81st Annual Midwest Political Science Association Conference
Thursday, April 4 through Sunday, April 7, 2024
In-Person at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, IL
Learn more about the conference.
About Working Groups / Conferences-within-a-Conference
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. MPSA staff handles scheduling logistics (i.e., ensuring that participants are free during those sessions which the working group is attending) and maintaining rosters. This is an excellent opportunity for individuals and cohorts to stimulate focused thought and discussion around a specific theme, topic, or specialization without the hassle of logistics.
Conference-within-a-Conference
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. MPSA staff will assign meeting space, provide for the logistical needs of the group, maintain a roster of participants, help to promote the event, and work with the convenor(s) to accommodate scheduling requests. This is an excellent opportunity for cohorts to gather around specific areas of study that may not be well-represented in the normal conference sections, or to develop specific projects like an edited volume.
If you are interested in organizing a Working Group or Conference-within-a-Conference, please contact Lewis Hoss at hoss@mpsanet.org.




2023 Working Groups
Cultural Theory Working Group
The Cultural Theory Working Group is an international gathering of scholars who use the political cultural theory developed by Mary Douglas, Aaron Wildavsky, and others to advance subfield understandings and explanations in political science.
Convenor: Brendon Swedlow, Northern Illinois University
The Narrative Policy Framework Working Group
Scholars using the Narrative Policy Framework have made strides building the breadth and depth of the framework since its inception in 2010. This working group aims to provide space for scholars to discuss the research program and build connections. The group will attend two sessions and hold a meeting on Saturday.
Convenor: Aaron Smith-Walter, University of Massachusetts-Lowell
2023 Conferences-within-a-Conference
Association for Politics and the Life Sciences Annual Conference
Junior Americanist Workshop Series Mini-Conference
Midwest Eurasian Political Economy Workshop
Quantitative Studies of Organized Crime
Student Vote Research Network 2023 Workshop
The Politics of Identity Across the Subfields
Workshop on Representative Bureaucracy