MPSA Annual Conference

Wondering how to organize a mini-conference at MPSA? Prof. Martin Castillo shares some clues

By Juan Corredor-Garcia, PhD student in political science at the Graduate Center, City University of New York One format that students and faculty alike should consider at MPSA is organizing a mini-conference. This format offers a unique opportunity for creating panels on very specific (and new)…


How to Conference for the First Time: Strategy, Reflection, and Recharging at MPSA 2025

by Muhammad Hassan Bin Afzal, Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and Public Service, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga When I first visited Chicago in 2017 to volunteer for a conference and workshop, I fell in love with the city. Then, MPSA entered my life. One of my…


The Subnational Roots of Democratic Stability

By: Julian Michel, Ph.D. in Political Science from UCLA, Postdoctoral Fellow at LMU Munich The following blog post summarizes the research that won the Midwest Political Science Association’s Kellogg/Notre Dame Award for the best comparative politics paper presented at the 2024 MPSA Annual…


My Experience Balancing Life, Research, and Conferences

by Bakhytzhan Oskeyeva, PhD student in Public Policy, University of North Carolina at Charlotte As I prepare for the upcoming MPSA Annual Conference, I find myself juggling multiple roles—researcher, attendee, and, most importantly, a single mother of two wonderful children: my 13-year-old daughter…


Adam Smith on the Effectual Truth of Imagination

By: Trevor Shelley, Arizona State University The following blog post is a summary of the research that won the Midwest Political Science Association’s Review of Politics Award for research presented at the 2024 MPSA Annual Conference. In this article (recently published in Perspectives on…


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…