# American Political Science Association

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, 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 Taeku Lee of the University of British Columbia. 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.
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.

## Conferences and meetings

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." 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. 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.

## Centennial Center for Political Science and Public Affairs

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.
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.

## Congressional Fellowship Program

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.

## Publications

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.

### Journals

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

## List of APSA presidents

* Frank J. Goodnow, 1904–1905
* Albert Shaw, 1905–1906
* Frederick N. Judson, 1906–1907
* James Bryce, 1907–1908
* Abbott Lawrence Lowell, 1908–1909
* Woodrow Wilson, 1909–1910
* Simeon E. Baldwin, 1910–1911
* Albert Bushnell Hart, 1911–1912
* Westel W. Willoughby, 1912–1913
* John Bassett Moore, 1913–1914
* Ernst Freund, 1914–1915
* Jesse Macy, 1915–1916
* Munroe Smith, 1916–1917
* Henry Jones Ford, 1917–1918
* Paul Samuel Reinsch, 1918–1919
* Leo S. Rowe, 1919–1920
* William A. Dunning, 1920–1921
* Harry A. Garfield, 1921–1922
* James Wilford Garner, 1923–1924
* Charles E. Merriam, 1924–1925
* Charles A. Beard, 1925–1926
* William Bennett Munro, 1926–1927
* Jesse S. Reeves, 1927–1928
* John A. Fairlie, 1928–1929
* Benjamin F. Shambaugh, 1929–1930
* Edward S. Corwin, 1930–1931
* William F. Willoughby, 1931–1932
* Isidor Loeb, 1932–1933
* Walter J. Shepard, 1933–1934
* Francis W. Coker, 1934–1935
* Arthur N. Holcombe, 1935–1936
* Thomas Reed Powell, 1936–1937
* Clarence A. Dykstra, 1937–1938
* Charles Grove Haines [de], 1938–1939
* Robert C. Brooks, 1939–1940
* Frederic A. Ogg, 1940–1941
* William Anderson, 1941–1942
* Robert E. Cushman, 1942–1943
* Leonard D. White, 1943–1944
* John Gaus, 1944–1945
* Walter F. Dodd, 1945–1946
* Arthur W. MacMahon, 1946–1947
* Henry R. Spencer, 1947–1948
* Quincy Wright, 1948–1949
* James K. Pollock, 1949–1950
* Peter H. Odegard, 1950–1951
* Luther Gulick, 1951–1952
* E. Pendleton Herring, 1952–1953
* Ralph J. Bunche, 1953–1954
* Charles McKinley, 1954–1955
* Harold D. Lasswell, 1955–1956
* E.E. Schattschneider, 1956–1957
* V.O. Key, Jr., 1957–1958
* R. Taylor Cole, 1958–1959
* Carl B. Swisher, 1959–1960
* Emmette Redford, 1960–1961
* Charles S. Hyneman, 1961–1962
* Carl J. Friedrich, 1962–1963
* C. Herman Pritchett, 1963–1964
* David B. Truman, 1964–1965
* Gabriel A. Almond, 1965–1966
* Robert A. Dahl, 1966–1967
* Merle Fainsod, 1967–1968
* David Easton, 1968–1969
* Karl W. Deutsch, 1969–1970
* Robert E. Lane, 1970–1971
* Heinz Eulau, 1971–1972
* Robert E. Ward, 1972–1973
* Avery Leiserson, 1973–1974
* Austin Ranney, 1974–1975
* James MacGregor Burns, 1975–1976
* Samuel H. Beer, 1976–1977
* John C. Wahlke, 1977–1978
* Leon D. Epstein, 1978–1979
* Warren E. Miller, 1979–1980
* Charles E. Lindblom, 1980–1981
* Seymour Martin Lipset, 1981–1982
* William H. Riker, 1982–1983
* Philip E. Converse, 1983–1984
* Richard F. Fenno, Jr., 1984–1985
* Aaron B. Wildavsky, 1985–1986
* Samuel P. Huntington, 1986–1987
* Kenneth N. Waltz, 1987–1988
* Lucian W. Pye, 1988–1989
* Judith N. Shklar, 1989–1990
* Theodore J. Lowi, 1990–1991
* James Q. Wilson, 1991–1992
* Lucius J. Barker, 1992–1993
* Charles O. Jones, 1993–1994
* Sidney Verba, 1994–1995
* Arend Lijphart, 1995–1996
* Elinor Ostrom, 1996–1997
* M. Kent Jennings, 1997–1998
* Matthew Holden Jr., 1998–1999
* Robert O. Keohane, 1999–2000
* Robert Jervis, 2000–2001
* Robert Putnam, 2001–2002
* Theda Skocpol, 2002–2003
* Susanne Hoeber Rudolph, 2003–2004
* Margaret Levi, 2004–2005
* Ira Katznelson, 2005–2006
* Robert Axelrod, 2006–2007
* Dianne Pinderhughes, 2007–2008
* Peter Katzenstein, 2008–2009
* Henry E. Brady, 2009–2010
* Carole Pateman, 2010–2011
* G. Bingham Powell, 2011–2012
* Jane Mansbridge, 2012–2013
* John Aldrich, 2013–2014
* Rodney E. Hero, 2014–2015
* Jennifer Hochschild, 2015–2016
* David A. Lake, 2016–2017
* Kathleen Thelen, 2017–2018
* Rogers Smith, 2018–2019
* Paula D. McClain 2019–2020
* Janet Box-Steffensmeier, 2020–2021
* John Ishiyama, 2021–2022
* Lisa Martin, 2022–2023
* Mark E. Warren, 2023–2024
* Taeku Lee, 2024–2025
* Susan Stokes, President-Elect

## APSA organized sections

APSA members may also join the 41 membership organized sections focused around research themes in political science.
* 1. Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations
* 2. Law and Courts
* 3. Legislative Studies
* 4. Public Policy
* 5. Political Organizations and Parties
* 6. Public Administration
* 7. Conflict Processes
* 8. Representation and Electoral Systems
* 9. Presidents and Executive Politics
* 10. Political Methodology
* 11. Religion and Politics
* 13. Urban Politics
* 15. Science, Technology and Environmental Politics
* 16. Women and Politics Research
* 17. Foundations of Political Theory
* 18. Information Technology and Politics
* 19. International Security
* 20. Comparative Politics
* 21. European Politics and Society
* 22. State Politics and Policy
* 23. Political Communication
* 24. Politics and History
* 25. Political Economy
* 27. New Political Science
* 28. Political Psychology
* 29. Political Science Education
* 30. Politics, Literature, and Film
* 31. Foreign Policy
* 32. Elections, Public Opinion, and Voting Behavior
* 33. Race, Ethnicity and Politics
* 34. International History and Politics
* 35. Comparative Democratization
* 36. Human Rights
* 37. Qualitative and Multi-method Research
* 38. Sexuality and Politics
* 39. Health Politics and Policy
* 40. Canadian Politics
* 41. Political Networks
* 42. Experimental Research
* 43. Migration and Citizenship
* 44. African Politics
* 45. Class and Inequality
* 46. Ideas, Knowledge and Politics
* 47. American Political Thought
* 48. International Collaboration
* 49. Middle East and North Africa Politics

## Presidential rankings

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

### 2015

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.

### 2018

In 2018, Republican Abraham Lincoln was ranked the greatest American President, while Donald Trump, president at the time of the survey, was ranked last.

### 2024

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.

## Awards

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.

### The Herbert Simon Award

The Herbert Simon Award is given to "significant contributions to public administration scholarship." The recipients are:
* 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 W. Patty, Washington University: Learning While Governing: Expertise and Accountability in the Executive Branch. University of Chicago Press, 2013.
* 2016 Manuel P. 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 C. 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 K. 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 S. 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)