Affective Polarization and Depolarization: Insights and Innovations

This mini-conference aims to bring together a diverse group of scholars to explore the latest research on the causes and consequences of affective polarization. The conference will also focus on addressing measurement challenges and methodological advancements across individual, elite, and country-level analyses. Furthermore, it will examine interventions and policies aimed at reducing affective polarization and fostering more cohesive societies.

Convenors: Yunus Orhan, North Dakota State University and James Adams, University of California-Davis

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Association for Politics and the Life Sciences Annual Conference

The 2025 Annual Meeting of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences (APLS) will be held on Friday afternoon at the MPSA conference. APLS is dedicated to the advancement of research pertaining to the following broad categories: new directions in politics and the life sciences, biopolitics, life science policies (e.g., health policy, genetically modified foods, stem cell research), neurobiology and politics, bioethics, bioterrorism, environmental policy and communication (e.g., media coverage and public opinion about climate change), genetics and politics, biotechnology, and other biopolitical topics. This year’s conference features new research in politics and the life sciences, along with a keynote and reception on Friday afternoon.

Convenors: Matthew P. Motta, Boston University and Patrick A. Stewart, University of Arkansas

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China’s Development and Governance

This mini-conference builds upon many successful Chinese Development and Governance workshops organized by several Asia Fellows in the Ash Center at the Harvard Kennedy School. The event gathers doctoral candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and junior scholars based in North America and Asia working in the field of Chinese politics. During a full day of panels held on Saturday, participants will present new research on Chinese nation-state relations, the domestic and international dimensions of Chinese state governance, and healthcare and environmental governance in China. The event will also feature a keynote talk on social media use and civic engagement in China.

Convenors: Chunying Yue, Harvard University and Dapeng Wang, Harvard University

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Contemporary Issues in Rural Politics

Convenors: Michael E. Shepherd, University of Michigan and Quinn Bornstein, Georgetown University

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Criminal States, State Criminals: A Mini-Conference on Crime and Politics

In theory, states are the principal purveyors of order in the modern world: in the societies they govern, they monopolize the use of force, they maintain the rule of law, and they regulate social and economic life. In contrast, criminal organizations are typically portrayed as a source of disorder: they jeopardize the state’s monopoly on violence, they subvert the rule of law, and they challenge prevailing social and economic institutions. In practice, however, this division is not so neat. State agents frequently act criminally and create disorder – either independently or with the full knowledge and support of the state apparatus – and criminals often provide order in communities they govern.

This mini-conference brings together academic work on crime and politics. We are especially interested in studies that center criminal organizations’ governance and production of order and/or states’ crimes and production of disorder, though we are open to a wide range of topics and methodologies related to the study of crime and politics. Our aim is to create a productive environment for scholars across career stages interested in similar topics so that people will get useful feedback on their work as well as make important connections and gain a sense of community within the broader discipline. If you are interested in participating, submit a proposal here.

Convenors: Andres Uribe, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Madeleine Stevens, University of Chicago; and Anna Paula Pellegrino, Georgetown University

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Credit, Debt, and Inequality: A Mini-Conference on the Politics of Consumer Finance

This mini-conference extends the work of a long-standing Consumer Finance Working Group dedicated to interrogating the racial and economic structural inequalities that shape the politics of consumer finance (e.g., market access, consumer behavior, and government policy). The mini-conference is designed as a welcoming space to discuss research ideas and design, share relevant literature, and ultimately think together. We welcome a broad range of research on the relationship between government, consumer credit institutions, and the political inclusion and social welfare of social households and communities. We encourage multidisciplinary perspectives, a diversity of methodological approaches, and particularly encourage work that engages deeply with race, gender, and/or other foundational social stratifications.

Convenors: Patricia Posey, University of Chicago; Rhea Myerscough, Butler University; Tess Wise, Wake Forest University; and Megan Doherty Bea, University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Cultural Theory Working Group

The Cultural Theory Working Group is an international gathering of scholars who employ the political cultural theory developed by Mary Douglas, Aaron Wildavsky, and others to advance subfield understandings and explanations in political science. The group will attend several panels featuring papers that engage with cultural theory and will hold a meeting on Saturday.

Convenor: Brendon Swedlow, Northern Illinois University

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Politics and Political Economy of Eurasia Workshop

This is the sixth annual meeting of the Politics and Political Economy of Eurasia Workshop at the MPSA Conference. The event aims to convene researchers focused on the expansive region spanning Eastern Europe to Central Asia, addressing key issues in the region’s politics and political economy. We welcome papers on a diverse range of topics, including but not limited to: political institutions and behavior; regime dynamics; economic development and policies; historical political economy; and governance. The geographical scope includes Central Asia, the South Caucasus, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, the Baltic States, and the post-communist countries in Eastern Europe.

Convenors: Valeria Umanets, University of Pittsburgh; Jordan Gans-Morse, Northwestern University; Guzel Garifullina, University of Richmond; Scott Gehlbach, University of Chicago; Pauline Jones, University of Michigan; Ora John Reuter, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Regina Smyth, Indiana University; Susanne Wengle, University of Notre Dame

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Politics of AI Workshop

This mini-conference welcomes contributions related to the political, legal, ethical, and social aspects of AI, machine learning, and related emerging technologies. If you are interested in participating, please contact one of the convenors.

Convenors: Kaylyn Jackson Schiff, Purdue University; Daniel Schiff, Purdue University; Bao-bao Zhang, Syracuse University; and Jason Anastasopoulos, University of Georgia

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Politics of Identity Across the Subfields

This is the seventh annual meeting of the Politics of Identity Across the Subfields Mini-Conference at MPSA. The goal of this event is to bring scholars of identity from across the subfields of political science – American politics, comparative politics, international relations, and political theory – into conversation with one another. Panels will be held on Saturday morning.

Convenors: Cara J. Wong, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Avital Livny, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and Yoshiko M. Herrera, University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Primary Elections Mini-Conference

The 2025 Primary Elections Conference-within-a-Conference at MPSA invites submissions on primary elections. Papers may address questions about primary voter preferences, primary election reform, the implications of two-stage elections on representation, of the role of party influence in nominating contests. We encourage submissions from all scholars including those from underrepresented backgrounds, graduate students, and junior scholars.

Convenors: Colin R. Case, University of Iowa; Rachel Porter, University of Notre Dame; Sarah Anderson, University of California-Santa Barbara; Dan Butler, Washington University in St. Louis; and Laurel Harbridge-Yong, Northwestern University

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Representative Bureaucracy Workshop

This annual workshop consists of a full day of panels featuring new research that is informed by or intersects with representative bureaucracy theory.

Convenors: Austin M. McCrea, Texas Tech University and Danyao Li, University of Southern California

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Separation of Powers Mini-Conference

This mini-conference features new research on a number of topics related to the separation of powers including appointments, executive power, and oversight.

Convenor: Nicholas G. Napolio, University of California-Riverside

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South Korea’s Democratic Evolution and Its Recent Challenges

South Korea stands out as a country that has achieved both dramatic economic development and robust democracy in a short period of time. However, South Korea still struggles with a Cold War-era ideological polarization even after its democratization. On the one hand, the authoritarian suppression of ideological tension before democratization has fueled South Korea’s impressive economic developments by offering a foundation for national unity and political stability in the face of security threats from neighboring communist regimes such as North Korea, China, and Russia. On the other hand, however, the unresolved ideological conflict since democratization has continuously fueled political polarization in and among civil societies and communities in South Korea, having critically limited its potential not only to become a global pivotal state but also to grow as a more mature liberal and participatory democracy. This focus group seeks to explore the multifaceted nature of ideological polarization in Korean politics: Its contribution (or noncontribution) to Korea’s democratization process; its challenges to Korea’s democracy after democratization; its implications on political dynamics across other Asian democracies.

Convenors: Se Hyoung Yi, University of Houston-Clear Lake and Hyung Lae Park, El Paso Community College

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Will Hans Kelsen Help Us to Save Liberal Democracy?

This meeting is dedicated to various studies of the Austrian jurist and political philosopher Hans Kelsen which will appear in a forthcoming volume entitled Hans Kelsen on Constitutional Democracy: Genesis, Theory, Legacies (Cambridge University Press, edited by Sandrine Baume and David Ragazzoni). The volume brings together a diverse group of eminent scholars and junior scholars across countries and continents, and across neighboring fields and subfields including political theory, the history of political thought, legal theory, and democratic theory. These scholars unearth and explore the timely contributions of Kelsen’s writings on democracy to ongoing debates about the present and future of liberal democracy in our populist age.

Convenor: David Ragazzoni, New York University School of Law

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