2026 JPSA-APSA Working Group on “Civically Engaged Research for Critical Issues in Society” in Boston, Massachusetts | September 2-6, 2026
The American Political Science Association (APSA) and the Japanese Political Science Association (JPSA) are pleased to announce a Call for Applications for early-career scholars from the US and Japan who are interested in conducting civically engaged research related to the social and political impacts of demographic change. The third JPSA-APSA Working Group on “Civically Engaged Research for Critical Issues in Society” will be held alongside this year’s APSA Annual Meeting, from September 2-6, in Boston, Massachusetts. The deadline for applications is Sunday, April 19.
With generous support from the Japan Foundation, APSA and JPSA are collaborating on a multi-year program of scholarly exchange, professional development, and community engagement. Each year, invited scholars from American and Japanese universities will attend a conference Working Group to share and improve research towards publication, develop new scholarly networks, and explore the use of civically engaged research in investigating some of the critical issues facing our societies. The program will include closed sessions for a core group of scholars, interactive meetings with members of local civil society organizations, and public sessions open to community, scholarly, and professional audiences. Organizers will cover participation costs (including airfare and accommodation) for up to 16 qualified applicants. The working language of the program is English.
2026 Working Group Theme: Civic Engagement in Cyberspace and Democracy
The program aims to support research on conditions that make us vulnerable to divisions in our societies, as well as research that explores interventions to overcome these divisions. Rigorous scholarship that is conducted from a community-centered approach and strives to learn from all stakeholders, including civil society groups and institutions outside of academia, can yield innovative findings that address social challenges at both the national and local levels. Attendees at this year’s Working Group will discuss best practices and models of excellence for conducting civically engaged research as applied to “Civic Engagement in Cyberspace and Democracy”.
Digital and bio-technological transformations are altering the organization of participation, the production and circulation of political information, and the institutional foundations of governance. At the same time, these technologies are themselves shaped by political contestation, regulatory frameworks, and civic action. Working group discussions will include how new and emerging technologies are reshaping democratic politics, civic life, and state–society relations. The program is open to all political science subfields, and we especially encourage applications from scholars who are undertaking research in collaboration with civil society or local government partners.
Eligibility and Application Instructions
We invite applications from early-career political scientists (graduate students, post-docs, and pre-tenure faculty) based at universities in Japan or the United States. Scholars from other social science disciplines undertaking research related to the workshop theme are also welcome to apply. The program is open to those with a proposal already accepted for JPSA or APSA 2026, but preference will be given to new papers. Japan-based scholars should be current JPSA members or have pending applications; US-based scholars should be APSA members.
Applications must be in English and include:
- The completed online Application Form
- A detailed, recent Curriculum Vitae/resume.
- A research statement (approximately 2,000 words) describing the work-in-progress you plan to discuss at the workshop. This statement should outline your research question(s), a brief literature review, the methods used and/or your plans for data-collection/fieldwork, the project’s anticipated contribution(s) to the field, and how it relates to the workshop themes. Prior to the workshop, scholars selected for participation will then share an article-length research paper (6,000-10,000 words) that is at a stage of development which would benefit from intense discussion and critique.
Applications are due Sunday, 19 April 2026.
Access a PDF of the call for applications, here.
For more information, contact asiaworkshops@apsanet.org.
