panelists is subject to the availability of external funding.

 

Critical Policy Studies
Jennifer Dodge, SUNY Albany; John Boswell, University of Southampton

“Alternative facts” and “framing facts” in policy controversies: What role for interpretive and critical policy research?

“Alternative facts” have become a noticeable feature of politics and public policy. Scientists have stepped out in the March for Science to assert that alternative facts have no place in science. Scholars have sought to understand whether alternative facts influence public opinion and in what ways. Interpretive scholars can contribute by asking a different set of questions about alternative facts and the role that they play in politics and public policy debates. Namely: what do alternative facts do? One interesting commentary on Donald Trump’s post-truth politics, for instance, asserts that if we focus on what is true versus what is not true we will miss the point. That is so because the use of alternative facts reveals a much deeper problematic: alternative facts are about claiming the authority to determine what is truth and what is reality, and especially troubling, regardless of the any connection to verifiable evidence or experience. There is a vast literature about “framing facts” in policy studies, but how is framing facts different from alternative facts? And how do alternative facts shape policy discussions and ultimately policy formulation? We invite submissions that draw on critical and interpretive theoretical frameworks and methodologies to address such questions as: What are alternative facts? How can they be distinguished from “framed facts”? How do alternative facts shape such processes as deliberative policy analysis? Or discussions about policy issues such as climate change or immigration (among others)? Are alternative facts expressions of ideological discourse, and if so, what are their ideological underpinnings? Or are alternative facts more aptly conceptualized as strategic tools used to influence policy discussion more directly? Are alternative facts only tied to right-wing populist movements or do they also find expression in progressive social movements seeking to make social change? This panel aims to understand what “alternative facts” do in policy controversies, how political actors use them, and to what effect.

We also encourage researchers to address the charge that interpretive researchers are responsible for creating a post-truth world because of their focus on the social construction of reality through narratives and discourses, and by observing that alternative knoweldges can be created to justify different courses of action.

Disasters and Crises
Daniel Aldrich, Northeastern University

The Disasters and Crises Related Group (DCRG) brings together scholars from a broad variety of subfields within political science along with researchers from outside the discipline to foster collaboration and diffusion of ideas on disasters and crises. The DCRG invites proposals for its related group panels at the 2018 American Political Science Association meeting to be held in Boston, Massachusetts which has the theme of Democracy and its Discontents. Potential topics include (but are not limited to) how disasters alter populist rhetoric and budget priorities of politicians, the role of outside agencies and emergent groups in the politics of crises, the interaction between failed states, catastrophe, and legitimacy, and how social networks enhance (or damage) popular discontent during crisis.  We encourage proposals using a variety of methodological approaches including qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods.

Eric Voegelin Society
David Walsh, Catholic University of America

The Eric Voegelin Society, for its 34th annual international meeting in 2018, to be held in Boston as part of the APSA annual meeting, invites papers in the general field of political philosophy with particular attention to the work of Eric Voegelin and the broad range of interdisciplinary and comparative concerns reflected in his scholarship. This includes: resistance to tyranny, classical philosophy, Christian thought, philosophy of history, the interface of religion and politics including radical Islam, modernity, post-modern thought, terrorism, ideological politics with its authoritarian and totalitarian manifestations, and contemporary challenges (both foreign and domestic) to liberty, free government, rule of law, the integrity of the American constitutional order and federal system including liberty, individual rights, and the tradition of Anglo-American constitutionalism–all prominent interests of the Society.

European Consortium for Political Research
Martin Bull, University of Salford

European and American Democracy and its Discontents: the Origins, Nature and Impact of Anti-Establishment Politics.

The ECPR’s 2018 APSA Panel takes its theme directly from the APSA Conferences Theme Statement, ‘Democracy and its Discontents’. It will be ten years since the eruption of the global economic crisis in 2008, and the ramifications of that crisis are still being felt across Europe and North America. The European democratic political systems, the European Union and the United States are confronted with huge challenges on the economic, social, political and institutional fronts which have led to rising discontent amongst voters with established politics and a consequent rapid undermining, if not in some cases, collapse of the traditional political parties representing voter interests. Political competition appears to have become increasingly focused around new parties, movements and individuals which or who claim to challenge or want to overthrow traditional politics. In the new era of ‘social media’, where politics appear to have ‘sped up’, the impact of these new actors is all the more dramatic. The ECPR, through its panel, wishes to explore these processes of change and their implications, and therefore welcomes paper proposals on any aspects of anti-establishment politics in Europe and/or the United States which analyse the origins, nature and impact of these processes of change on European and North American party and political systems. The ECPR especially welcomes comparative analyses, but is also interested in single country or EU case studies which illuminate broader trends at work. Applications should be made through the APSA process. Informal enquiries can be made to Martin Bull, Director of the ECPR: director@ecpr.eu.

Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies
Anthony Deardurff, The Federalist Society, and Brigid Flaherty, The Federalist Society

The Federalist Society invites proposals for a roundtable discussion that will consider challenges to individual liberty in light of recent changes in democratic development, which has given rise to tension between and discontent among citizens of democratic nations. Among legal scholars and political scientists, there are competing conceptions about what the role of the individual citizen is within respect to modern American governance. Possible questions for consideration may include: Does the modern administrative state threaten the potential attainment of individual liberty? Do special interest groups? What roles do Congress, the Executive, and the Judiciary play in protecting or undermining individual liberty? What role does the rule of law play in protecting individual liberty? What effect do recent political trends and executive actions have on the attainment of individual liberty? We welcome proposals for a moderated discussion that addresses these or related questions.

French Politics Group
Jennifer Fredette, Ohio University

The FPG welcomes paper, panel, roundtable and short course proposals on a wide range of topics related to the study of French Politics. Comparative proposals are encouraged along with proposals that focus on the theme of this year’s meetings (Democracy and Its Discontents).

Co-sponsorships with other groups/divisions are required for acceptance. For more information about the FPG, please consult http://web.apsanet.org/fpg/.

Global Forum of Chinese Political Scientists
Quansheng Zhao, American University; Zhiqun Zhu, Bucknell University

Green Politics and Theory
Jennifer Lawrence, Virginia Tech

In the spirit of APSA’s 2018 theme statement on “Democracy and Its Discontents,” the Green Political Theory related group, calls for papers that address how the entanglement of economic, political, social, and environmental crises create profound challenges for the practice of and potential for substantive democratic governance. In the context of a global capitalist economy in which human activity continues to accelerate environmental degradation, in which global inequality has reached an all-time high, and in which the less wealthy bear a disproportionate burden of these environmental crises, how might we envision the prospects for an ecological or environmental democracy that represents the long-term interests of the people?

What responses are available for successfully engaging the systemic factors underwriting the massive income inequality, reverberating social polarization, and environmental degradation that have come to define the human condition on both the national and international levels? The Green Politics and Theory Related group encourages the submission of papers that engage this general area of concern, as well as papers that address any of the wide-ranging issues relevant to green politics.

Iberian Politics
Kerstin Hamann, University of Central Florida

We invite proposals that address questions of democracy and its discontents, broadly understood, in Iberian politics. The global financial crisis has resulted in a political context that is more fragmented and has resulted in profound criticism of existing democratic processes and actors. New political actors in Portugal and Spain are emerging that articulate aspirations questioning the legitimacy of entrenched political and social actors’ processes. In addition, the legitimacy of political processes is being questioned, and pressures for more direct democracy have surfaced. In Spain, the question of democratic legitimacy also extends to decisions about territorial integrity and independence, including who the legitimate political actors are that should decide on demands for independence of Catalonia. We invite papers that analyze dimensions of democracy and its discontents in Portugal and Spain, regardless of methodological approach. Papers that analyze issues of legitimacy in Iberia in a broader comparative context are welcome.

Indigenous Studies Network
Richard Witmer, Creighton University

The Indigenous Studies Network welcomes all proposals including those that address the conference theme “Democracy and Its Discontent”. We encourage submission that address individual Indigenous communities as well as comparative analysis across Indigenous groups or Indigenous relations with non-Indigenous governments. As in the past, we are looking for research from all regions of the world that address issues important to Indigenous communities.

Institute for Constitutional Studies
Mark Graber, University of Maryland

The Institution for Constitutional History would be particularly interested in papers or panels concerned with whether recent history is evincing a Crisis in Constitutional Democracy.  In particular, do events in countries as diverse as Hungary, Brazil and the United States suggest that some global force is weakening the stability of longstanding and new constitutional democracies?  Is it simply the case that a number of constitutional democracies are experiencing distinctive crises at the same time?  Might claims of constitutional crisis simply be rooted in a sense that one’s preferred party or program is not doing well?

Intelligence Studies Group
Glenn Hastedt, James Madison University

Building on the theme of the 2018 APSA Annual Meeting, the Intelligence Studies Group invites papers that explore the challenges intelligence agencies face in carrying out its functions in periods where democracies are under stress due to increased voter discontent and other pressures.  Normative as well as empirical analyses are welcome.  A wide variety of potential paper topics fall under this heading ranging from nature of the operating relationship between intelligence agencies and policy makers to the nature of the tasks intelligence agencies are assigned and the manner in which they are carried out.   It is envisioned that papers might address the challenges intelligence agencies face when democracies are under stress in historical or contemporary contexts and in both single country and comparative studies. Of particular interest are proposals that address the consequences of this challenging operating environment for the future of intelligence agencies and those that bring together academic and practitioner perspectives.

International Association for the Study of German Politics
John Olsen, Texas Women’s University

Democracy and Discontent in German Politics
This year, in keeping with the main APSA theme, the International Association for the Study of German Politics (IASGP) is particularly interested in paper or panel submissions considering the impact of political discontent in German politics. The aftermath of the 2008 and the 2011 economic crises has opened up new spaces for new challengers and popular grievances across all developed democracies. The complex relationship between national systems of rule and a global economy is leading to greater tensions both within democracies and between them. Existing rules and party systems are under strain as new cleavages emerge, with populism, nativism, and illiberalism all jostling for popular support. Developed democratic systems are experiencing greater discontent among voters. Global flows of people, capital, and investment undermine national identities and institutional arrangements. At the same time, there are challenges to the legitimacy of international institutions that are seen as limiting economic and democratic choice.

Accordingly, IASGP seeks papers and panels which will consider such questions as: What has been the impact of international factors such as migration, globalization, and automation/technology in the economy on German politics? Given the rise of illiberalism in the EU, and arguably in the United States as well, how do security arrangements, predicated on coordination among democratic nations, survive the erosion of longtime liberal norms? Similarly, how are political parties, civil society, and interest groups in Germany responding to this challenge of illiberalism domestically and internationally? Finally, how have such international factors and domestic political discontent and erosion of democratic values affected how scholars of German politics approach their subject? While all submissions relating to German politics will be considered, priority will be given to complete panel submissions, those submissions closely related to the conference theme, and to paper proposals from (or panel submissions including) graduate students.

Interpretive Methodologies & Methods
Denise Walsh, University of Virginia

The Interpretive Methodologies and Methods Conference-related Group provides a forum for the discussion of methodological and methods issues related to interpretive research, as well as issues arising from their position within contemporary political and other social sciences.

Interpretive methodologies and methods are informed by philosophical traditions such as hermeneutics, phenomenology, pragmatism, and symbolic interaction. Notwithstanding their differences, these traditions presuppose that the meaningfulness and historical contingency of human life differentiates the social realm from the natural one, with implications for how research is conducted. Although diverse in their modes of identifying or generating and analyzing data, research processes in the interpretive tradition are typically characterized by:

a) An empirical and normative prioritizing of the lived experience of people in research settings;
b) A focus on the meaning(s) of acts, events, interactions, language, and physical artifacts to multiple stakeholders; and
c) A sensitivity to the historically- and/or situationally-contingent, often-contested character of such meanings.

We call for paper, panel, and roundtable proposals that explore interpretive methodological issues or that apply interpretive methods (e.g., political ethnography, grounded theory in Strauss’s more phenomenological tradition, discourse analysis) in ways that demonstrate their “comparative advantage” for empirical research across all subfields of political science. Especially welcome are proposals that reflect on how political science itself is situated in the webs of meaning and historical context that it studies.

For further Information:

  • APSA 2018 webpage (www.web.apsanet.org/apsa2018)
  • IMM Call for Papers webpage (www.web.apsanet.org/apsa2018/related-groups-calls/#imm)
  • IMM webpage (www.interpretationandmethod.com)

IPSA

IPSA Research Committee #12 (Biology and Politics)
Albert Somit and Steven Peterson, Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg

This represents the International Political Science Association’s Research Committee # 12’s “call for papers” for the 2018 annual meeting (to be held in Boston, August 30-September 2, 2018).

The study of biology and politics (sometimes referred to as “biopolitics”) speaks to the many linkages between the life sciences and the study of politics. This might include policy implications emerging from the life sciences, biological influences on political behavior and institutions. . . . IPSA Research Committee # 12 (Biology and Politics) is organizing one panel, workshop, or symposium for the 2018 American Political Science Association meeting. We invite proposals for papers as well as offers to serve as panel discussants and chairs. Papers on all topics are welcome, whether bioethics, biopolicy, neurobiological aspects of behavior, evolutionary effects on politics etc.

The conference theme for APSA in 2018 is “Democracy and Its Discontents.”  Papers addressing this theme are encouraged.

IPSA Research Committee #36 (Power)
Giulio Gallarotti, Wesleyan University

The structure of political power has long been an important issue in the study of democratic governance. Where precisely power resides in the practice of modern representative democracy is a controversial issue, especially in a period of political transformations. In light of these interests the RC 36 IPSA power studies research group seeks proposals broadly related to power and democracy.

Japan Political Studies Group
Michael Strausz, University of Oregon; Kenneth McElwain, University of Tokyo

Labor Politics
Biko Koenig; Marissa Brookes, UC Riverside

Labor Politics at APSA promotes scholarship on labor related issues.  We invite papers and panels to be submitted on any theme related to labor, work, unions, and employment.  We encourage diverse perspectives on these topics from any range of academic specialties including, but not limited to human rights, political economy, public policy, interest groups and social movements, comparative politics, state politics, immigration, theory, gender, race, ethnicity, history, and law.  We look to connect diverse scholars and particularly welcome international and comparative scholarship along with international and junior scholars.

We would like to see relevant issues such as the role and influence of organized labor in reaction to populism in the US, conflicts between political and economic systems, migration and refugee issues, resurgent and alternative labor organizing, popular resistance to austerity, labor and parties in advanced economies, advocacy efforts, federal policies regarding employment, changes in union politics, and political organizations.

 

Latino Caucus in Political Science
Marco Guerrero, Cal Poly Pomona

Consistent with its mission, the Latino Caucus will organize a panel focused on the professional development of Latina/o scholars and emerging research in Latino politics. Also in keeping with the APSA annual meeting theme of “Democracy and Its Discontents” the Caucus is particularly interested in receiving paper proposals that address current debates and issues in Latino politics including, but not limited to, Latino political representation and underrepresentation, immigration, the nature and meaning of citizenship and equal civil and human rights for Latina/os. The Caucus thus especially welcomes papers directly related to the conference theme including those that address democracy in the context of US Latino politics in national, hemispheric, and/or global context. Our 2017 program will also include the Latino Political Science Awards reception (co-sponsored with other affiliated groups), and our annual Business Meeting and elections. For more information please visit and select APSA 2018 Call for Papers and Conference Program.

Law and Political Process Study Group
Bruce Cain, Stanford University; Rick Hasen, University of California, Irvine

The Law and Political Process Study Group has been sponsoring and co-sponsoring panels at the APSA for over thirty years. The group concerns itself with legal and policy questions related to elections and politics, and with empirical questions germane to the legal and policy questions. Our panels are interdisciplinary, with participation by political scientists, law professors, and sometimes academics in other disciplines and lawyers, government officials, and activists. Typical subjects for papers and roundtables include campaign finance, redistricting, voting rights, election administration, rights and regulation of political parties, ballot initiatives, bribery and corruption, and legislative lobbying and ethics. The Group welcomes papers and panel proposals in these areas.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Caucus
Shawn Schulenberg, Marshall University

The dominant modern LGBTQIA movements and organizations emerged under the auspices of and shaped largely by liberal democratic ideals and practices. Struggles for rights recognition and economic redistribution have been alternatively fostered in and stymied by the requirements of this political and economic system and the competing demands of the intersectional forces in queer communities’ diverse constituent components. Therefore, given the recent changes in advanced and developing democratic systems alike, it might well be time to ask, What has liberal democracy done for LGBTQIA communities lately? Given the recent US election and the changing global environment of which it is a part, how are queer communities across the globe responding? How have and should they respond to the resurgent overt homophobic as well as racist, xenophobic, misogynistic and classist forces in the West and across the globe? What new theories and practices are emerging to confront these forces inside and outside LGBTQIA communities that affect their ability to engage contemporary political institutions and spaces? Finally, what alternative paths might a truly LGBTQIA-informed democratic politics take?

McConnell Center for Political Leadership
Kelly Hanlon & Lee Trepanier, Saginaw Valley State University

The McConnell Center for Political Leadership is looking for papers that address the question of how political statesmanship, political scientists, or political philosophers confront democracies that have showed signs of stress or have disintegrated into tyrannical regimes, e.g., Pericles’ Athens, Caesar’s Rome, Medici’s Florence, Weimar Republic, Erdogan’s Turkey, Lincoln’s and Trump’s America. How do statesman, scientists, and philosophers resist tyrannical factions or try to restore democracy? What were their actions and the ideas they put forward? And what were the connection, if any, between these philosophies and political acts?

National Humanities Institute
Gregory Butler, New Mexico State University

Philanthropy, Policy, and Power
Kristin Goss, Duke University; Delphia Shanks-Booth, Cornell University

The Related Group on Philanthropy, Policy, and Power welcomes submissions from a broad range of theoretical and empirical approaches on the theme of “Democracy and Its Discontents.” We are interested in papers that examine how philanthropy – broadly conceived to include institutional and individual donors – might serve as a force for moderation, pluralism, civility, evidence-based policymaking, and functional democracy. Likewise, we are interested in how philanthropy might contribute to illiberalism, political inequality, and other facets of democratic backsliding. To address these themes, papers might examine how philanthropy and its practitioners influence agenda building, the formulation and implementation of public policy, and the health of civil society and governing institutions. We are interested in papers that think about philanthropies as patronage-providing support structures, but also as empowered political actors. Papers might place modern philanthropy, with its changing modalities, into larger political, historical, and cross-national contexts.

Policy Studies Organization
Max Skidmore, University of Missouri-Kansas City; Daniel Guttierrez-Sandoval, Policy Studies Organization

Politica: Study of Medieval Political Thought
Gerson Moreno-Riano, Regent University

The Medieval Foundations of Democracy
Politica – the Society for the Study of Medieval Political Thought – invites paper proposals considering the medieval contributions – in thought and in practice – to the development of modern and contemporary democratic thought, practices and institutions. Politica also encourages proposals that consider the medieval discontents toward democracy providing a comparative lens through which to consider both medieval, modern and contemporary discontents of democracy. Please submit papers to Gerson Moreno-Riano at gmorenoriano@regent.edu.

Political Forecasting Group
Christopher Wlezzien, University of Texas at Austin; Mary Stegmaier, University of Missouri

The Political Forecasting Group invites proposals for papers and panels at the 2018 APSA meeting from August 30 to September 2 in Boston. We welcome quality political forecasting research from all fields, including international relations, comparative politics, and elections. Please feel free to contact the group organizer (Mary Stegmaier) if you have questions or ideas.

Political Studies Association
Rosie Inman

The UK Political Studies Association (PSA) is a ‘Related Group’ of the APSA and has a ‘guaranteed’ panel entitlement at the Annual Meeting to be held in Boston, 30 August – 2 September 2018. We are looking for PSA journal editors or special issues editors (Political Studies, the British Journal or Politics and International Relations to put together a panel, which should have a broad appeal to worldwide political studies, and should reflect a mix of UK-based (PSA members) and non-UK based (PSA/ APSA members) participants.

The Annual Meeting is organised around the topic of ‘Democracy and its Discontents’. Panels should therefore pay attention to the following conference sub-themes:
– The emergence of new political cleavages and ideologies;
– Discontent with mainstream electoral politics in established democracies;
– The impact of new trends in global flows of people, capital and investment;
– The contestation of liberal democracies between supporters of pluralism and populist and/ or elitist political models.

Panels should be comprised of four full academic papers or otherwise be organised as a roundtable (on a current and ongoing political issue). It should also include a chair – to be agreed by the PSA. Panels must be submitted on the APSA website by the deadline in January 2018. Panel members (who are PSA members) are also eligible to apply for assistance to travel to the conference. Please contact james.sloam@rhul.ac.uk, the PSA member responsible for the related group, if you have any further questions about a potential panel and/ or about the APSA submission process.

Political Studies Association of Ireland (PSAI)
Muiris MacCarthaigh, Queen’s University Belfast; Gail McElroy, Trinity College, Dublin

The Political Studies Association of Ireland (PSAI) welcomes paper proposals related to Irish politics for its panel at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association (APSA). It particularly welcomes proposals related to the theme of the meeting, “Democracy and Its Discontents.” This theme is highly relevant to the study of Irish politics today. On the one hand, Ireland is strongly affected by the populist and anti-democratic forces generating the Brexit referendum vote and currently threatening the integrity of the European Union. On the other hand, Ireland, despite its economic difficulties, has not seen the rise of a right-wing populist party, unlike so many other liberal democracies. There is thus much to learn about the effects of worldwide discontent with democracy on Ireland, as well as what lessons Ireland might impart to the world on how to address that discontent. Paper proposals addressing these and other questions relating to Irish politics can be sent to Peter Stone, Secretary of the PSAI, at pstone@tcd.ie.

Poverty, Inequality, and Public Policy Caucus
Max Skidmore, University of Missouri-Kansas City; Daniel Gutierrez-Sandoval, Policy Studies Organization

The Caucus on Poverty, Inequality, and Public Policy will sponsor the following panel at the 2018 APSA Annual Meeting:  “Why Are Anti-Poverty Policies So Difficult to Achieve in the US?” We welcome paper submissions for this panel.

Practicing Politics
Duane Milne, West Chester University

Project on the American Constitution
Kenneth Ward, Texas State University – San Marcos

The Project on the American Constitution is accepting proposals for papers, panels and roundtables for the 2018 Annual Meeting. We are particularly interested in proposals that address the issues in contemporary constitutional theory. Paper proposals should include an abstract and full contact information for the presenter. Panel proposals should include an abstract of each paper and full contact information for all participants. Roundtable proposals should include a summary of the question to be addressed by the roundtable as well as full contact information for all participants.

The deadline for submitting all proposals is December 31, 2018. Send proposals to:
Kenneth Ward
Department of Political Science
Texas State University-San Marcos
San Marcos, TX 78666
Telephone: (512) 245-2068
Fax: (512) 245-7815
Email: kw12@txstate.edu

Publius: The Journal of Federalism
John Dinan, Wake Forest University

The Trump Administration and Federalism
Authors will present papers assessing the Trump administration’s approach to federalism and the consequences of developments in the early part of the Trump presidency for intergovernmental relations in various policy areas.

Russian Politics Group
Fred Eidlin

Slovenian Political Science Association
Miro Hacek,  University of Ljubljana

Personalisation of Politics and Political Leadership in Central and Eastern Europe – What are the Consequences for Democratic Consolidation?
The panel will provide an assessment of the most recent processes on political leadership by focusing on its effects on voters’ cognition and behaviour, in the light of the on-going personalization of politics. The changing role of political leaders in contemporary democracies will be assessed through a perspective aimed at linking leadership theory and political science. We will put special emphasis on cases where personalization processes have manifested in at least three ways. First, there has been a growing focus on, and significance for, election outcomes of individual candidates and their characteristics. Second, there has been a presidentialisation of party politics as processes of mediatisation, the deconstruction of traditional cleavages and therefore the alleged competitive advantages of charismatic leaders have allowed them to acquire greater autonomy from their party machines to become chiefly responsible for the substance of their campaigns and the policies they intend to implement. Third, there has been the emergence of “personal and/or personalised parties”, meaning organisations set up by individuals exclusively to further their personal political ambitions and run on a more or less patrimonial basis. One of the major consequences of the personalization of politics seems to lie in the changing expectations of voters with respect to the personal profile of their leaders. We have observed that personalisation can lead to increased professionalization, centralisation and therefore cohesiveness of political parties; or else it renders them increasingly fragile as the growing independence of leaders from their parties leads their parties to feel more independent of their leaders and therefore more inclined to rebel. The panel will explore these themes, focusing on mainly, but not exclusively, on Central and Eastern European examples and comparative studies.For more information please contact RG head, Prof. Dr. Miro Hacek, miro.hacek@fdv.uni-lj.si

Society of Catholic Social Scientists
Kenneth Grasso, Texas State University

Society for Greek Political Thought
Mark Lutz, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

The Society for Greek Political Thought is an interdisciplinary organization devoted to the study of classical political thinking in all of its forms.  We welcome paper, round-table, and panel proposals on the political philosophy, politics, and politically-relevant poetry of the ancient Greeks.  We join the Meeting’s Co-Chairs in encouraging participants to discuss problems confronting or arising from classical democracy, as well as other perennial political, philosophic, and theological issues.

Society for Romanian Studies
Claudiu Tufis, Universitatea Bucuresti

The theme for this year’s meeting of the American Political Science Association is Democracy and Its Discontents. It is a theme that seems to fit the Romanian experience perfectly. The last decade was an eventful one for Romania: from the joy of becoming a member of the European Union, to the despair of the 2008 economic crisis, to the massive wave of Romanian migrants looking for work in Western Europe, to two failed attempts to impeach the president, to the rise of a protest wave that has managed, according to some, to replace a government, to the increasing importance of identity politics. Add the recent turn of some of the countries in our region (Hungary, Poland, Turkey) towards an illiberal model, and it should be clear why some people believe that the Romanian democracy is not functioning properly, while others are afraid that even this mal-functioning democracy that we have might soon be under attack from the illiberal forces that are becoming more and more visible in the public sphere.

Discontent with democracy seems to be generalized. Is it here to stay with us? Or is it just a phase that might be reversed by the two key upcoming moments for Romania: in 2018 Romania celebrates 100 years since the Unification Day, while in 2019 it will hold for the first time the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

It is within this context that the Related Group for Romanian Studies invites paper proposals for the 2018 APSA Annual Meeting, which will take place between August 30 and September 2, 2018 in Boston. We are particularly interested in proposals that use Romania in comparative perspective or as a single case study and that are related to the conference theme. Interdisciplinary papers are welcome. The recommended length for the proposals is 500 words. Proposals from graduate students are encouraged. All proposals will be processed directly through the APSA website. The deadline for submitting a proposal is January 5, 2018.

For additional information you can contact Claudiu Tufiș (claudiu.tufis@fspub.unibuc.ro).

Southeast Asian Politics Group
Shane Barter, Soka University of America

The Southeast Asian Politics Related Group (SEAPRG) of the American Political Science Association invites proposals for the 2018 meeting in Boston, MA (30 AUG – 02 SEPT).  The conference theme is “Democracy and its Discontents”, a fitting frame for students of Southeast Asian politics. During the peak of the third wave of democracy, Emmerson referred to Southeast Asia as a “region of recalcitrance”, disappointing proponents of liberal democracy.  This disappointment has lately devolved into frustration, as Southeast Asian politics is marked by military coups, elected strongmen, and corruption, despite continued economic development.  For the 2018 APSA meeting, SEAPRG calls for proposals related to the troubled state of democracy in Southeast Asia, as a region or within specific countries (Burma / Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, and the Philippines). We are interested in quality scholarship regardless of method, welcoming qualitative, quantitative, or interpretive approaches, and comparative or single-case research.

Walter Bagehot Research Council on National Sovereignty
Joseph Prud’homme, Washington College

Democracy in the Era of Donald Trump
The Water Bagehot Society welcomes proposals for its 2018 annual meeting. We seek papers that explore the status of democratic theory in the era of Donald Trump. Has the Trump presidency stimulated new approaches to democratic thought?  And how might democratic theory today be marshaled to examine and assess the current administration and its policy agenda?  For more information, please contact Professor Joseph Prud’homme at jprudhomme2@washcoll.edu

Women’s Caucus for Political Science
Nadia Brown, Purdue University