MPSA Blog

Gearing Up for the Election, the Political Science Way

by Michael A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, Emporia State University It’s election time! This means plenty of excitement and trepidation. Some of it is valid, according to Political Science. Much of it is not. How can we use the tools of our discipline to separate the analysis from the…


Building Skills for the Future

by Muhammad Hassan Bin Afzal, Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and Public Service, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Muhammad Hassan Bin Afzal recommends taking advantage of training sessions, workshops, and short courses during your career's early stages or…


Serendipity in Academia: How the MPSA Conference Unlocked Doors I Didn't Know Existed

by Meherun Nesa, PhD student in Political Science, Loyola University Chicago As a doctoral student in Political Science at Loyola University Chicago, my research focuses on the complex linkages between international organizations and security challenges, with a concentration on peacekeeping…


Update: Restrictive New Voting Laws in the States

by Michael A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, Emporia State University In 2022, my colleagues and I published our book Much Sound a Fury or the New Jim Crow? The Twenty First Century’s Restrictive New Voting Laws in the States, with SUNY Press.  The project began when we met and formed a…


Fascinating Findings: Health & Politics at MPSA 2024

By James Steur, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Political science is a discipline that…


The Challenge of Teaching in an AI World

by Michael A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, Emporia State University The first day of #MPSA2024 is in the books, and it’s gotten off to a strong start.  All panels I attended today were well-attended and thought provoking.  I wrapped up my workday by attending an excellent panel on…


From Nerves to Knockout: Essential Tips for Conference Presentations

By James Steur, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign MPSA is almost here, and many conference…


#MPSA2024– This Is My Why

by Michael A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, Emporia State University Our world and our lives today are filled with all sorts of communications technology, making it possible for anyone with an Internet connection to meet up with people from all over the world without physically traveling…


Do Values Affect Issue Stances? Evidence from Panel Studies

By: Arjun Vishwanath, Vanderbilt University The following blog post is a summary of the research that won the Midwest Political Science Association’s Best Paper in American Politics Award for research presented at the 2023 MPSA Annual Conference.   Voters’ issue stances are central to…