The Expansions Initiative

The Expansions Initiative seeks to increase the diversity of the political methodology community and the field of political science. The goal of the initiative is to encourage undergraduate and master’s students from underrepresented minority groups to apply to political science PhD programs that emphasize quantitative methods.  A cohort of 8 student fellows are invited to participate in the first summer session of the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) Summer Program. The Society for Political Methodology and the American Political Science Association cover the cost of tuition. At the end of their ICPSR Summer Program experience, Expansions Initiative fellows are paired with faculty mentors who collaborate with the fellows on original research projects. The Society for Political Methodology and the American Political Science Association provide $4,000 in funding to support this mentored research. The exposure to methods training and the research experiences with methods faculty are meant to solidify student interest in pursuing an academic career that emphasizes quantitative methodology; these experiences should also increase the likelihood that these master’s students and undergraduates succeed when they apply to political science PhD programs.

Amount: $25,000

Team Members:

Dr. Betsy Sinclair (Washington University in St. Louis)
Dr. Clayton Webb (University of Kansas)