83rd Annual Midwest Political Science Association Conference
Thursday, April 23 through Sunday, April 26, 2026
Hybrid Format: In Person at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, IL or Online
All Panels/Paper Sessions, Roundtables, Lightning Talks and Working Groups will Feature a Hybrid Format (for In-Person or Virtual Participation). Undergraduate Poster Sessions will be In Person Only.
Conference Program Co-Chairs:
Bethany Lacina, University of Rochester
Cecilia Hyunjung Mo, University of California-Berkeley
Learn more about the conference.
Annual Conference Section Descriptions and Contacts
The President-Elect appoints the Program Committee Chair(s), who appoint members to the conference Program Committee. Each committee member serves as a section head and is responsible for accepting or rejecting proposals submitted to their section. In addition, committee members/section heads organize accepted papers into panels and identify chairs and discussants for each panel.
If you are interested in serving as a section head at a future MPSA conference, please fill out and submit this short form.
Program Committee members are volunteers who do not handle customer service requests and should only be contacted with questions regarding their specific areas of the discipline. Please direct any questions regarding the conference including how to create sessions, how to find someone to serve on their roundtables, etc. to MPSA staff by emailing mpsainfo@mpsanet.org or by calling (812) 558-0588 x 1.
Section 1 – 2026 Program Chairs
The MPSA would like to extend a wholehearted thank you and expression of gratitude to the 83rd Annual MPSA Conference Program Co-Chairs, Bethany Lacina, University of Rochester and Cecilia Hyunjung Mo, University of California-Berkeley. Without their leadership, hard work and dedication, the annual conference would not be possible.
Bethany Lacina, University of Rochester
Cecilia Hyunjung Mo, University of California-Berkeley
Sect. 2 – Representation and Electoral Systems
Papers, panels and roundtable proposals are invited that relate to representation and electoral systems. The section especially welcomes papers that take a comparative perspective (i.e. do not solely draw on US experiences), as well as those examining the intersection between electoral systems and social structures and how electoral systems shape the representation of women, minorities, and other historically underrepresented groups. A focus on electoral system components such as districting, quotas, and election administration are additionally welcomed. Diverse methodological perspectives are encouraged.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 3 – Mass Media
This section welcomes papers, panels, and roundtable proposals on the mass media and its relationship to government and politics. More specifically, we highlight that we welcome:
- work studying the effect of the mass media on the public
- work examining the causes and dynamics of the behavior of the mass media
- work considering the mass media as a political institution and its relationship to other institutions and political elites
- empirical work identifying causal relationships
- empirical work that is primarily descriptive
- work in which theory building is a significant or primary contribution
- work examining the media of any country
- work examining broad cross-national media phenomena
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 4 – Political Communication
This section welcomes proposals that seek to advance our understanding of how communication connects political actors across all government-citizen layers. Proposals that illustrate features of the political landscape and/or advance theories of political phenomena through the study of communication – through all potential pathways – are of interest. Submissions that employ innovative data and/or methodological approaches are especially welcome.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 5 – Political Psychology
This section seeks proposals that use a psychological lens to examine political belief and behavior. Additionally, this section seeks proposals that examine political phenomena in the service of developing and enhancing psychological theory. Proposals may focus on the intersection of politics and the following topics (among others): emotions, information-processing, neuroscience, identity, intergroup relations, media effects, personality, and biological processes. Proposals that employ methodological innovations are especially welcome. Empirical tests can be grounded in American politics, comparative politics, or international relations. Finally, both junior and senior scholars are encouraged to consider volunteering as panel chairs and/or discussants.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 6 – Political Networks
This section invites proposals that aim to explain the role of relationships between actors, agencies, and institutions in all aspects of politics. We are particularly interested in research that challenges fundamental assertions about independence in order to gain new insight on political processes and behavior. We are open to work that explores old substantive questions through the lens of political networks, as well as development of cutting edge methods and topics based on the concepts of interdependence. Substantive areas of interest include, but are not restricted to, the study of economic and political relationships between nations, policy implementation networks, the impact of political organizations at home and abroad, and the consequences of social discussion on political choices. Proposals that focus on the unique contribution of political science to network analysis, and vice versa, are also welcome.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 7 – Public Opinion
The section invites proposals that advance our understanding of the theoretical and empirical foundations of public opinion and its effects on democratic politics. Proposals that broaden and deepen our knowledge of the micro-foundations of opinion, the effects of external agents (social and political context, media, and political institutions) on public opinion, the effects of public opinion on political outputs, and the dynamic nature of mass-elite relationships are welcome. Proposals that adopt new research designs for studying public opinion or that employ methodological innovations are especially welcome. Empirical tests can be grounded in American politics, comparative politics, or international relations. And, proposals for roundtables also are welcome. Finally, I invite both junior and senior scholars to consider volunteering as panel chairs and/or discussants.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 8 – American Public Opinion
This section welcomes research papers, panels, and roundtable proposals that contribute to descriptive, theoretical, and applied understandings of American public opinion with diverse qualitative/quantitative methods. Solutions-focused research on pluralistic multi-racial democracy, equal representation/rights, and the views of historically marginalized groups is especially encouraged. Some key topics include:
- Current/historical U.S. public opinion (e.g. elections, groups/identities, values and policies, emotions, intentions, system support, perceptions, knowledge, contentiousness).
- Influences on national/group/individual views (e.g. political, social, mediated, interpersonal, psychological).
- Interactions between publics and counter-publics.
- Public opinion effects on behavior, systems, and other outcomes.
- Methods issues in measuring & interpreting public opinion.
- More: immigration, public safety, reproductive rights, economic equality, unions, religious pluralism, sexuality, gender identity, climate solutions, human rights, egalitarianism, nonviolence.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 9 – Campaigns and Elections
This section welcomes papers, panels and roundtable proposals on topics related to political campaigns and electioneering in the United States and in comparative perspective. Topics include campaign effects writ large, advertising, mobilization and get-out-the-vote efforts, campaign strategy, primary election campaigns, involvement in campaigns by parties and interest groups, and media coverage of campaigns. Proposals examining the effects of campaign tactics and primary elections are especially welcome, along with studies using novel datasets and/or research designs.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 10 – Turnout and Political Participation
The section welcomes papers, panels, and roundtable proposals that examine electoral and non-electoral forms of political participation. Topics of interest include (but are not limited to): electoral reforms and voter turnout, turnout in primaries, general elections and local elections, subnational variation in turnout, differences in political participation across partisan and demographic groups, changes in participation over time, place and type of election, new forms of participation (digital, etc.), descriptive representation and participation, changes in electorates over time, campaign mobilization and participation, elections, representation and voting, and much more.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 11 – Voting Behavior
The section welcomes papers, panels and roundtable proposals on topics related to important theoretical, substantive, and/or methodological issues dealing with electoral behavior in the United States and in comparative perspective. Among others, topics could include the basis of electoral choice in national and sub-national elections, inter-election change, campaign effects, election forecasting, campaign finance reforms, alternative voting technologies, voter registration, mobilization, and turnout.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 12 – Comparative Political Behavior
This section welcomes papers, panels and roundtable proposals on comparative political behavior understood in the broadest possible sense, including, but not limited to, public opinion, voting behavior, and political mobilization and protest. Papers comparing political systems, countries and groups, linking attitudes and behavior to social, political and economic context, and based on new and original data are particularly welcome.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 13 – Law, Politics and Society
The section welcomes proposals for papers, panels (including author-meets-critics), and roundtables exploring the interrelationship between law, politics, and society. We encourage proposals that represent the wide array of theoretical, methodological, and disciplinary approaches relevant to the study of law, politics, and society, including those focusing on domestic, comparative, and international law. Law, Politics, and Society is a new section at MPSA that resulted from a merger of the Constitutional Law and Jurisprudence, and Law and Society sections.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 14 – Judicial Politics
The Judicial Politics section invites proposals for papers, panels, and roundtables exploring the role of legal actors and legal institutions in American and comparative politics. I welcome proposals from diverse theoretical and methodological orientations, particularly those that develop novel theory, employ original data, or bring fresh methodological approaches to the study of judicial politics.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 15 – Presidency and Executive Politics
The section welcomes papers, panels, and roundtable proposals that address core questions of 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. These could include, but are not limited to, analyses of the creation, maintenance, and exercise of executive authority; relations with the legislature and judiciary; the internal organization and management of the executive branch; policy implementation; and challenges to executive authority.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 16 – Legislative Institutions
The section welcomes proposals that address theoretical and empirical questions involving legislatures in the U.S., other national or subnational legislatures, or those in a comparative context. Research questions should focus on the institutional nature of legislatures or parliaments, such as parties, committees, rules and procedure, floor politics, leadership and coalition building, budgeting, advocacy, or representation. The section is particularly interested in original research that features rigorous theory, innovative research designs, and investigations that lead to the evaluation of causal claims. These might include new data, approaches, and methodological innovations. Although both panel and individual paper proposals are invited, individual paper proposals are generally easier to accommodate.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 17 – Political Parties and Interest Groups
The section welcomes proposals for papers, panels, and roundtables that examine political organizations, especially parties and interest groups, that operate as intermediary organizations at the subnational, national, or supranational levels. The section encourages proposals that examine parties and political organizations in a single country, across countries, or internationally. We especially welcome projects that offer new theoretical, empirical or methodological strategies to understanding parties and interest groups.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 18 – State and Intergovernmental Politics
This section welcomes papers, panels and roundtables that focus on issues of state politics and American federalism. Of special interest are papers that develop and/or test general theories of political behavior, institutions, or policy making using the methodological advantages arising from the substantial variance found across the U.S.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 19 – Urban and Local Politics
The section welcomes papers, panels and roundtable proposals with a strong theoretical motivation focusing on various aspects of public policy and politics in local governments, metropolitan areas, and regions. Work using newly collected data on urban areas and local governments and research that examines social movements or interrogates intergovernmental relations are especially encouraged. “Author Meets Critics” and roundtable submissions are welcome.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 20 – Comparative Political Institutions
This section welcomes papers, panels and roundtables on a broad range of topics, including the study of institutions (institutional effects, endogenous institutions, and institutional weakness), processes of democratic transition and consolidation, political behavior (participation, voting, and social movements), and political economy. Research addressing class, race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality (including intersectionality) is particularly welcome, as is qualitative research.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 21 – African Politics
This section invites papers, panels and roundtable proposals on all Africa-related subjects. Possible topics include, but are not limited to, democratization, economic development and reform, identity politics, and political violence. All theoretical and methodological approaches are welcome. Proposals using newly collected data, whether quantitative or qualitative, are especially encouraged.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 22 – Politics of the Middle East
The Middle East Politics section welcomes papers, panels and roundtable on the comparative politics and international relations of the broader Middle East region. Possible comparative topics include, but are not limited to democratization and authoritarianism, economic development, political economy, religion, Islamist mobilization, the resource curse, civil war and ethnic conflict, civil society, gender and politics, public opinion, and contemporary issues in the region. Possible IR topics include, among others, the dynamics of war and peace, domestic and systemic security, terrorism and counter-terrorism, democracy promotion, foreign policy analysis, human rights, international law, nation-building, and more thematic topics like the Arab-Israeli conflict. All theoretical and methodological approaches are welcome, including but not limited to comparative-historical work, case-oriented research, ethnographic analysis, quantitative studies, and game-theoretic modelling.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 23 – Asian Politics
This section invites paper, panel, and roundtable proposals on a broad range of subjects related to the politics and international relations of Asia. All theoretical and methodological approaches are welcome. Papers with a comparative scope (within country, within-region, or across regions) and those offering original theoretical insights and/or utilizing new data sources, methods, and methodological approaches — qualitative and quantitative — are especially welcome.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 24 – Politics of South Asia
This section invites proposals on all subjects related to South Asia, which includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. We are especially interested in research grounded in contextual knowledge that speaks to important theoretical debates in political science. This includes but is not limited to electoral politics, democratic consolidation, economic development and globalization, climate change and environmental politics, minorities and nationalism; among other topics. Proposals using original data and a variety of methodologies are especially encouraged.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 25 – Politics of China
This section invites proposals for papers, panels, and roundtables on any aspects of the politics of China. We encourage proposals with comparative politics and international relations focus, in addition to those focused on the nexus of internal and external politics. Theoretically innovative, empirically grounded, and methodologically diverse papers that bring different perspectives into dialogue and push broader debates forward are welcomed. Themes of interest include political leadership and elites, party state-society relations, social mobilization, center-local interactions, formal and informal institutions, dissent and repression, foreign policy, global security and economic relations, environment and health, and the political economy of development.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 26 – European Politics
This section welcomes papers, panels and roundtable proposals on various aspects of European politics. Papers both with a comparative and an international relations focus are encouraged. Themes of interest include such topics as institutional development, public policies, party competition, public opinion, European integration, political economy and responses to current crises.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 27 – Latin American and Caribbean Politics
This section welcomes papers, panels, and roundtable proposals on all topics related to Latin American and Caribbean Politics. Scholarship appropriate for this section includes – but is not limited to – work focused on issues of democracy and authoritarianism, formal and informal institutions, political behavior and public opinion, economic development and policy, collective action, human rights and political violence, equality/equity, justice, and environmental governance. Papers with a comparative scope (within country, within-region, or across regions) and those offering original theoretical insights that highlight the relevance of Latin America and the Caribbean to global politics are especially welcome.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 28 – Transitions to Democracy
This section welcomes papers, panels and roundtable proposals on democratic transitions in all geographical regions of the world. Topics include but are not limited to transitions to democracy, democratic breakdowns and backsliding, democratic consolidation and institutional development, transitional justice, as well as authoritarian breakdowns and consolidation. We are open to both theoretical and empirical research and welcome proposals of all methodologies.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 29 – (Post) Communist Countries
This section welcomes papers, panels, and roundtable proposals on political issues relevant to all post-communist countries, as well as countries that remain communist in name or in practice. Work engaging broader theoretical debates in the discipline is especially encouraged, as is work that embraces methodological and/or epistemological pluralism. Papers and panels involving comparisons between communist and post-communist politics and politics in other regions of the world are welcome. Topics can include but are not limited to: democratization, democratic consolidation, authoritarian consolidation, electoral revolutions, state building and state capacity, political economy, poverty and inequality, elections and voting, parties and partisanship, legislatures, courts and judicial independence, social movements, nationalism and ethnicity, public opinion formation, and methodological considerations in studying communist and post-communist politics.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 30 – Economic Development
This section invites proposals on various topics concerning economic development and policy. We encourage submissions that delve into the nuanced relationships between economic development and political institutions. We invite papers examining economic development as the dependent or independent variable. We look forward to reading proposals that use various methods (Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches) to address current and new questions on economic development. Additionally, we encourage submissions that explore this inquiry at both the local and national levels.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 31 – Politics of Developing Countries
This section welcomes papers, panels, and roundtables exploring political, economic, and social phenomena in the developing world. Research may focus on one or more countries and regions. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methodological approaches are all welcome.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 32 – Comparative Political Economy
This section invites papers, organized panels, and roundtable proposals on any topic related to the interaction of domestic political institutions and economic policies and outcomes. The section encourages a varied mix of proposals, but papers that develop theoretically-driven propositions or subject propositions to empirical testing are particularly welcome.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 33 – International Political Economy
This section welcomes papers, panels and roundtable proposals on the broad range of topics related and not limited to the politics of international trade, investment, money, finance, climate, and migration. The section encourages papers that develop new theories or subject theoretically-driven propositions to rigorous empirical testing. Substantively, the section encourages papers that explore the interactions between global movements of goods, money and people as well as those that examine the complex interaction of domestic and international factors in shaping outcomes in the international political economy.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 34 – IR and Domestic Politics
This section welcomes papers, panels and roundtable proposals that address the internal-external linkages of international relations. Papers may focus on any subfield of international relations, including (but not limited to) international organizations, international security, foreign policy, and international political economy. A broad mix of papers is encouraged, including those informed by any of the major theoretical approaches in international relations as well as papers using a variety of methodologies to approach important questions.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 35 – Foreign Policy
This section welcomes papers, panels and roundtable proposals on the broad range of topics related to the study of foreign policy. Some examples of topics include foreign policy decision making, the role of leadership and beliefs, the impact of national and international institutions on foreign policy behavior, domestic versus international sources of foreign policy; and the integration of the studies of foreign policy and international politics. Different methodological and theoretical approaches are welcome, as are multi-method approaches.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 36 – (Im)migration and Citizenship
This section welcomes methodologically diverse papers, panels, and roundtable proposals that address issues related to migration (both immigration and emigration), incorporation processes and policies, nationality and citizenship, and migrant attitudes and behavior. Contributions are welcome from any region. We specifically invite studies that may offer comparative insights into different local, regional, or national contexts. Submissions may address a range of topics ranging from institutions and policies to individual-level experiences related to (im)migration and citizenship. This section also particularly encourages papers that analyze migration and citizenship from a migrant perspective, including those that explore how citizenship and (im)migration shape and reflect racial, ethnic, and religious identification.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 37 – International Organizations and Cooperation
When does cooperation occur across borders? Do cooperative arrangements influence state behavior? The International Cooperation and Organization section welcomes proposals on all aspects of international cooperation and organizational dynamics. The section is especially interested in proposals concerning when cooperative arrangements occur transnationally, the particularities of these arrangements, and their effects on political behavior. Proposals are welcome on all types of international organizations, including formal and informal intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, and public-private partnerships.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 38 – Human Rights
This section encourages theoretical and empirical submissions that advance our understanding of human rights. We are particularly interested in submissions on human rights organizations, human security, transitional justice, and work that addresses new directions and methodological challenges in human rights research. We encourage both junior and senior scholars to submit their research and volunteer to serve as panel chairs and discussants. In your submission, please indicate your areas of expertise as well as roundtable topics you might find interesting.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 39 – Political Violence, Terrorism and Resistance
The Political Violence, Terrorism, and Resistance Section invites paper, panel, and roundtable proposals on a broad range of topics exploring political violence, terrorism, and resistance. Topics may include – but are not limited to – the causes and consequences of political violence, terrorism, insurgency, rebellion, and violent and non-violent resistance. Diverse theoretical and methodological perspectives are welcome.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 40 – Conflict Processes
The Conflict Processes section invites paper, panel and roundtable proposals broadly related to the dynamics of violent and nonviolent political conflict. Submissions may focus on topics including but not limited to the dynamics of war and peace, civil conflict, nonviolent civil resistance, terrorism, insurgency, rebellion, militarized disputes, and crisis bargaining. We welcome papers and panels from a broad array of theoretical perspectives, empirical approaches, and levels of analysis.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 41 – International Security
This section encourages theoretical and/or empirical submissions that advance our understanding of any area of international security. Topics include, but are not limited to, the causes and consequences of militarized inter-state conflict, insurgency, terrorism, and other forms of threats to international security and cooperation. All methodological and theoretical approaches are welcome.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 42 – Political Philosophy
All social-scientific inquiry depends upon an appeal to concepts and values that are contestable in principle, and that are often contested in fact. It follows that the intelligent conduct of social scientific inquiries depends, among other things, on sustained reflection about the concepts and values that guide, or that should guide, these inquiries. This is the principal function that political theory serves within the broader discipline of political science. I therefore welcome paper and panel proposals from a wide variety of methodological and substantive approaches which encourage the reader to think critically about the concepts and values that we bring to the study of political life. I especially welcome proposals which, in addition to drawing connections within and across theoretical debates, draw connections between these debates and real-world political events and controversies.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 43 – Political Theory in International Relations
The conduct and study of international relations is driven by theories of sovereignty, territory, democracy, autocracy, legitimacy, and warfare, among others. The realm of political theory is similarly served by the development, practices, and concepts of international relations and institutions. This section welcomes proposals that make novel theoretical contributions to the study of international relations or conduct political theory pertinent to international affairs.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 44 – Foundations of Political Theory
What questions, concepts, categories, works, and figures are foundational to political theory (Western or non-Western), and how and why do they matter? This section invites papers and panels that explore specific themes, texts, and thinkers throughout the history of political philosophy, as well as work that grapples with the question of how we should envision and discuss the history or genealogy of political thought: through engagement with perennial debates, by way of comparisons between historically and culturally disparate epochs, or by focusing on specific thematic and conceptual perspectives.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 45 – Critical and Contemporary Political Theory
How is political theory done in times of crisis? What sort of thinking is called for by the multiple crises of the present? This section welcomes paper, panel, and roundtable proposals that reflect on the ideas, concepts, practices, and histories that political theorists use to think about power and resistance. Of particular interest are proposals engaging: the challenges posed by neoliberalism and (neo)fascism; the contemporary crisis of liberalism and democracy; transformations in the workings of racial capitalism, empire, and colonialism; resistance and visions of liberation posed by social movements; transnational activism and solidarity; comparative and trans-disciplinary engagements with subaltern voices inside and outside the West; class, race, gender, sexuality, and disability as critical/normative lenses; and borders, migration, and displacement, among other themes.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 46 – Politics and History
The section welcomes proposals for papers, panels and roundtable proposals covering the broad scope of the study of politics and institutions using historical perspectives to address issue areas of contemporary concern. In particular, the section encourages submissions from scholars whose work focuses on themes related to major political processes and concepts, such as institutional development, idea formation and political culture, state building, party building, democratization, historical political economy, citizenship, political identity, and representation. We encourage research in the traditions of American political development (APD), Comparative-Historical Analysis (CHA), Historical Political Economy (HPE), and historical-institutionalism more broadly.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 47 – Politics and Religion
The section welcomes papers, panels and roundtable proposals that address the interaction between religion and politics from all subfields in political science using diverse methodological approaches, especially submissions that use religion to address broader theoretical questions in political science that would be of interest to non-specialists.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 48 – Health, Education and Social Policy
This section welcomes papers, panels and roundtable proposals for any aspect of health, education or social policy. Studies may focus on the United States, but comparative investigations are also welcome. We welcome studies that examine how theoretical questions in political science apply to these policy areas, or how policy in these areas can contribute to our theoretical understandings of how politics works. Applied work and analyses are also welcome, as are “author meets critics” and roundtable submission.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 49 – Crime, Policy and Social Control
This section welcomes papers, panels, and roundtables that examine how public policies impact, and are impacted by, the processes of control, use and restriction of force, marginalization, and punishment in society. We especially welcome papers that examine the intersections between a variety of policy issues in this broad domain. We are open to quantitative and qualitative methodologies.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 50 – Environmental Politics and Policy
The section invites papers, panels and roundtable proposals that focus on the politics of environmental problems and/or the processes by which they are addressed. We invite panel and paper proposals that examine current environmental problems and challenges through political science lenses. Of particular interest are papers examining the climate crisis and policy responses to address climate change.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 51 – Public Policy
This section welcomes papers, panels and roundtable proposals on the broad range of topics related to public policy. The section encourages papers that advance on theoretical and empirical questions in public policy research across all major theoretical and methodological approaches. Papers that leverage variation across time, institutions, or policy fields are especially welcome. Both panel and individual paper proposals are invited.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 52 – Bureaucratic Politics
The Bureaucratic Politics section concerns the behavior of individual bureaucrats in their organizational environment; the interaction of public bureaucracies with external stakeholders such as courts, interest groups, legislatures, the executive branch, other bureaucracies and governmental units, and society at large; the role and legitimacy of bureaucracies in the policy process; the antecedents and design of bureaucratic structures; and the effect of bureaucratic structure on behavior and performance. The section welcomes submissions from any theoretical creed or methodological persuasion in social science, including but not limited to organizational behavior, social psychology, rational choice, game theory, historical institutionalism, case narratives, comparative case studies, statistical models, ethnography, and laboratory experiments.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 53 – Public Administration
The public administration section welcomes submissions from all areas and traditions of the field, broadly construed. The section is especially interested in submissions that are theoretically innovative and methodologically rigorous. Submissions that focus on a particular national or sub-national political system are welcome, as are submissions that are comparative in their orientation.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 54 – Information, Technology and Politics
This section welcomes paper, panel, and roundtable session proposals that contribute to our understanding of how information technology shapes politics and policy (and vice versa). Substantive areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the consequences of information technology on the capacity of political actors, digital governance and regulation, cyberspace and international security, comparative perspectives, and the theories and methods most useful for the study of information technology and elections.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 55 – Class and Inequality
This section invites papers, panels, and roundtables on the political causes and consequences of economic inequality and social class stratification. The section welcomes proposals from all subfields and methodological traditions and is interested in work on economic inequality’s relationship with institutional and social contexts, public policy, social identity, and intergroup relations. “Author Meets Critics” and roundtable submissions are welcome.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 56 – Gender and Politics
This section welcomes papers, panels and roundtable proposals dealing with the gender dimensions of a broad range of topics. We are particularly interested in papers and panels that explore the diverse facets of women’s political participation and representation in various institutions (i.e., legislative, executive, or judicial branches of politics) as well as in local, regional, national, and transnational levels, the interplay between descriptive and substantive representation, the development and use of innovative data, theories, and empirical strategies to further gender research, the evolving role of women’s groups and the women’s movement in society, the role of gender in the formation of political identities, and the development of social policies related to women in both developing and developed countries.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 57 – Race, Ethnicity and Politics
This section promotes research that employs rigorous theoretical and empirical approaches to understanding the roles that race, class, and ethnicity–or the intersection of any of these categories–play in U.S. politics as well as, global/transnational politics. The section invites papers, panels and roundtable proposals that aim to develop and/or refine appropriate theoretical models in the study of race, class, and ethnicity. Especially welcome are papers that emphasize new theoretical insights and those that represent innovative methodological approaches to understand how race, class, and ethnicity shape politics.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 58 – LGBTQ+ Politics
The LGBTQ+ Politics section invites papers, panels, and roundtables that investigate LGBTQ+ people and policies in the United States and other locations. Papers can be quantitative, qualitative, multi-method, or theoretical. Particular importance will be placed on examinations of current policy developments that show some locations adding protections to LGBTQ+ people while others adding restrictions, the rise of extremism in anti-LGBTQ politics, and topics that cross-cut disciplines and subfields. Theme panels are encouraged to be methodologically diverse, and graduate students are especially encouraged to submit proposals.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 59 – Experimental Research
The Experimental Research section invites papers, panels, and roundtable proposals in any area of experimental research in political science. We welcome theoretical, methodological, or empirical submissions encompassing diverse experimental methods, including survey, laboratory, and field experiments. We maintain an expansive view of what qualifies as an experiment, but insist upon researcher control over treatment assignment, thereby excluding observational studies sometimes described as natural or quasi-experiments. We encourage proposals from all subfields of political science, including comparative politics, international relations, American politics, political theory, and research methods. Replications and reanalyses of previous experiments are also welcome, as are meta-analyses of existing experimental work.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 60 – Formal Modeling
The section welcomes submissions covering the entire range of political science scholarship, distinguished by approach rather than topic. Theoretical and empirical analyses of substantive political science questions based on game theory, social choice theory, decision theory, behavioral decision theory, laboratory experimentation, agent-based or other computational techniques, and other formal methods — or papers advancing the frontiers or critiquing the use of these approaches — are especially appropriate.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 61 – Methodology
The Methodology section welcomes papers, panels, and roundtable proposals that highlight areas where political science has made distinctive methodological contributions. We are also interested in applied methodological papers focusing on the practical challenges in empirical political research. In all cases, we seek to keep the scope and epistemology of political methodology as broad and inclusive as possible. We particularly welcome full panel proposals around these or any other relevant themes that fit into the sub-discipline.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 62 – Research on Teaching and Learning
The section welcomes paper, panel and roundtable proposals on all topics related to educating both undergraduate and graduate students. Proposals could explore such topics as: assessment, civic engagement, curriculum development, diversity within the classroom, experiential learning, internships, service learning, simulations, teaching strategies, and technology. Papers that use empirical evidence (broadly construed) to make and assess claims about the effectiveness of teaching practice are particularly encouraged. Papers should connect to the robust literature on teaching and learning, and meet the appropriate guidelines for research with human subjects. Qualitative, interpretive, quantitative, theoretical, or philosophical approaches will all be considered.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 63 – Professional Development
The professional development section aims to facilitate open conversations and informational sessions around specific topics related to career advancement, publishing, teaching, public engagement, and graduate school, as well as the political science profession and its place in the broader educational, cultural, and political environment. Roundtable proposals on all topics related to professional development are welcome. Individuals may also volunteer to participate as panelists on a select number of professional development roundtables. Additional information can be found here.
Section Head: Lewis Hoss, MPSA
Sect. 64 – Subfield: Institutions and Theory
This section welcomes Lightning Talk proposals presenting innovative and creative research on political institutions and political theory, whether it be formal theory or normative theory.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 65 – Subfield: Public Policy and Administration
The Policy and Administration Lightning Talks section invites submissions from theoretically motivated research on public policy process, policy analysis, and public administration, defined broadly. The section welcomes submissions from a wide range of theoretical and methodological perspectives that extend our understanding of the political, institutional, and social influences on policy-making and public administration, offer insights into the nuances public policy analysis and evaluation; contribute new approaches to public policy research; seek to understand the administration of government policies; and the organizational environment that shapes government administration. The section also invites submissions from papers that engage historical or current debates across a range of national and international policy areas.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 66 – Subfield: Behavior and Methods
This section invites proposals for Lightning Talk presentations that explore political behavior, interpreted broadly, alongside innovative or rigorous methodological approaches. We encourage submissions that delve into topics such as voting, political attitudes, activism, and foundational political beliefs and orientations. Projects focusing on the interaction between context and behavior, as well as those employing comparative or cross-national perspectives, are especially welcome. We also seek research that highlights methodological innovations or challenges in studying politics, offering new insights or approaches to understanding.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 67 – Subfield: American Politics
This section invites proposals for Lightning Talk presentations on a wide array of topics within American Politics. Submissions may explore any subfield, including but not limited to legislative politics, presidential politics, judicial politics, public opinion, political behavior, campaigns and elections, state politics, urban and local politics, political communication, parties and interest groups, and bureaucratic politics. A diverse range of papers is encouraged, welcoming those grounded in various major theoretical frameworks in American politics and those utilizing different methodologies to tackle significant questions in the field.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 68 – Subfield: International Relations
This section welcomes proposals for Lightning Talk presentations on topics in international relations. Submissions may focus on any subfield of international relations, including (but not limited to) peace and conflict studies, international security, foreign policy, international political economy, and international organizations. A broad mix of papers is encouraged, including those informed by any of the major theoretical approaches in international relations, interdisciplinary approaches to international relations questions, and papers using a variety of methodologies to approach important international relations questions.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 69 – Subfield: Comparative Politics
This section welcomes proposals for Lightning Talk presentations in Comparative Politics. Submissions may focus on any aspect of Comparative Politics, such as political institutions, political behavior, political regimes, and comparative political economy.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 70 – Undergrad: Institutions and Theory
This section welcomes proposals from undergraduate students researching Institutions and Theory, broadly defined. Presentations will be made in a poster format. Please note that posters are limited to in-person participation only; there is no online participation option for posters.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 71 – Undergrad: Public Policy and Administration
This section welcomes proposals from undergraduate students researching Public Policy and Administration, broadly defined. Undergraduate proposals from any theoretical or methodological approach addressing comparative or domestic public policy or administration are encouraged. Presentations will be made in a poster format. Please note that posters are limited to in-person participation only; there is no online participation option for posters.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 72 – Undergrad: Behavior and Methods
This section welcomes proposals from undergraduate students researching Behavior and Methods, broadly defined. Presentations will be made in a poster format. Please note that posters are limited to in-person participation only; there is no online participation option for posters.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 73 – Undergrad: American Politics
This section welcomes proposals from undergraduate students researching American Politics, broadly defined. Presentations will be made in a poster format. Please note that posters are limited to in-person participation only; there is no online participation option for posters.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 74 – Undergrad: International Relations
This section welcomes proposals from undergraduate students researching International Relations, broadly defined. Undergraduate proposals from any theoretical or methodological approach addressing the study of international politics. Presentations will be made in a poster format. Please note that posters are limited to in-person participation only; there is no online participation option for posters.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 75 – Undergrad: Comparative Politics
This section welcomes proposals from undergraduate students researching Comparative Politics, broadly defined. Undergraduate proposals from any theoretical or methodological approach addressing the study of the comparative or domestic politics of states other than the United States , or the study of the United States in comparison to other countries, are encouraged. Presentations will be made in a poster format. Please note that posters are limited to in-person participation only; there is no online participation option for posters.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 76 – Midwest Women’s Caucus for Political Science
The Midwest Women’s Caucus for Political Science is a regional caucus affiliated with the Women’s Caucus for Political Science of the American Political Science Association. The Midwest Caucus promotes professional equity for women in the discipline of political science by sponsoring sessions at the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, working with the Association to promote the interests of women in the discipline, encouraging research that acknowledges and investigates the presence and activities of women in political life, and serving as a network for members between annual meetings.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 77 – Midwest Latino/a Caucus
The Latina/o Caucus Section of the MPSA serves as a venue for scholars to showcase their research on the U.S. Latina/o/x diaspora, including but not limited to individuals of Hispanic, Afro-Latino/a/x, indígeno/a/x origins, and other Latin American ancestral origins. We welcome studies that broadly investigate the presence and activities of the Latina/o/x diaspora in all aspects of U.S. political life.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 78 – Society for Greek Political Thought
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, roundtable, and panel proposals on the political philosophy, politics, and politically-relevant poetry of the ancient Greeks.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 79 – Professional Development Caucus for Political Science Department Chairs
Section Head: TBA
The Chairs Caucus provides a professional development forum for current and aspiring department chairs. The Caucus provides avenues for building networks within the discipline, sharing resources, and developing best practices for department management. The primary focus of the Caucus is to build a supportive community in which department chairs can work together to address the challenges facing Political Science, Public Administration/Policy, and International Relations departments.
Sect. 80 – Midwest Public Administration Caucus
The Midwest Public Administration Caucus (MPAC) promotes the scientific study of the bureaucracy in the field of political science, in part, by sponsoring discussions at the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association. Panels for the 2025 MPSA conference will highlight issues of qualitative literacy in public administration, research on diversity at the frontier of public administration scholarship, and strategies for funding work on public administration and policy implementation.
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Sect. 81 – Leadership and Politics
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 82 – Politics, Literature and Film
This section invites papers, panels, and roundtable discussions from a wide variety of disciplines regarding the connection between politics and the arts (literature, film and television, visual art, poetry, theatre and performance, etc.). Multiple methodological and theoretical approaches are welcome; topics may vary widely but must focus on how a chosen piece of media relates to political questions.
Section Head: TBA
Sect. 84 – Working Groups
Working group participants agree to attend, as audience members, a small group of related sessions at the conference. A volunteer coordinator for each working group proposes a topic or theme, selects the sessions for the group to attend, promotes the working group, recruits participants, and facilitates communication among participants. A working group may also organize sessions of their own and/or hold a meeting for additional discussion and interaction.
Individuals holding a Ph.D. may submit a proposal to convene a conference-within-a-conference, or multiple organized sessions related to a single theme, topic, or area of study. Proposals are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. The convenor(s) are responsible for recruiting participants, organizing them into sessions, and facilitating communication and cooperation within the group. If you are interested in organizing a Working Group or Conference-within-a-Conference, please contact MPSA Professional Development Manager, Lewis Hoss, Ph.D. at hoss@mpsanet.org.
Section Head: Lewis Hoss, MPSA
Section Head: Tamara Speelmon, MPSA
Sect. 85 – Meetings and Receptions
MPSA intends to hold some networking sessions, meetings and receptions. Attendees are also invited to propose meetings, receptions and networking events for the conference. If your group needs to arrange for a meeting, reception, or catered meal in conjunction with the 2026 MPSA Annual Conference, complimentary meeting and reception space is available to our professional colleagues on a first-to-ask, first-to-receive basis. If your group needs to arrange for a function at the conference, please check back later or email MPSA Conference Administrator, Bonnie Van Deventer (vandeventer@mpsanet.org) with any questions.
Section Head: Bonnie Van Deventer, MPSA
Information is subject to change.