American Political Science Association

American Political Science Association

American Political Science Association headquarters located in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Formation	1903; 121 years ago (1903)
Type	Professional association
Headquarters	1527 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Location	Washington, D.C., U.S.
Region	United States
Fields	Political science
President	Mark E. Warren
Executive Director	Steven Rathgeb Smith
Main organ	4 journals
Website	apsanet.org

The American Political Science Association (APSA) is a professional association of political scientists in the United States. Founded in 1903 in the Tilton Memorial Library (now Tilton Hall) of Tulane University in New Orleans,^[1] it publishes four academic journals: American Political Science Review, Perspectives on Politics, Journal of Political Science Education, and PS – Political Science & Politics. APSA Organized Sections publish or are associated with 15 additional journals.

APSA presidents serve one-year terms. The current president is Mark E. Warren of the University of British Columbia.^[2] Woodrow Wilson, who later became President of the United States, was APSA president in 1909. APSA's headquarters are at 1527 New Hampshire Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., in a historic building that was owned by Admiral George Remy, labor leader Samuel Gompers, the American War Mothers, and Harry Garfield, son of President James A. Garfield and president of the association from 1921 to 1922.^[3]

APSA administers the Centennial Center for Political Science and Public Affairs, which offers fellowships, conference, research space and grants for scholars, and administers Pi Sigma Alpha, the honor society for political science students. It also periodically sponsors seminars and other events for political scientists, policymakers, the media, and the general public.

The association broadly aims to encourage scholarly understanding of political ideas, norms, behaviors, and institutions, and to inform public choices about government, governance, and public policy. APSA's mission is to "support excellence in scholarship and teaching and informed discourse about politics, policy and civic participation."^[4] APSA conducts several annual conferences, which provide an environment for scholars and other professionals to network and present their work, along with other pertinent and useful resources. The APSA Annual Meeting is among the world's largest gatherings of political scientists. It occurs on Labor Day weekend each summer.

The APSA Teaching and Learning Conference is a smaller working group conference hosting cutting-edge approaches, techniques, and methodologies for the political science classroom. The conference provides a forum for scholars to share effective and innovative teaching and learning models and to discuss broad themes and values of political science education—especially the scholarship of teaching and learning.

With funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, APSA has organized political science workshops in various locations in Africa, APSA Africa Workshops.^[5] The first workshop was convened in Dakar, Senegal in partnership with the West African Research Center from July 6–27, 2008. The annual residential workshops are led by a joint U.S. and African organizing team and aimed at mid-and junior-level scholars residing in Africa. They will enhance the capacities of political scientists and their resources in East and West Africa while also providing a forum for supporting their ongoing research. Each three week workshop brings together up to 30 scholars and cover substantive issues, methodologies, and reviews of research. See also, APSA International Programs.

Through its facilities and endowed funding programs, APSA'S Centennial Center for Political Science and Public Affairs supports political science teaching, research, and public engagement. Opened in 2003, the centenary of APSA's establishment, the Centennial Center encourages individual research and writing in all fields of political science, facilitates collaboration among scholars working within the discipline and across the social and behavioral sciences and humanities, and promotes communication between scholars and the public.^[6]

The Centennial Center, its facilities, and research support programs continue to be made possible in part through the donations of APSA members. It assists APSA members with the costs of research, including travel, interviews, access to archives, or costs for a research assistant. Funds can also be used to assist scholars in publishing their research. Grants can range in size from $500 to $10,000, depending upon the research fund.^[6]

The APSA Congressional Fellowship Program is a highly selective, nonpartisan program devoted to expanding knowledge and awareness of Congress. Since 1953, it has brought select political scientists, journalists, federal employees, health specialists, and other professionals to Capitol Hill to experience Congress at work through fellowship placements on congressional staffs.

The nine-month program begins each November with an intensive one-month introduction to Congress taught by leading experts in the field. After orientation, fellows work in placements of their choosing and also participate in ongoing seminars and enrichment programs.

Through this unique opportunity, the American Political Science Association enhances public understanding of policymaking and improves the quality of scholarship, teaching and reporting on American national politics.^[7]

One key component of APSA's mission is to support political science education and the professional development of its practitioners. The APSA publications program attempts to fill the diverse needs of political scientists in academic settings as well as practitioners working outside of academia, and students at various stages of their education.

• American Political Science Review (APSR)
• Journal of Political Science Education
• Perspectives on Politics
• PS: Political Science & Politics
• Organized Section Journals

APSA members may also join the 41 membership organized sections focused around research themes in political science.^[a]

Since 2015, they have conducted three rankings of American Presidents.

In 2015, Republican President Abraham Lincoln was rated the greatest President, while Democratic President James Buchanan was considered the worst. Barack Obama, president at the time of the survey, was ranked 18th.^[8]

In 2018, Republican Abraham Lincoln was ranked the greatest American President, while Donald Trump, president at the time of the survey, was ranked last.^[9][10][11]

In 2024, Republican Abraham Lincoln was ranked the greatest American President for the third time, while Republican Donald Trump was ranked last for the second time. Democrat Joe Biden, president at the time of this survey, was ranked 13th, tied with Federalist John Adams.^[12][13]

To recognize excellence in the profession, the Association offers the following awards:

• Dissertation Awards
• Paper and Article Awards
• Book Awards
• Career Awards
• Goodnow Award
• Teaching Award and Campus Teaching Award Recognition

In addition to the APSA awards, the APSA organized sections also present over 100 awards at every Annual Meeting to recognize important research and contributions to the profession. These awards are presented at the Association's Annual Meeting.^[14]

The Herbert Simon Award is given to "significant contributions to public administration scholarship." The recipients are:^[15]

• 2018 Rachel VanSickle-Ward, Pitzer College: The Deveil is in the Details. SUNY Press, 2014.
• 2018 Daniel Sabet, Social Impact: Police Reform in Mexico: Infromal Politics and the Challenge of Institutional Change. Stanford University Press. 2012.
• 2017 Sean Gailmard, University of California, Berkeley: Learning While Governing: Expertise and Accountability in the Executive Branch. University of Chicago Press, 2013.
• 2017 John Patty, Washington University: Learning While Governing: Expertise and Accountability in the Executive Branch. University of Chicago Press, 2013.
• 2016 Manuel Teodoro, Texas A&M University: Bureaucratic Ambition: Careers, Motives, and the Innovative Administrator. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
• 2014 Jonathan Koppell, Arizona State University: World Rule: Accountability, Legitimacy, and the Design of Global Governance. University of Chicago Press, 2010
• 2013 Barry Bozeman, Arizona State University: Public Values and Public Interest: Counterbalancing Economic Individualism (Georgetown University Press, 2007)
• 2012 Donald Moynihan, University of Wisconsin, Madison: The Dynamics of Performance Management (Georgetown University Press, 2008)
• 2010 Paul Light, New York University: A Government III Executed: The Decline of the Federal Service and How to Reverse It
• 2007 Arjen Boin, Leiden University: The Politics of Crisis Management: Public Leadership Under Pressure
• 2007 Eric Stern, Uppsala Universistet: The Politics of Crisis Management: Public Leadership Under Pressure
• 2007 Bengt Sundelius, Uppsala Universitet: The Politics of Crisis Management: Public Leadership Under Pressure
• 2007 Dvora Yanow, Cal State University, East Bay: Constructing “Race” and “Ethnicity” in America: Category-Making in Public Policy and Administration
• 2007 Paul 't Hart: The Politics of Crisis Management: Public Leadership Under Pressure
• 2006 Henry Richardson, Georgetown University: Democratic Autonomy: Public Reasoning about the Ends of Policy (Oxford University Press, 2003)
• 2005 John Rohr: Civil Servants and Their Constitutions (University of Kansas Press)
• 2005 Steven Maynard-Moody, University of Kansas: Cops, Teachers, Counselors: Stories from the Front-Lines of Public Service (University of Michigan Press)
• 2005 Michael Musheno, Arizona State University: Cops, Teachers, Counselors: Stories from the Front-Lines of Public Service (University of Michigan Press)

• American Political Science Association
• Political Science Now