Division 1: Political Thought and Philosophy: Historical Approaches

Duncan Ivison, University of Sydney (duncan.ivison@usyd. edu.au)

The Political Thought and Philosophy: Historical Approaches section invites paper and panel proposals in light of the 2009 theme of “Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era.”

In keeping with this year's theme of ‘politics in motion’, we invite proposals that investigate the historical complexity of the politics of motion—of states, peoples, groups, identities and concepts—from a range of historical approaches and methodologies. We welcome proposals that offer histories and genealogies of concepts and theories at the heart of some of the most pressing challenges we face today—including ideas of empire, globalisation, cosmopolitanism, the relation between religion and society, race, gender, civil war, climate change and environmental degradation, among others. Papers that address the very concept of motion or change as applied to politics are also welcome, especially at a time when radical change seems increasingly diffcult to imagine in contemporary politics. Papers and panels might also seek to trace the history of the formation (and transformation) of central distinctions in political theory, for example between the domestic and the international; the private and public; states of nature and civil society; or between the civilized and uncivilized. Thematic panels that place large questions in historical context are also welcome, such as the nature of secularism, modernity, freedom or justice, to name just a few possibilities. Proposals that address the transnational history of different approaches to politics, as well as conceptions of political change, would be especially welcome, including engagements between European and non-European theorists and traditions.

Papers and panels are also invited that seek to examine the changing historical trajectory of particular schools or traditions of political thought, such as republicanism, Marxism, critical theory, conservatism or liberalism. The continuing and ever-changing vitality of classical political thought is another potential theme, whether in terms of close readings of particular texts, or in tracing their reception in medieval, early modern and modern contexts.

The themes outlined above are only suggestions and intended to stimulate creative and intellectually rigorous proposals. Our aim is to provide a rich, diverse and inclusive program of papers and panels. We encourage proposals that bring together different traditions and approaches to the history of political thought in dialogue, as well as scholars at different stages in their careers from a range of institutions from around the world.

Division 2: Foundations of Political Theory

Leslie Paul Thiele, University of Florida (thiele@ufl.edu)

The name of this section, Foundations of Political Theory, might suggest things stable, primary, and well-established, perhaps even essential, unchanging, and monolithic. Nevertheless, over the years contributors of papers and panels have rightly focused as much on innovation in political thought as continuity within the tradition.

This year, the division welcomes a wide range of presentations, including critical assessments of time-honored concepts and theorists. In keeping with the theme of this year's conference, however, we particularly encourage submissions that address the accelerated change and growing complexity of our times. The attention given to the fast-paced movement that characterizes contemporary life is increasingly matched by concerns for “sustainability” in the environmental and social arenas, as the preservation of ecologies, cultures, communities, values, rights, and opportunities gains a heightened importance in the face of rapid transformations and disintegrations at both local and global scales.

We hope to see contributions that illuminate the challenges faced by scholars, citizens, activists, and statespeople navigating the complex interdependencies of these beckoning and threatening personal and political landscapes. As always, we welcome contributions that demonstrate originality in their range of theoretical concerns, comparative assessments, substantive foci, methodological approaches, and presentation formats.

Division 3: Normative Political Theory

Jeff Spinner-Halev, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (spinner@email.unc.edu)

Normative political theory tends to refer to political theories that focus on particular political problems. Submissions from a diverse range of traditions and modes of inquiry and covering a broad spectrum of themes are encouraged. In keeping with this year's theme, we particularly welcome papers that place Western and non-Western in conversation with one another, and those that discuss some of the complex problems we face today, including, immigration, environmental and development issues. Proposals that deal with larger themes, such as the fate of modernity and post-modernity in a globalizing world, are also welcome. Of course, paper, panel, and roundtable proposals on topics other than the conference theme are also welcome.

Division 4: Formal Political Theory

Adam Meirowitz, Princeton University (ameirowi@princeton.edu)

This division welcomes papers which use formal mathematical models broadly speaking, including game theory, social choice theory, agent-based and behavioral approaches. Papers which are concerned with theoretical development as well as applied papers, including the application of formal models to new areas and experimental and field tests of formal models are welcomed. Papers which engage the 2009 conference theme, “Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era”, are especially welcomed.

Division 5: Political Psychology

Tom Rudolph, University of Illinois (rudolph@uiuc.edu)

Political psychology has always been a field in motion. Whether focused on personality and culture, attitudes and voting, information processing, or recent advances in neuroscience and bio-politics, political psychology is itself a field marked by considerable complexity and change. Political psychologists are thus well suited to fulfill the charge of this year's meeting: to think about the pursuit of knowledge in a context of change and complexity.

Proposals that bring insights from political psychology to bear on the twin themes of change and complexity are particularly encouraged. Also welcome are proposals that address traditional questions of political psychology, including affect, identity, leadership studies, neuroscience, personality, political cognition, political communication, public opinion, race, values, and voting. Scholars are invited to submit proposals for traditional papers, posters, full panels, or roundtables.

Division 6: Political Economy

Cheryl Schonhardt-Bailey, London School of Economics (c.m.schonhardtbailey@lse.ac.uk)

The Political Economy section invites paper and panel proposals on any aspect of the relationship between politics and economics, including but not limited to the typical areas of policy relevance (trade, aid, monetary, and fiscal policy), institutions and institutional change, economic globalization, redistribution, inequality, property rights, ideas and beliefs, and so on. Given its inherent multidisciplinary nature, we particularly welcome proposals that extend into other disciplines (history, law, geography, psychology, sociology etc.)

The APSA theme urges us to explore change and complexity in the pursuit of knowledge—and in particular, to bring that knowledge to bear on challenges in the contemporary era. Following this theme of Politics in Motion, the Political Economy section invites submissions that (1) employ new methodologies and approaches; (2) address contemporary challenges and puzzles in political economy; (3) encourage policy relevance (and if possible, bring together scholars and practitioners); and (4) explore either new or previously underused data. In short, we encourage submissions that capture the theme of Politics in Motion by embracing new tools, new questions, new people and new data.

Division 7: Politics and History

Kimberly J. Morgan, George Washington University (kjmorgan@gwu.edu)

Julian E. Zelizer, Princeton University (jzelizer@Princeton.edu)

Scholarship that falls under the umbrella of Politics and History is particularly well suited to address the main themes of the 2009 Annual Meeting—change and complexity. Historical analysis is essential for making sense of the nature and sources of institutional and policy change and for exploring the complex causal forces that underlie many political phenomena. We are particularly interested in proposals that examine the forces driving continuity and change over time. We also welcome papers and panels that investigate how historical methods can be deployed to address questions of import to political science. Proposals may also explore comparative or transnational phenomena in historical perspective.

Division 8: Political Methodology

Jay Goodliffe, Brigham Young University (goodliffe@byu.edu)

The Political Methodology division welcomes paper, panel, and roundtable proposals addressing all aspects of empirical methodology. As in years past, the division encourages submissions dealing with the logic of inquiry, measurement, estimation and specification, and theory development. In particular, the division invites proposals that develop new methodological techniques as well as innovative applications of existing techniques, including those from other disciplines. The conference theme, “Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity,” presents opportunities for proposals exploring the methodologies of causal inference, and complexity and networks, respectively. In addition, special consideration will be given to proposals that discuss how to present complex phenomena and (the results of) complex methods and analyses in an understandable way.

Division 9: Teaching and Learning in Political Science

Vicki L. Golich, California State University, San Marcos (vgolich@csusm.edu)

In A Teacher Is Many Things, Earl V. Pullias and James D. Young (1968) note that university faculty are critical to “the making of the future. It [is our] responsibility to discover and to assimilate an avalanche of information and to transmit it to a similar avalanche of students. Even more challenging, however [is our] responsibility to seek for [our]selves and to help others to obtain and apply wisdom enough to use our pyramiding knowledge for the preservation of our [society] and the improvement of [our] condition” (xi). Their call for institutions of higher education to “improve the human condition” has been echoed by many. For example, Nannerl O. Keohane, in Higher Ground: Ethics and Leadership in the Modern University (Keohane 2006) argues that colleges and universities are “intergenerational partnerships in learning and discovery, with compelling moral purposes that include not only teaching and research but also service to society.” Harold Shapiro, in A Larger Sense of Purpose: Higher Education and Society, argues that the ultimate obligation of any contemporary institution of higher education is to influence the moral development of its students—their ethical judgments and behaviors as members of society (Shapiro 2005).

For 2009, Teaching and Learning in Political Science Section seeks proposals that address this moral imperative as it collides with the challenges faculty confront with teaching the “GenMe” (Twenge 2006) student body—characterized as “schooled in the church of self-esteem, vying for spots on reality television, promoting themselves on YouTube” (Rosenbloom 2008)—and the increasing complexities affecting politics at all levels. We seek a full range of papers, posters, formal panels, and roundtables that address effective, best practices for engaging students in deep and meaningful learning, for imparting the imperative of civic connections, and for sharpening the skill sets—critical thinking, writing, speaking, listening, and collaborative team work—required for success in the 21st century workplace.

The most successful proposals will be those which engage the conference theme directly—Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era. We welcome an exploration of a wide range of topics, which include curriculum design; pedagogical choices—case studies, debates, lecture, and service learning; experiential learning—study abroad, field or community-based research, and internships; assessment of learning—exams, projects, research papers, and digital products (e.g., short films, web pages); technological enhancements—film, conferencing with students geographically distant (either domestically or internationally), web-based research. Please think creatively.

Division 10: Political Science Education

Johnny Goldfinger, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis (jgoldfin@iupui.edu)

The Political Science Education division invites paper, panel, and roundtable proposals on topics related to educating students. It also seeks people willing to serve as chairs and discussants. All proposals pertaining to teaching politics are encouraged. This division is particularly interested in proposals that incorporate the theme of this year's conference, the pursuit of knowledge in a context of change and complexity. This theme has considerable relevance for political science education. Change and complexity are ongoing concerns both in and outside the classroom. Proposals, for example, may involve approaches to teaching political change and complexity. They may be about changes in how political subjects are taught. They may deal with administrative and curricular complexities that affect students and educators.

This division aims to advance all aspects of political science education. It, therefore, welcomes a wide range of topics and methodologies. Proposals, for example, may focus on administration, advising, assessment, assignments, best practices, civic engagement, course management tools, curriculum development, diversity, educational goals, experiential learning, graduate training, ideological bias, internships, online courses, pedagogic responsibilities, service learning, simulations, teaching strategies, technology in the classroom, etc. Proposals may be concerned with pedagogic practice or involve the scholarship of teaching and learning. Methodologies may be qualitative, quantitative, theoretical, or philosophical.

The Political Science Education section is committed to including all people interested in the teaching of politics at two and four-year colleges and universities. It, therefore, welcomes submissions from faculty, administrators, and graduate students. It also encourages proposals by scholars, practitioners, and activists with professional affiliations or working independently.

Division 11: Comparative Politics

Margarita Estévez-Abe, Syracuse University (estevezabe@gmail.com)

Yoshiko Herrera, University of Wisconsin, Madison (yherrera@wisc.edu)

Socio-economic transformations and flows of people across national borders have drastically changed the demographic structures of many countries. Age structures, family types and religious/ethnic compositions of countries are rapidly changing. What are the causes and consequences of these demographic changes? How have social identities, political parties and interest groups, political attitudes and notions of citizenship changed?

Does the rising economic and political power of a new group of countries challenge the existing theories about economic and political development? Is it the case that state and market mechanisms are being combined in new ways, changing the political and institutional prerequisites for economic development? Has the third wave of democratization given way to a permanent wave of hybrid regimes that combine liberal and illiberal elements, such as imperfect but competitive elections, islands of rule of law, and significant but limited political and civil liberties? Do these new regimes render the traditional categories of democracy or dictatorship irrelevant?

We encourage creative uses of existing and new datasets, including new types of data, as well as innovative and mixed methodological approaches (e.g. the use of experiments, network, and spatial analysis as well as formal, quantitative and qualitative methods). New kinds of collaboration across subfields and disciplines (e.g. work on the boundaries of comparative and IR or comparative and American politics, cross-regional work, political psychology, and political geography) are also welcome. Finally, we encourage panels from the full range topics, areas, and methodological approaches that comprise comparative politics today.

Division 12: Comparative Politics of Developing Countries

Ana María Bejarano, University of Toronto (ana.bejarano@utoronto.ca)

Antoinette Handley, University of Toronto (a.handley@utoronto.ca)

We invite all proposals in the field of comparative, developing politics but in particular welcome carefully constructed panel proposals that address this year's twin themes, complexity and change. What is new and what has remained the same in the developing world? Is it simply our analyses that have changed? And is the nature of change—and/or of complexity—substantively different in developing countries?

Change and complexity may of course be manifest on at least four levels: globally and regionally, at the level of national regimes, at the level of governments, and within broader societies. What, for example, are the implications of the passing of the Cold War order? How, if at all, has globalization “thickened” the set of interactions between various economies? What do migration patterns tell us about the politics that moves people? Are new types of regimes (democratic or otherwise) emerging? Has the state been effectively stripped down by neo-liberalism and/or has its reach proliferated in subterranean ways? Do social transformations (spurred by new technologies and/or rapid urbanization) substantively change the nature of politics? How new is the new commodities boom? And how do policymakers grapple with the staggering complexity of it all?

The notions of change and complexity can themselves be dissected. Given that our field has been shaped by both dialectical and more linear models, how do we understand “change” in the developing world? Does it always mean movement forward? Focusing on “complexity” may evoke alternative approaches, less focused on motion, more grounded in specificity and context. How do we parse the complex, evolving matrices of political life in analytically meaningful ways? Both complexity and change pose distinct methodological challenges, and papers addressing these issues are invited too.

Division 13: The Politics of Communist and Former Communist Countries

Michael Bernhard, Pennsylvania State University (mhb5@psu.edu)

With the collapse of communist systems in Europe over fifteen years ago, and the accelerating integration of East Asian communist-led states into the global capitalist system, including the assumption of a prominent place in that system by China, does it make sense to think of the complex of problems facing these countries as function of communist rule or as legacies of a communist past? In the past the study of communist states has been its own separate cottage industry, justified by an exceptional developmental trajectory in which the state monopolized the political sphere and administered the economy. Not only were special linguistic skills and local knowledge necessary to understand the politics of these areas, but a special substantive knowledge about the operation of a radically different kind of polity, economy, and social system was also a prerequisite to making sense of political outcomes.

The changes of the last two decades have made it possible to collect new kinds of data, as well as apply theories and tools developed in the study of different kinds of polities to Eastern Europe, Eurasia, and East Asia. What have the deployment of these new tools added to the understanding of late-communist or post-communist politics? To what extent do these tools justify a break with practices of the past? How important is it to understand the impact of radically different path of these countries to modernity to understand their politics in contemporary age? If such legacies are important, how should they be integrated into the study of this set of countries today? Are the special legacies of this development pattern important enough to justify the study of this group of countries as a separate entity or should the comparative politics of communist and post-communist countries be fully integrated into a “normal” comparative politics?

Finally, do the different paths out of late-communism of East European, Eurasian, and East Asian states mean that the study of communist and post-communist politics has lost coherence? We have one group of countries that are rapidly integrating into the European Union, another which wavers between attempts to create liberal-democratic capitalist modernity and neo-authoritarian non-communist statism, and a set of states that have used authoritarian party-rule as the engine of rapid capitalist development. Should this variety of states be studied as a coherent whole or as a set of states with varying trajectories out of a similar systemic starting point? At what would point would such legacies cease to matter?

Division 14: Advanced Industrial Societies

Mark Blyth, Johns Hopkins University (Mark.Blyth@jhu.edu)

The section on the comparative politics of advanced industrial societies (AIS) seeks panel and individual paper proposals that engage the conference theme of complexity and change. The study of advanced industrial societies is a rich area of political science that cuts across several subfields ranging from political economy to political behavior to political culture. While perspectives that focus upon the continuities of politics have much to offer, we should not be pursuing such research at the expense of the analysis of change. The focus on stability rather than change, however, does appear to be the rule rather than the exception. For example, rational actor models tend to focus on equilibrium states, historical institutionalists seek to explain path-dependent continuities of politics, and cultural and ideational approaches also stress the stabilizing impact of ideas and culture. While such approaches are of great value they share a common drawback: they are often taken by surprise by rapid change, such as the sudden prominence of collateral debt obligations in developed financial markets or spiralling oil prices. However, such changes do occur, which suggests that a direct engagement with the themes of change and complexity is most urgent.

Taking the conference themes as an opportunity to push research in new directions this section seeks papers that go beyond our standard models to explore what complexity and change means for political science and the study of the AIS. Consequently, this section welcomes proposals that pursue interdisciplinary approaches that engage and employ non-traditional methods. It is completely open to orientation, seeking the broadest set of approaches possible that engage with the issues of understanding change and coping (theoretically) with complexity. Cutting edge approaches such as agent-based modeling and the analysis of performativity in complex systems are as welcome as ethnographic and historical research. Panels that blend diverse methods and approaches by attacking change and complexity as common problems are especially welcome.

Division 15: European Politics and Society

Sven Steinmo, European University Institute, Florence (sven.steinmo@eui.eu)

The European Politics and Society section welcomes papers for the 2009 APSA meeting under the theme “Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era.” We find this theme particularly appropriate for students of European politics and society. European societies and political economies are clearly in motion. But given the significant variation and complexity within Europe, consistent patterns are difficult to discern. Certainly there are profound challenges—international economic competition, aging populations, growing ethnic diversity, and increasingly obvious divisions between insiders and outsiders. It is far from the case, however, that all European countries are buckling under these pressures. In fact, many European nations are performing well economically and some even appear to be groping toward new kinds of social stability. Indeed, the once nearly hegemonic neo-liberal economic model that swept across Europe in recent years appears to be off the agenda in several European states—even though it is far from clear what will move in to replace it.

We are interested in paper and panel proposals that explore the complex interactions between the social, demographic, economic and political forces pressing European societies today. We take the term complexity not to simply imply “complicated,” but rather to suggest sets of complex interactions between systems and sub-systems within the political economy and society. To what extent do we see common patterns and responses and to what extent do the complex interactions between these variables create unique problems and/or policy opportunities? Proposals that specifically explore complexity or evolutionary theories in the context of these substantive social and policy challenges will be particularly welcome.

Division 16: International Political Economy

H. Richard Friman, Marquette University (h.r.friman@marquette.edu)

This division invites proposals from scholars and policy practitioners for papers, panels, and roundtables on International Political Economy, broadly defined. The 2008 convention themes of change and complexity in the contemporary era hold particular relevance for the subfield given its origins in periods of dislocation and continuity. What exactly has changed in the contemporary global political economy? To what extent are such shifts simply intensifications of trends evident since the modern inception of the subfield or throwbacks to an earlier age? What are the defining characteristics of today's complexity? To what extent do the perceptions of these characteristics differ across the multiplicity of actors the global political economy engages?

In addressing these and other aspects of the broad themes of this year's convention, submissions that extend beyond the compartmentalized treatment of finance, trade, or migration are strongly encouraged, as are analyses of the intersections of licit and illicit markets. Proposals that engage the subfield through the use of diverse theoretical modes of inquiry, historically informed analysis, and comparative explorations of the experiences and concerns of actors including but not limited to advanced industrial country governments will be especially welcome.

Division 17: International Collaboration

Fen Osler Hampson, Carleton University (Fen_Hampson@carleton.ca)

The world confronts a wide range of complex global problems that include resource (renewable and non-renewable) depletion, environmental degradation or pollution, climate change, loss of biodiversity, deforestation, water shortages, population growth, financial stability, nuclear proliferation, infectious diseases, etc. Many of these problems are running ahead of humanity's ability to solve them and there is a growing gap in the capacity of existing international institutions to solve or manage them. International institutions and treaties commonly work too slowly to address the most burning global issues. Many intergovernmental conferences lack proper follow-up mechanisms. And, in the eyes of some, current G8 and other institutions of global governance have serious limitations of exclusivity, unrepresentativeness, and leadership far too removed from the people whose interests they purport to serve.

This section is interested in exploring the theoretical and practical aspects of international collaboration around complex global issues. We are interested in papers and panels that (1) offer new theoretical insights into the theory of international collaboration; (2) assess the strengths and weaknesses of existing collaborative mechanisms (formal and informal) to deal with complex global issues; (3) discuss practical ways of strengthening or improving existing collaborative mechanisms; and (4) explore alternative forms and approaches to international collaboration and governance.

We are also interested in papers and panels that discuss the role and importance of different kinds of leadership in dealing with complexity and promoting international collaboration to resolve complex global issues. This includes issue-based networks which have tended to form fortuitously when leadership has been provided by foundations, philanthropists, intergovernmental organizations, and the attractant qualities of key personalities.

Division 18: International Security

Dalia Dassa Kaye, RAND Corporation (dkaye@rand.org)

Deborah Avant, UC Irvine (Deborah.Avant@gmail.com)

In keeping with this year's theme of “politics in motion,” the International Security division is particularly interested in paper, panel and roundtable submissions that focus on changes, continuities and adaptations of state and non-state actors to evolving security challenges. This includes (but is not limited to): the dispersion or concentration of power centers, stability or change in nation-states faced with complex internal and global pressures, the causes and effects of ungoverned spaces, the causes and effectiveness of post-conflict stabilization efforts and humanitarian intervention, the nexus between political transitions and security, various forms of political violence (including insurgencies, mass killings, and terrorism), proliferation of weapons and technology, and the security dimensions of a variety of global challenges (such as refugee flows, economic crises, and environmental catastrophes). Proposals may also revisit traditional security challenges (causes of war, deterrence theory, civil-military relations) in light of new global actors and changing internal political dynamics within states.

Consistent with this year's call to bring knowledge to bear beyond the academy, we also encourage submissions to reflect not only important scholarly debates but also policy implications and solutions for real world problems. Panels and roundtables that mix scholars and practitioners are particularly welcome.

Division 19: International Security and Arms Control

Andrew Dorman, King's College London (andrew.dorman@kcl.ac.uk)

The International Security and Arms Control fields are in a state of flux. Constant change appears to be the norm rather than the exception. In a post-911 world, the War on Terror has not been brought to an end; US-led forces continue to engage in military operations in Iraq whilst NATO is currently overseeing operations in Afghanistan. At the same time the Chinese military is actively engaged in supporting recovery operations after the devastating earthquake whilst the Burmese military have frustrated the international community in their handling of the situation after a devastating cyclone struck their country. Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council has approved the deployment of warships into Somali territorial waters to help combat growing piracy. In the background there are rising oil, raw material and food prices, the latter having led to food riots in a number of states whilst the need for all has led to greater Chinese engagement in the world, especially in Africa. At the same time we are witnessing a major change in the leadership of the world's leading states. France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia and Russia have new leaders with the United States set to inaugurate a new President in January 2009.

All this raises the question of whether we are genuinely seeing real changes within the international system accompanied by new security challenges or are we merely seeing variations on existing themes. Do we need to rethink our understanding and definition of security and arms control? What are the implications for the people of the world, individual states, non-governmental actors and international organizations? How can governments and individuals deal with the complexities of these challenges? Where does academia fit in? To what extent should we engage in transferring our knowledge beyond the narrow confines of academia?

The division seeks proposals for papers and panels relating to the themes noted above and any others addressing the major security issues drawing upon a variety of theoretical perspectives.

Division 20: Foreign Policy

Christopher Sprecher, Texas A&M University (sprecher@politics.tamu.edu)

The Foreign Policy division welcomes proposals for papers and panels that address central issues in the study of foreign policy. It welcomes papers and panel proposals on topics analyzed from a wide variety of research paradigms. Proposals relating to both U.S. foreign policy and the study of the foreign policies of other states are encouraged. Studies of comparative foreign policy are especially welcome and encouraged. The division welcomes proposals from non-U.S. based scholars, as well as proposals for entire panels constructed around a particular theme. Proposals on any aspect of foreign policy are welcome, but the division especially encourages proposals that cross levels of analysis and utilize a multi-method approach. In addition, in keeping with the general theme of APSA 2009, the division is especially interested in panels and papers that address the issue of politics in motion, particularly the role that change and complexity play in foreign policy analysis. Potential topics that could be addressed in this manner (but are not limited to) include the changing nature of American foreign policy after the 2008 election; the role of ethnic politics in foreign policy; domestic political structures and the decision to go to war; changes within the international economic system and their impact on foreign policy decision-making; linkages between the economic and diplomatic spheres; the role of multinational corporations in foreign policy decision-making; identity politics and the changing nature of the international system; methodological approaches to foreign policy in a dynamic world; and terrorism and foreign policy after September 11, 2001.

Division 21: Conflict Processes

Daniel Morey, University of Kentucky (dsmore2@email.uky.edu) Megan Shannon, University of Mississippi (mshannon@olemiss.edu)

The Conflict Processes section invites proposals for papers, panels, and roundtables presenting sound theoretical explanations and thorough empirical research about the causes and consequences of international and civil conflict. In keeping with this year's theme, “Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era,” we are interested in proposals that explore the dynamics of international conflict and/or provide multifaceted explanations for conflict. The nature of international and civil conflict has changed in numerous ways since the formation of the modern nation-state. Interstate conflict has become less frequent while civil conflict has increased in scope, intensity, and frequency. Moreover, countries have found new ways to manage their conflicts over time, particularly through their increased participation in international institutions. Strategic models of international and civil conflict have begun to capture the complexity of relations between actors, revealing the unique interactions that both promote and prevent disputes. As the field of conflict processes develops, we focus less on single variable explanations and more on the intricate nature of international relations. We welcome proposals on the changing dynamics of conflict as well as the strategic and complex nature of conflict. Proposals on other topics are also welcome.

Division 22: Legislative Studies

Patrick Sellers, Davidson College (pasellers@davidson.edu)

The 2008 APSA theme of “Politics in Motion” is highly relevant to legislative studies. The topics of change, complexity, and practical impact have long occupied scholars in this field, and I hope to craft panels which add to our understanding of these topics within legislatures. For example, what can we learn from the second change in partisan control of the U.S. Congress within 12 years? How is our understanding of the legislative process improved by considering influences outside the legislature, such as the executive branch, interest groups, or the media? How do our theoretical and empirical insights shape who gets what, when, where, or why? The legislative studies division is also looking for papers that address the array of topics that arise naturally in the study of legislative politics: parties, coalition formation, committees, rule changes, budgets, leadership, chamber floor strategy, elections, and patterns of legislative behavior in a historical context. Papers can examine these topics in contexts ranging from the U.S. Congress to U.S. state legislatures to those in other countries. Although panel, roundtable, and individual paper proposals are welcome, individual paper proposals are typically easier to accommodate. Also encouraged are papers with a clearly posed question and with multi-method analysis, integrating statistical analysis, carefully-chosen case studies, formal models with empirical applications, or other analytical approaches.

Division 23: Presidency Research

Randall E. Adkins, University of Nebraska, Omaha (radkins@unomaha.edu)

As a new president takes office in January of 2009, the theme of the next APSA conference, “Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era,” offers an excellent opportunity to reflect on the pursuit of knowledge in the study of the presidency. The institution has certainly been marked by change in the contemporary era, but some might argue that more change is needed. The presidency has also been marked by a growth in the complexity of relationships with actors inside and outside of the executive branch in recent years. Our themes of change and complexity suggest that the pursuit of knowledge is in constant motion. We are challenged by the era in which we live to bring our knowledge to bear to discover both the causes and consequences of the growing changes and increased complexity, and to encourage greater policy relevance.

The Presidency Research Group encourages panels and papers that offer new empirical or theoretical insights into the study of the presidency. We also wish to encourage proposals that address interdisciplinary approaches to the study of executive leadership at the international, regional, state, or local level.

The Presidency Research Group is especially interested in timely panel and paper topics such as interpreting the 2008 presidential election, assessing the Bush presidency, or the transition of the new administration to office. We welcome proposals on timeless topics such as: the constitutional and legal foundations of the presidency, the evolution of presidential power, the president's relationship with Congress, management of the executive branch, the president's relationship with the Courts, the president's leadership of the political parties, the president's relationship with the news media, the president's leadership of public opinion, the president's role in domestic and foreign policymaking, and the presidency in comparison to executive leadership of other nations. Special consideration will be given to proposals that choose to integrate the conference themes of change and complexity.

Division 24: Public Administration

Sally Selden, Lynchburg College (selden@lynchburg.edu)

The meeting's overall focus on “Politics in Motion” is especially appropriate for the study of public administration given how much the field has changed and evolved due to sustained pressure on public organizations to be more accountable, efficient and effective. The effects of globalization and technology are visible at all levels of government. Proposals for papers, panels, and posters fitting into the conference's broader themes are welcome. How does the field of public administration keep up with changes while staying reflective and grounded? What are the emerging trends in public administration? What are the implications of those trends for preparing the next generation of public leaders? How do we distinguish the proximate from the persistent, the time-bound from the timeless in our discipline? What impact is the polarization in U.S. politics having on public administration and public managers? How will rapid aging and other changing demographics affect public administration and current human resource management systems and practices?

While proposals on all aspects of public administration are welcome, we are particularly interested in papers and panels that address the theme of change, complexity, and practical impact. Consistent with the conference's theme, papers addressing methodological and theoretical challenges posed by complexity and change are invited, as are papers that highlight the multiplicity and variation of the phenomena we study in public administration.

Division 25: Public Policy

Sheldon Kamieniecki, University of California, Santa Cruz (sk1@ucsc.edu)

The 2009 meeting's general theme of change and complexity in the contemporary era is directly in line with the current study of public policy. The recent literature indicates how political scientists and policy analysts are evaluating different ways to research public policy as well as looking for new and innovative approaches to the formulation and implementation of public policy. Such efforts incorporate a wide variety of theoretical and empirical perspectives and approaches and seek to add to the existing knowledge base in public policy. The increased recognition of the true complexity of policymaking is persuading researchers to collaborate with scholars outside their fields of inquiry and become involved in interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary studies of policy problems and their possible solutions. Proposals that take this approach are particularly encouraged, including those that cover several policy areas, that deal with public policy in more than one political system, or which have explicit methodological or broadly theoretical perspectives. Papers reflecting these types of research efforts and that address change and complexity in public policy are particularly welcome. Proposals for papers, panels, and posters are welcome from all theoretical and methodological orientations and from all segments of the field. Those with broader theoretical and practical applications or lessons are especially encouraged, as are those which bring together different perspectives for a single panel. Proposals explicitly tackling crucial methodological and research issues are invited. Proposals for innovative panel formats, beyond the traditional four-papers-and-a-discussant, are also desired.

As in previous years, proposals across a wide variety of interests and concerns within the study of public policy, but are particularly interested in how political science and other disciplines link empirical, theoretical, and normative aspects of policy are welcome. Those who submit proposals are urged to incorporate empirical, theoretical, and normative concerns in their papers and to involve scholars from a variety of fields of inquiry in their panels. Papers that incorporate approaches ranging from discourse analysis to complex quantitative modeling are invited. In particular, comparative work across disciplinary boundaries, historical periods, and with reference to several nations or political systems are appreciated. Proposals may also focus on international organizations, the international system, or politics within developing countries in addition to addressing the United States and developed nations. Changes in class, gender, race, ethnicity, and other forms of human identity related to public policy are particularly relevant, and papers analyzing these aspects are therefore strongly encouraged.

The overall emphasis on change and complexity in the contemporary era raises questions about how students of public policy are paying attention to these concepts, and how they might in the future. To what extent are public policies the reflection of social inequalities and rapidly changing demographics, and to what extent are they the cause? In sum, a wide range of proposals of all types reflecting the healthy diversity of approaches to the study of public policy are welcome.

Section 26: Law and Courts

Georg Vanberg, University of North Carolina (gvanberg@unc.edu)

The Law and Courts section invites proposals for papers and panels investigating the role of legal actors and institutions in the political process, including (but not limited to) judicial decision-making, the interactions between judicial institutions and other policymakers, and the connections between legal and political processes in a broader social context. Proposals that develop a comparative perspective are encouraged. In keeping with this year's overall conference theme, which focuses on “Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era,” we are particularly interested in proposals that explore the changing role of courts in the political process, as well as proposals that explore the complex interactions between legal institutions and other societal actors.

Division 27: Constitutional Law and Jurisprudence

Mark Brandon, Vanderbilt University (mark.brandon@law.vanderbilt.edu)

Pamela Brandwein, University of Michigan (pbrand@umich.edu)

The program chairs for the annual meeting have encouraged us to consider themes of change and complexity as they bear on political phenomena. The Division of Constitutional Law and Jurisprudence welcomes all papers and proposals but encourages submissions that connect the meeting's twin themes with the study of constitutionalism, constitutional law (broadly conceived), and jurisprudence. Possible substantive areas might include: the tension between continuity and change in constitutional orders; the relations among public law, political institutions, and social forms and practices; modes of and limits to constitutional change; legitimacy and constitutional change; evolution and revolution in constitutional orders; the internationalization of constitutional law; and the relations among law, politics, economy, and morality. Studies of constitutional law outside of courts are welcome, as are studies that draw on approaches and perspectives of other disciplines. In light of the meeting's location, comparative approaches and international themes are especially appropriate. For proposals for panels, the division invites submissions that balance the participation of senior scholars, junior scholars, and graduate students. For proposed book panels, the division encourages submissions that include more than one book, particularly submissions that pair the work of an established scholar with that of an emerging scholar.

Division 28: Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations

Robert Vipond, University of Toronto (rvipond@chass.utoronto.ca)

The theme of the 2009 APSA Annual Meeting, “Politics in Motion,” aptly describes the shifting scholarly terrain in the field of federalism and intergovernmental relations. For the first time in its 104 years, the Annual Meeting will take place outside of the United States—in a country whose constitutional architects believed they had corrected the design flaws inherent in American federalism no less! What better way to give substance to the symbolism of the APSA beyond the U.S. than by taking stock of some of the international manifestations of federalism? We encourage paper proposals that build in an international dimension—whether by exploring federalism as a strategy for reducing conflict in deeply divided societies, taking stock of the influence of American federalism abroad, analyzing federalism as a variable in the policy process cross-nationally, and so on.

The twin themes of change and complexity also resonate with developments in federalism and intergovernmental relations. The theme of change “draws our attention to what is new, different, and unusual in politics.” The field of federalism and intergovernmental relations is a case in point, where considerable attention has been paid recently to the dynamics of such things as multi-level governance, “glocalization,” asymmetrical federalism, regional innovation systems, and intergovernmental networks. One of the characteristics of these changes is their complexity and fluidity. Has federalism become so fluid that it is now difficult to provide clear and parsimonious accounts of the politics that underlie it and follow from it? Or have we overstated the extent to which things have changed? At the end of the day, for example, has the Bush presidency transformed the politics of federalism in the U.S., or do familiar patterns endure? Again to paraphrase the organizers: We encourage federalism and IGR panels “that ask in what ways is the world more complex and in what ways do we just see it as such.”

Division 29: State Politics and Policy Section

Beth Reingold, Emory University (beth.reingold@emory.edu)

This year's conference theme, “Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era,” is particularly suited to the challenges and opportunities faced by scholars interested in state-level politics and policymaking. The diverse and dynamic political institutions and cultures of the American states are fertile ground for exploring many of the most interesting developments in contemporary politics and political science. In an era of devolution, the states have literally put American politics in motion, providing the proving grounds for policy innovation, electoral reform, institutional development, and diverse leadership. Yet, as the states so clearly demonstrate, such profound change rarely proceeds in a monolithic or simplistic fashion. Across and within the states, political change occurs in fits and starts; it assumes various forms, for various reasons; and its effects are equally diverse. In short, change and complexity go hand in hand. The State Politics and Policy section welcomes proposals that grapple with the simultaneity of change and complexity in contemporary politics by capitalizing on the theoretical, empirical, and/or methodological strengths and resources of the subfield.

How might the multiplicity and variety of institutions, electorates, leaders, and cultures within and across the states help us better capture and understand the complexity of political change? How can we capitalize on the multiplicity and variety of methodological approaches available in the state politics subfield—from the single-state qualitative to the cross-state comparative to the large-N quantitative? What sorts of new data sources and innovative measurement strategies can state politics scholars employ to better describe and explain complex patterns of change and continuity within and across the various states and state-level institutions?

As always, the section seeks a wide range of theoretically grounded and methodologically rigorous proposals that contribute to our knowledge of state politics, utilize the states to address important questions and controversies in the study of politics writ large, or both. Proposals that cross institutional boundaries and/or engage scholars from multiple sections are strongly encouraged.

Division 30: Urban Politics

Kristin Good, Dalhousie University (Kristin.Good@Dal.Ca)

Peter Burns, Loyola University New Orleans (pburns@loyno.edu)

The theme of this year's conference, “Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era,” invites us to consider what is new in politics and how we ought to study highly complex, variable, and interdependent political environments. Furthermore, it asks us to reflect on how we might translate this knowledge into forms that practitioners can use to address contemporary public policy challenges. In other words, the theme calls on us to contemplate the fundamental question of where our discipline is heading.

We invite papers that consider what is new in urban and suburban politics, policy, and places and that explore these trends in ways that speak to the broader discipline and policy practitioners. As we move forward, we encourage participants to reflect upon what the most important contributions of our sub-field have been as well as what our sub-field might offer to the broader discipline in the future—theoretically, methodologically, and empirically. Are we seeing the emergence of new modes of politics in cities? And, if so, to what extent do these novel forms of political life reflect, cause, or foreshadow broader national and global trends? Or, alternatively, if they seem unique then why and what can we learn from them? Urban scholars have already begun to document important new forms of community organizing, sources of community mobilization, and the emergence of novel configurations of local and multi-level governance arrangements. Others, have explored how new patterns of social diversity influence the political life of cities. We look forward to papers that consider how these new modes of participation and social diversity affect city politics and policy.

We see the decision to hold the meeting in Canada, as a symbol of the comparative direction in which the discipline is moving. As such we particularly welcome papers that address these (and other) topics comparatively—through intra-city, inter-city, and cross-national comparisons. Case studies that are theory-driven and positioned within comparative frameworks are also welcome. Papers that address the question of the potential fruitfulness of United States-Canada comparisons would be of particular interest to this year's audience.

Division 31: Women and Politics Research Section

Georgia Duerst-Lahti, Beloit College (duerstgj@beloit.edu)

Scholarship on women and politics has always been imbued with change, complexity, and practical impact. Indisputably, our scholarship has served as a catalyst, by revising concepts and constructs and pushing ideas from the margins to the mainstream. Because so much is at stake for women, our research often drives policy and institutional change, uncovers differential effects among women as well as between women and men across global diversity. What now is at the forefront of complexity for women and politics as we probe deeply and richly our vast topic that traverses all subfields of political science?

For 2009 meeting, the Women and Politics Research section particularly invites scholarship on what is new, different, and unusual for women and politics. How can theory best inform current praxis for women in politics? What are the most pressing research subjects for women in turbulent global politics? Which advances in feminist thought push critical boundaries for change or address emerging challenges? How can we integrate across subfields? Improve methodologies? Push inclusive knowledge?

Full panels and roundtables on the above themes will be considered, along with individual papers. Additionally and consistent with the overall theme, the section welcomes proposals for panels or roundtables that bring together scholars and practitioners. Feel free to contact Georgia Duerst-Lahti, the section program chair, with ideas for the latter especially. duerstgj@beloit.edu

Division 32: Race, Ethnicity, and Politics

Mark Sawyer, UCLA (msawyer@polisci.ucla.edu)

Diane-Michele Prindeville, New Mexico State University (dmprinde@nmsu.edu)

This year's APSA conference theme of “Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era” reflects a world undergoing rapid change due to unstable economic and political conditions, environmental crises, transnational migration, the growing globalization of popular culture, and increasingly multiracial identities. Much of the transformation occurring domestically and internationally has resulted in greater social, economic, and environmental inequities that create an even deeper chasm between the “haves” and “have nots”. The “have nots” are excluded from power sharing based on their sex, race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, national origin, age, physical ability, etc. or some combination (the intersection) of these identities.

The Race, Ethnicity and Politics Section has long been concerned with issues of power, equity, voice, and justice. So when the APSA conference committee challenged members to “bring our knowledge to bear beyond the academy” and asked the question “… What do we as scholars have to contribute on such broad concerns as social justice, nonviolent political change, and international peace … ?” we thought our section (and others such as Women & Politics, Sexuality & Politics, and New Political Science, for example) would have a lot to say. The Race, Ethnicity and Politics Section invites papers that:

• • Bridge theory and practice

• • Produce rigorous empirical research that can be applied to solve real life problems

• • Identify strategies for empowering others and organizing student and/or citizen groups

• • Provide examples for incorporating social justice or political activism into college courses

• • Develop recommendations to aid policymakers in reaching tough decisions

• • Give voice to activist scholars who seek to make a difference in their communities

Papers that are forwarding looking and embrace multiple and complex political identities as well as multiple modes of political participation and expression are especially welcome. We also encourage papers that, in exploring change and complexity, cut across subfields in order to better understand race, ethnicity and politics as a space for exploring problems and collectively developing solutions.

Division 33: Religion and Politics

J. Matthew Wilson, Southern Methodist University (jmwilson@smu.edu)

Over the last twenty years, the study of religious ideas, institutions, and motivations has truly blossomed in political science. Religion, once dismissed by many scholars as a peripheral and declining force in modern politics, is now widely acknowledged as central to understanding a host of political phenomena, from attitudes toward poverty, the environment, and homosexuality, to differing notions of just war, to election outcomes in both the developed and the developing world. Thus, the section looks forward to proposals on a broad range of topics spanning all of the traditional sub-fields of political science.

At the same time, the religion and politics section is especially interested in the conference's core themes of change and complexity. Recent decades have witnessed profound transformations in the world's religious landscape. Major faith traditions are becoming much more global than they once were; the Islamic presence in Europe is growing rapidly, as is Christianity in East Asia. There are now more Mormons outside the United States than within, and the balance of membership (and certainly growth and energy) in the Catholic and Anglican churches has shifted to the developing world. In addition, major parts of the globe where religion was once banished from the public square (i.e. the former communist states) are now open to religious influences in political life, while religious believers and ideas in the Western world are increasingly finding themselves challenged by competing liberal, secular orthodoxies. Proposals addressing the political consequences of these changes, either internationally, cross-nationally, or within the various affected countries, would be especially welcome.

In addition, the section encourages proposals engaging the conference's focus on complexity. All too often, religious traditions are regarded as monolithic; thus, work examining politically relevant differences in belief or behavior within larger religious groupings (e.g. “liberal” versus “conservative” Catholicism or “radical” versus “moderate” Islam) is quite valuable. Moreover, the issue agendas of religious groups are often much more complex than popular accounts suggest, so political scientists have much to contribute in elucidating all of the dimensions of religious engagement with politics. Papers taking up these issues of differentiation and nuance would make especially appropriate additions to this year's program.

Division 34: Representation and Electoral Systems

Jack Vowles, University of Exeter (j.vowles@exeter.ac.uk)

This division welcomes paper, panel, and roundtable proposals on any aspect of representation and electoral systems that reflect the full range of the field's empirical, theoretical, and methodological diversity. In keeping with the 2009 conference theme, proposals exploring how global change and increasing social complexity present new challenges to forms of representation and electoral systems will be welcomed, particularly if they have relevance for policy, and/or can bring to bear innovations and new approaches in political science, both theoretical and methodological. The increasing use of forms of democratic deliberation to complement traditional forms of representative democracy might be one theme to be developed. In what senses are citizens' assemblies and citizens’ juries ‘representative, given various issues associated with their selection and the process in which they are engaged? Does it matter that they are not ‘elected’? Can we have representation without election? While proposals focusing on established democracies are welcome, particular consideration will also be given to proposals addressing elections, electoral systems, and representation in new or emerging democracies.

Division 35: Political Organizations and Parties

Marie Hojnacki, Penn State University (marieh@psu.edu)

Christina Wolbrecht, University of Notre Dame (wolbrecht.1@nd.edu)

Inspired by a U.S. presidential election which is groundbreaking in multiple dimensions, we invite proposals that take up the conference theme of “Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era” with regard to the activities and impact of political parties, social movements, and organized interests. Change and complexity characterize the economic and social systems in which political organizations function, the policy problems they seek to address, and the political processes they attempt to influence. Proposals might address questions such as the following: How do party and non-party groups navigate complex political systems and influence how policy makers attend to evolving social problems? Does the relative influence of these organizations, the strategies they employ, and the goals they pursue persist or shift over time? How, and with what success, do groups and parties pursue their goals in an increasingly fast-paced and interconnected global political arena? Does the current American presidential election signal fundamental change—with regards to tactics, candidates, or issues—in the party system and its place in American politics? In addition, we are interested in receiving proposals that seek to investigate how forces of stability and persistence in social and political environments constrain how parties, movements, and interests interact with one another, with their constituencies, and with government. Papers that address how organizations and parties both respond to and reflect enduring as well as temporary change are also welcome.

Most generally, we seek proposals that address engaging questions or puzzles for group and party researchers with innovative and creative research designs, as well as work that highlights various theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of groups, movements, and parties. We strongly encourage proposals that examine political organizations comparatively, theoretically, and within the international system. Although we will accept both panel and individual paper proposals, proposals for individual papers are easier to accommodate within the POP section.

Division 36: Elections and Voting Behavior

Christopher J. Anderson, Cornell University (christopher.anderson@cornell.edu)

The conference theme of change and complexity is familiar to students of behavioral politics. Questions of stability and change are prominent in our subfield, and we have long known that the connections among people, information, and contexts are inherently complex.

I encourage innovative and sophisticated papers with strong theoretical motivations. In particular, I am interested in papers that seek to challenge our orthodox methodologies and analytical lenses to better understand the complexity of electoral politics. And in the spirit of the general theme of the 2009 program, I would like to highlight papers that challenge our conventional views of political dynamics and change as they relate to elections and voting behavior. Papers that cross national boundaries or that integrate different levels of analysis are also encouraged, especially if they seek to shed light on the complex connection between global and local politics or context and behavior more generally. And, of course, this year's meeting provides an opportunity to consider elections and voting behavior in the aftermath of the U.S. presidential and congressional elections as well.

Paper proposals should explain why the proposed research is important, detail the methodological approach, the data sources to be employed, and the hypotheses to be tested, and briefly outline preliminary findings (if applicable). Proposals for roundtables should include only individuals who have already agreed to participate. I also welcome suggestions for “meet the author” sessions of interest. Finally, proposals for panels and roundtables that intersect with other divisions within the Association (e.g., Political Psychology; Political Methodology; Comparative Politics; Political Economy; Political Communication; Public Opinion; Race, Ethnicity, and Politics; Political Organizations and Parties; etc.) will be given careful consideration.

Division 37: Public Opinion Marc J. Hetherington, Vanderbilt University (marc.j.hetherington@vander-bilt.edu)

Consistent with the dual themes of change and complexity, which organize the 2009 program, I encourage proposals that ask and answer questions about the role of both subjects in understanding contemporary politics and its historical roots. Since the 2009 meeting is the first to occur outside American borders, I also encourage proposals that focus on public opinion in comparative perspective.

Scholars of public opinion have often searched for change, but, more often than not, have uncovered stability. The present political context, especially in the U.S., seems a particularly opportune period to uncover evidence of change. Public opinion polls tell candidates and scholars alike that ordinary people crave change. But what does political change mean to citizens? Which issues are important, and which are not? What feelings and dispositions are the sources of these preferences? What are the likely consequences? What is the nature of the mass-elite linkages on such issues? The answers to all these questions are fraught with complexity, both substantively in specifying questions and methodologically in crafting ways to answer them.

Change is particularly obvious in increasing participation rates over the last few elections. What complementary roles have changes in political alternatives and changes in technology played in helping us to understand this normatively important change in behavior? This is a particularly important question to answer since young people, a particularly important constituency for those in the academy, have been at the forefront of this change. I welcome proposals that employ new data sources that might open new avenues to test hypotheses. In general, I encourage proposals that connect the entire menu of public opinion topics ranging from partisanship and ideology to the importance of cognition and social networks to normatively important political questions.

Division 38: Political Communication

Stephen J. Farnsworth, George Mason University (sfarnswo@gmu.edu)

Political Communication has always been an interdisciplinary field in motion, using diverse methodological approaches to examine an ever-increasing range of media outlets and their influences on elite actors and on mass behavior. Our subfield is particularly closely linked to Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era, the 2009 conference theme. In line with that theme, papers exploring the role of a range of modern mass media in affecting current political and cultural developments, including civic engagement, are welcomed. Studies that examine the impacts of new media technologies and networks, including peer-to-peer communication, are particularly relevant to this year's theme.

In recognition of the first APSA Annual Meeting to be held outside the US as well as the growing international nature of political communication, papers that address cross-national questions or use international data collections are especially encouraged.

Paper proposals should explain why the proposed research is important, detail the methodological approach, the data sources to be employed, and the hypotheses to be tested. If applicable, proposals can also briefly outline preliminary findings. Proposals for political communication panels and roundtables are also welcomed.

Division 39: Science, Technology and Environmental Politics

Patricia Wrightson, The National Academies (pwrightson@nas.edu)

The impact of science and technology on politics (and vice versa) is older than politics itself, and the issues that are ripe for examination are as fresh and dynamic as the transformations occurring throughout the sciences. This contrast yields up exciting topics for further inquiry. On the one hand are the ancient and enduring questions of politics and governance—what is justice? What constitutes the equitable distribution of scarce resources? What is freedom? What are individual and collective rights and responsibilities? On the other hand are the scientific revolutions in genetics, synthetic biology, nanotechnology, etc., that could help to redefine, as well as answer, some of these questions. And there is a ‘third hand’—the conditions on the ground: climate change, the increasing scarcity of natural resources, environmentally-induced mass migrations, the resource-consumption divide between ‘north’ and ‘south’ to name just a few. This three-handed approach is well suited to the 2009 APSA Annual Meeting theme on “Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era” and thus to new scholarship in science, technology and environmental policy.

This section welcomes paper and panel submissions that examine aspects of the interrelatedness of theory, policy, scientific and technological innovation, and Earth's limits. STEP also welcomes proposal submissions that move forward the state of the field. While all section-relevant proposal topics will be considered, those related to this year's general theme, Politics in Motion, will be given special attention. The section looks forward to proposals from political scientists, but also from those representing other social and physical science disciplines that are grappling with the relationship of science and politics.

Division 40: Information Technology and Politics

Priscilla M. Regan, George Mason University (pregan@gmu.edu)

The Information, Technology and Politics (ITP) section provides a forum for scholars interested in understanding how information and communication technologies, especially the Internet and new media, are transforming politics and political processes, and how they are altering existing relationships within and among governments, societies and cultures, international institutions, and the non-profit and private sectors.

The 2009 APSA Conference Theme, “Politics in Motion,” emphasizes the context of change and complexity, as well as the challenges shaping the contemporary era. This theme provides numerous connections with the research questions and problems that ITP section members are exploring and analyzing, including: how do information and communication technologies (ICTs) affect political, economic, social and organizational changes; how do emerging ICTs create new opportunities for political participation and how might such participation be selectively conditioned; when do ICTs facilitate changes in traditional organizational and national boundaries, and with what effects; and, how have ICTs contributed to and altered our understanding of complexity in political and social contexts.

The ITP section encourages the submission of panels, papers and roundtables that involve both theoretical/conceptual and empirical approaches, address questions and problems with significant policy implications, utilize multiple methods of analysis, and are multidisciplinary. We are especially interested in proposals that would be good candidates for co-sponsorship with other sections.

Division 41: Politics, Literature and Film Section

Charles T. Rubin, Duquesne University (rubin@duq.edu)

The theme “Politics in Motion” first of all calls our attention to change. But it thereby implicitly requires that we also consider preservation, the other pole that perennially defines the alternatives between which political action cycles. Literature, film and popular culture cannot but provide rich reflection on these twinned themes, particularly insofar as they have become linked with the broad idea of “progress.” When fiction considers change or the prospect of change, it need have no pretense of scholarly neutrality, but can speak boldly to the essential normative question of whether change is for the better—and hence progress—or for the worse.

In modern times particularly, there is nearly an obsession with comparing the way we live now with the way we were, and even with things to come. Authors and film-makers are adept at exposing the ills of the present in comparison with imagined pasts or futures. Panels and papers might highlight such comparison in literature and film from a variety of genres: e.g., social criticism, historical fiction or science fiction. At the same time, fiction questions change by revealing hidden continuities, the utopian foundations of future societies, and the pretensions underlying the notion of progress. And at this first “North American” conference, let us remember the cultural role in how we think about change; panels or papers that highlight Canadian film and literature will be welcome.

The fact that literary works can retain their freshness and appeal over generations, even centuries should cause reflection on the theme of novelty. How are we to evaluate those best sellers, literary lions, and Academy Award and Nobel Prize winners whose “pathbreaking” efforts survive no longer than their authors–if that long? We also know that genres in fiction come and go over time; might the study of the rise of manga and the fall of poetry, musical comedy or the western teach us about the formation of political culture? Are there persisting human qualities that make works accessible across times and cultures? What accounts for lasting success when new forms arise?

Dealing with complexity, a second conference theme, is essential to literature, film and plays, which must abstract from the richness of the world we inhabit and create a microcosm that is yet complex enough to be a believable whole. Fantasy represents an especially challenging arena in which to consider the question of complexity, for it must present us with a world that is both very much not our own and yet comprehensible. At the same time, many fantasy worlds are known for being reflections on the real world, setting up a highly complex dialectic between imagination and reality.

A further source of complexity in the study of literature and film relates directly to a problem the social sciences must also grapple with: how do we understand the relationship between the work studied and the one studying it? Does literature really speak to us across time and space, or do we just think it does by the assumptions we bring to it? Panels that examine one work from a variety of perspectives or a variety of works that involve similar plots, characters, and themes might address this complexity.

Finally, we should look at our own sub-discipline in relationship to the wider profession and world. Panels might attempt to strengthen ties with political philosophy and American politics, or investigate how our interests overlap with those of comparativists, students of international relations, or even those who teach literature and criticism in English departments. Can we enter into dialogue with the creators of the works we study? To what extent can the study of politics through literature, film and popular culture serve to engage and educate citizens who are “turned off” politics by political junkies and politicians?

Division 42: New Political Science

Jocelyn M. Boryczka, Fairfield University (jboryczka@mail. fairfield.edu)

“Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era,” the 2009 APSA conference theme, is one well-suited to the New Political Science Section, founded in a commitment to progressive political change. Motion suggests a progression or movement forward involving ideas of change laden with assumptions about what is “new” and progressive in politics and political science. The New Political Science section is calling for individual papers and panel proposals that interrogate these assumptions about progress, change, and the “new” given the real and perceived complexities of the contemporary political context. Papers and panels that explore this topic by identifying systems of domination and the ways in which people collectively struggle within and against them on the global, national, and grassroots levels are particularly welcome.

The section encourages papers and panel proposals that consider various questions broadly related to what complexity means to political change. How does the perception of complexity contribute to a politics of fatigue that can stagnate political movement? How are complex identities negotiated in efforts for social change? What do these negotiations mean for transforming democracy and capitalism? What “new” and different ways are diverse peoples across the globe mobilizing amidst the complicating forces of globalization and democratization? How do forces of tradition motivate and stagnate struggles for progressive political change committed to non-violence and social justice?

To consider such questions and many others, the section is particularly interested in perspectives that challenge disciplinary and academic boundaries. The section welcomes papers and panel proposals drawing from a broad range of theoretical and empirical approaches, using alternative methodologies, and bringing together junior and senior scholars, activists, and practitioners.

Division 43: International History and Politics

Dan Lindley, University of Notre Dame (dlindley@nd.edu)

The 2009 Annual Meeting themes of complexity, continuity, and change are central concerns of the International History and Politics (IHAP) section. The IHAP section invites papers, panels, and roundtables that apply the study of history to substantive theoretical and/or policy questions and debates in the field of international politics. IHAP is interdisciplinary and multimethod. Proposals involving a number of related fields and subfields are welcomed ranging from security studies to international political economy and foreign policy, and from history to political psychology. Proposals addressing important questions and involving empirical richness will be favored.

Division 44: Comparative Democratization

Omar Encarnacion, Bard College (encarna@bard.edu)

Fewer, if any, of APSA sections lend themselves better to exploring the theme of “Politics in Motion” than comparative democratization. At the very heart of the study of the so-called “Third Wave of Democratization”—the global wave of democratic transitions that swept through Iberian Europe, South America and the former Communist world during the twilight of the 20th century—is in fact the notion of politics in motion. The phrase is most aptly applied to the resurgence of interest in civil society in the process of democratization, from the laudable–the influence of strikes and mass demonstrations in creating democratic openings where none were expected; to the worrisome–the robust rise of citizens' organizations espousing violent tactics in their pursuit of political goals and their contribution to the rise of illiberal polities across the democratizing world.

The desired approach for papers and panels to be considered by the comparative democratization section will be a broad and reflective one, incorporating such concerns as (1) How have the social movements and citizens' groups born or created during the transition to democracy (unions, charities, human rights organizations, and indigenous groups, to name just a few) fared in the post-transition era? (2) What contributions have these groups made to the texture of mass politics that has consolidated across new democracies? (3) Which political and social factors have determining whether or not a democratic public life has been successfully created? (4) Why has the expansion of civil society stagnated in the face of expanded civil and political rights in many newly democratic contexts? (5) What is the legacy of the international community's infatuation with civil society in the process of democratization?

Of course, papers, panels, and roundtables on topics other than the conference theme are welcome as long as they conform to the general parameters of the study of comparative democratization, especially if they bring a novel or experimental approach.

Division 45: Human Rights

Todd Landman, University of Essex (todd@essex..ac.uk)

The 2009 Annual Meeting for the APSA will be held in Toronto and the theme for the meeting is ‘Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era’. The Human Rights Section is pleased to announce its call for papers that address this broad theme, which is particularly apt for the scholarly study of human rights. The section encourages proposals that address the three theme ideas of change, complexity, and the practical impact of our research on the promotion and protection of human rights.

While human rights are grounded in deep normative and philosophical traditions they represent a beacon for the struggle of oppressed and marginalized peoples, and they continue to be forward-looking in providing a useful framework for advancing human dignity and social justice in an increasingly changing and complex world. Human rights standards and principles laid out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and developed through subsequent instruments thereafter have become increasing embraced as providing practical solutions for the complexity of the world's contemporary problems.

Political science scholarship in human rights is particularly adept at capturing the complex nature of human rights problems while providing a rigorous base of argument and evidence from which to formulate policy at the local, national, and international level. The section welcomes proposals that make the link between the normative, the empirical, and the practical. The section is particularly interested in research that addresses the notion of progressive realisation of all human rights, which in our view captures the overall theme ‘Politics in Motion’.

Division 46: Qualitative Methods

Rudra Sil, University of Pennsylvania (rudysil@sas.upenn. edu)

Any attempt to describe, measure and explain change and complexity requires methods and analytic frameworks that can also capture the sources of continuity and uniformity across time and space. The nature and extent of change in any given context cannot be fully appreciated without an understanding of the forces that produce continuity and limit change. Similarly, the scale and implications of complexity across time and space cannot be fully appreciated without an understanding of the standard effects of individual mechanisms in analytically simplified contexts.

The approaches and techniques that fall under the rubric of “qualitative methods” are particularly relevant to the examination of the different ways in which change and complexity are manifested and interconnected in different spatial and temporal contexts. Some approaches may be better suited than others for analyzing certain instances and modes of change in specific periods and locations, while others may be more useful for capturing the evolution of complexity over long time horizons, while still others might be better positioned to track the forces that limit the extent of change and complexity across time and space. It is also possible that multi-method research may be effectively deployed to simultaneously explore different dimensions of change and complexity, at least where there is coherence across the ontological and epistemological foundations for each of the methods employed. And, regardless of the method(s) used, eclectic approaches devised in response to specific problems can shed light on how multiple mechanisms and processes combine to produce diverse individual and collective responses to change and complexity across diverse categories of actors enmeshed in diverse material or ideational structures.

Accordingly, the Qualitative Methods section welcomes proposals for panels and papers that address the particular conceptual, methodological, analytical, and epistemological issues that arise as we seek to make sense of change, complexity, and the relationship between the two. Also of interest are proposals that seek to assess whether qualitative approaches are becoming progressively more effective over time in analyzing change and complexity. In addition to these thematic panels, the section will consider any proposal that addresses issues generally of interest to its members, including, but not limited to: problems of conceptualization and measurement; the relative strengths and trade-offs of within-case analysis, paired comparison, and small-N comparison; the utility of historical or interpretive approaches and the challenges of various kinds of field research; and the relationships between different logics of inquiry and alternative epistemological perspectives.

Division 47: Sexuality and Politics

Ellen Ann Andersen, University of Vermont (eanderse@iupui.edu)

This section invites proposals for papers that will contribute new empirical or theoretical insights to the study of sexuality and politics, defined broadly. In keeping with the 2009 meeting theme, “Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era,” the section especially encourages proposals that explore, unravel, and/or celebrate the complexity of sexuality and sexual politics in the modern world as well as proposals that examine the impact of-or stimuli for-recent legal, political, and cultural changes related to sex and sexuality. Research examining the politics of sex and sexuality in comparative context is particularly desirable, although U.S.-centered proposals are always welcome. Both panel and individual paper proposals are invited, but individual paper proposals are generally easier to accommodate.

Division 48: Health Politics and Health Policy

Sue Tolleson-Rinehart, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (suetr@unc.edu)

James Brasfield, Webster University (brasfijm@webster.edu)

The 2009 Annual Meeting, in Toronto, is an especially appropriate setting for the inaugural panels of the Health Politics and Policy Organized Section, as is the theme of Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era. Progress in medical science and expansions of policy have combined in recent decades to lead the delivery of health care through some of the greatest change, and largest increases in complexity, of any human system. Our attempts to decipher the complexity and map the change have always profited from comparative analysis.

We define health politics and policy broadly. As the last decades of the twentieth century came to a close, the global community had achieved consensus on implicit or explicit recognition of access to safe, effective, high quality health care as a human right, and a public good. Indeed, many go further and claim health itself as a right. We hope in the coming years to build a large number of panels reflecting the breadth implied in these perspectives.

For our inaugural panels, we welcome paper proposals on all topics, using all methods. We are particularly interested in papers that address three great themes: the politics of health care reform, comparative health politics and policy, and defining health politics and policy—elucidating its most useful analytical constructs, contextual approaches, and methods. We hope, depending on the proposals we receive, to construct a Theme Panel on “Health System Complexity and Change: Measuring the Politics of Delivering Care.”

African Politics Conference Group

The purpose of the APCG is to promote recognition within professional associations of the theoretical and methodological contributions to the discipline of political scientists whose research and professional interests center largely or in part upon Sub-Saharan Africa. The APCG invites proposals for its one related group panel at the 2009 American Political Science Association meeting.

Aging Politics and Policy Group

The Aging Politics and Policy Group (APPG) invites proposals that address aging and related political and policy concerns, including long-term care. Submissions with a range of methods and approaches are encouraged.

American Enterprise Institute

The American Enterprise Institute invites proposals demonstrating or evaluating the relevance of political science research to public policy and governance issues.

Asian Pacific American Caucus

Asian Pacific American Caucus (APAC), a related group of the APSA, invites paper and panel proposals for the 2009 APSA meeting to be held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from September 3–6, 2009. We welcome papers or panels that analyze important issues involving Asian Americans and their relationship to the politics in the United States or abroad. Consistent with the conference theme “Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era,” we are particularly interested in proposals addressing how new shifts—may it be in terms of racial formation, community development, identity or state institutions—influence Asian American politics and how these shifts help us understand the larger dynamic of racial and ethnic politics.

Association for Israel Studies

Elections in Israel, 2009: Continuity or Change The Association for Israel Studies is seeking paper proposals and volunteers to serve as panel chair and paper discussants for the 2009 American Political Science Association Annual Meeting that will be held in Toronto Canada, September 3–6, 2009. Coauthored papers may also be considered. Papers on any aspect of Israel elections (including domestic politics and foreign relations) are welcome.

Association for Politics and the Life Sciences

The Association for Politics and the Life Sciences (APLS) will be organizing at least one panel/workshop/symposium for the 2009 American Political Science Association meeting. We invite proposals for papers as well as offers to serve as panel discussants and chairs. Papers on all topics are welcome, whether bioethics, biopolicy, neurobiological aspects of behavior, etc. The official theme for the 2009 meeting is “Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era.” Your paper need not, of course, focus on that theme.

Association of Chinese Political Studies

China-US Relations 30 Years After: History, Causes, and Prospects

This year is the 30th anniversary of the normalization of Sino-American relations. It provides an important opportunity to reflect upon the twists and turns of the relationship, to consider the different forms (formal and informal, secret and public) the two countries have employed to interact with one another, and to evaluate the paths that might have been followed but were not. The 30th anniversary of the relationship also provides a basis for considering the forces (political, economic, and social) and actors (top leaders, public opinion, special interests groups) that have influenced the course of the relationship since the two countries resumed full diplomatic relations and the conditions under which select forces and/or actors have mattered more than other actors. Finally, the 30th anniversary of the relationship yields an occasion to engage in informed speculation about the prospects for the relationship and the mechanisms that the two countries can use to minimize future frictions and work cooperatively to realize their shared interests. For its 2009 American Political Science Association related group panel, the ACPS seeks paper proposals which address the history, causes, and prospects of the Sino-American relationship since 1978. While there are restrictions with respect to disciplinary or theoretical perspectives, the ACPS is particularly interested in papers which make good use of primary source materials and are theoretically oriented. Paper proposals should not exceed 250 words and should contain the author's name, title and affiliation, paper title, and paper abstract.

Association of Korean Political Studies

The Association of Korean Political Studies (AKPS) is seeking paper proposals and volunteers to serve as panel chairs and paper discussants for the 2009 American Political Science Association Annual Meeting that will be held in Toronto, Canada, September 3–6, 2009. Papers on any aspect of Korea's domestic politics and foreign relations are welcome. Co-authored papers are also valued. Paper proposals should include paper title, abstract (less than 500 words), name(s) of (co-author(s), address, phone & fax number, e-mail address, and institutional affiliation.

British Politics Group

The BPG is accepting proposals for talks, papers, panels and roundtables for the 2009 Annual Meeting in Toronto, ON. Proposals on all aspects of UK politics are invited. Individual as well as panel proposals are both welcome. Please note that all presenters must be dues-paying members of the BPG (can join after acceptance).

Committee for the Analysis of Military Operations and Strategy

CAMOS, the Committee for the Analysis of Military Operations and Strategy, invites proposals for papers or panels for the 2009 American Political Science Association Convention. Specific topics of interest include:

• • National security and defense policy-making in an era of growing uncertainty and asymmetry;

• • The Future of International Intervention in the 21st Century Security Environment, to include (but not be limited to) the following topical areas and debates:

• • Dilemmas, debates and questions relating to the efficacy and conduct of past, present and future Stability, Security, Transition, and Reconstruction (SSTR) missions in international relations;

• • The role of militaries in post-conflict reconstruction and nation-building missions, particularly those carried out within the context of ethno-nationalist civil wars;

• • Debates and issues surrounding the future force structure and roles of conventional militaries; (e.g., fullspectrum forces and force designs versus constabulary designs)

Paper proposals should include the paper titles, a short abstract (300 words max), and contact information for the author(s). Panel proposals should include the same for each paper, along with a title and abstract for the panel as a whole, and contact information for panel chair and discussant, if included.

Campaign Finance Research Group

The theme for the 2009 Annual Meeting is “Politics in Motion.” The Campaign Finance Research Group's focus at this meeting will (depending on the number of panels it is allocated) be one or more roundtables (or perhaps collections of related papers) addressing whether campaign financing in the 2008 election represented the beginning of a fundamental change in the system. Should the role of small donors, the Internet, parties, or independent advocacy organizations lead one to rethink the major scholarly or policy paradigms in the field? Paper proposals are invited, as are ideas for roundtable participants and topics. Cross-national comparisons related to this theme are also welcome. Because this group has had only one panel in recent conventions, and because it values cross-talk on common themes, proposals or participants will be chosen or invited with an eye toward fostering a discussion of common questions among people with differing views.

Canada Related Group

Dear Friends,

As you can see, we have a fascinating theme for this year! I encourage all of you to send in proposals. I shall do my very best to work with section chairs and APSA HQ to place as many papers and panels as possible.

Sincerely Yours,

Patrick James, Chair

Canada Related Group

Cato Institute

The Cato Institute, a related group of the APSA, will be organizing at least one panel/workshop/symposium for the 2009 American Political Science Association meeting. The Institute seeks to broaden the parameters of public policy debate to allow consideration of the traditional American principles of limited government, individual liberty, free markets and peace. Toward that goal, the Institute invites proposals for papers that address either foreign or domestic policy.

Center for the Study of Federalism

The Center for the Study of Federalism, based at Lafayette College, plans to hold one panel at the 2009 American Political Science Association meeting. We invite papers, as well as proposals to serve as panel discussants. We are especially interested in proposals that focus on changes in federalism and intergovernmental relations both American and comparative.

Christians in Political Science

Kevin Cooney, Union University (kcooney@uu.edu) Christians in Political Science invites proposals for papers and panels. We celebrate the diversity of our work as Christian scholars from a variety of institutions—small colleges and large research universities, secular and religious campuses. As such, we welcome and encourage proposals from all subfields and methodological approaches within political science and from political scientists at all levels of training, from graduate students to well-established scholars. Although individual paper submissions are welcome, we especially encourage proposals of entire panels to offer a coherent and unifying theme as well as those which have potential for co-sponsorship with other related groups or organized sections.

The Churchill Centre

The Churchill Centre invites paper proposals for the 2009 APSA Annual Meeting. We are interested in scholarship in any area related to the life, thought, and writings of Winston S. Churchill. This year we particularly wish to encourage proposals for papers relating to Churchill's views of Britain's relationship with other European powers.

The Claremont Institute

The Claremont Institute is dedicated to the study of the principles of the American founding and to enhancing and maintaining an understanding of those principles in the academy and in the public mind. The Institute understands this mission in broad terms, and is thus interested in the tradition of political philosophy that was read by the founders and that influenced their thinking, as well as issues in contemporary American politics and foreign policy that might be informed by the principles of the Founding. The Institute sponsors panels and roundtables at the annual meeting that explore these themes.

The Committee for Political Sociology

In relation to the main theme of the APSA Annual Meeting, “Politics in Motion. Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era”, CPS invites paper proposals on the transformation of party organizations. In recent decades, political parties have been contested and pressed to adapt to demands for participation, transparency and inclusion. Many of them have responded by introducing new procedures for decision-making and policydeliberation in the name of “democratization” but the sources of inspiration have been diverse. In some cases, direct democracy procedures have been introduced with members being invited to vote on electoral manifestos, and for the selection of leaders and candidates. In others, inspiration has been found in models of participatory and deliberative democracy and reforms have led to the creation of new forums and consultative processes. To what extent has the membership benefited from these reforms? Has the ability of members to participate in their party's life and to play a role in decision-making increased? Have these changes contributed to reconnect the party elites with their grassroots? We are looking for papers that consider the transformations of party political activism in terms of motivation, membership profile, organizations on the ground or campaigning.

Comparative Urban Politics Related Group

Forces of globalization are reshaping the city's economy, politics, society, and territory. Cities can no longer be understood solely within a national context but should be examined within an international and comparative framework. The Comparative Urban Politics related group welcomes panel and paper proposals addressing any aspect of the politics and governance of cities in a comparative context. Panel proposals that include perspectives from both the developed and developing world and have broad appeal across the discipline will be favored. Since we only have one panel on the APSA program, it is advisable to submit your proposals to other Sections as well.

Conference Group on Italian Politics and Society

The Conference Group on Italian Politics and Society (CONGRIPS) invites paper proposals for the 2009 APSA conference, which will be held in Toronto, Canada, on 3–6 September. We would welcome proposals on topics which are consistent with the conference theme—“Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era”—and in particular papers which deal with the issue of policy-making in the ever changing Italian political system, including the role of non-state actors broadly defined.

Conference Group on Taiwan Studies

The 2009 American Political Science Association (APSA) Annual Meeting will be held in Toronto, Canada, marking the first time that the APSA meeting will be held outside of the United States. The theme of the 2009 conference is “Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era.”

The conference theme invites retrospective and prospective analyses of social, economic and political developments in Taiwan. The KMT's resounding electoral victory in the Legislative Yuan and Ma Ying-Jeou's election to the Presidency suggest that both change and increased complexity are on the horizon. The KMT has returned to power, marking an important watershed in Taiwan's democratic evolution. Taiwan's relationships with China and the international community more generally are expected to transform under President Ma. The decline of the “identity” issue is debatable. Promises have been made to steer Taiwan's economy on a more prosperous pathway. Demographic cleavages are more heavily emphasized in contemporary social, economic and political debate. The former governing DPP is now faced with the challenges of re-inventing itself. Yet, for all the reasons we might see fundamental change in Taiwan's political development, some could argue that the expectations of change have been exaggerated. To what extent, for instance, is the KMT a transformed party? Will the governing party revert to “old” tactics? Is the decline of the identity cleavage in Taiwan lasting or ephemeral? What sort of latitude does Taiwan really have with respect to cross-straits relations? To what extent can a change in government affect economic development? The debate about change and complexity in Taiwan has only just begun and the 2009 CGOTS panels invite discussion on this theme.

The Conference Group on the Middle East

The Conference Group on the Middle East (CGME) is seeking paper proposals for the 2008 American Political Science Association Annual Meeting. This year the CGME will focus on the challenge of political reform in the Middle East by focusing on case studies that examine specific realms of reform, such as party formation, stemming political corruption, electoral reform or the inclusion of oppositional groups. Case studies focusing on single cases, as well as comparative cases are welcomed. The Conference Group particularly welcomes proposals from scholars based in the Middle East.

Conference Group on Theory, Policy, and Society

This panel seeks papers on the role of expert knowledge in the policy process. It will focus on processes of argumentation and counter-argumentation, especially as played out through conflicts among policy experts and citizens. Of special interest is the question of how authoritative knowledge is established and deployed in the official discourses of state and large-scale economic organizations. How is the form as well as the content of official discourses contested, or confirmed, by political actors, including policy experts arising from the public spheres of civil society? What is the significance of the politics of expertise for democratic engagement in the public realm? Papers addressing such concerns through the development of comparative and theoretical perspectives would be especially welcome.

European Consortium for Political Research

In keeping with tradition, the ECPR will, for the APSA 2009 Annual Meetings, be running three panels of a comparative European-American nature on topical and important themes. We aim to create mixed panels of Americans and Europeans (and beyond) to promote comparative debate on these topics. We therefore welcome papers from political scientists from all levels of the discipline who specialise in these areas.

Panel 1. ‘Energy policy and global warming: American and European approaches’

Chair: Martin Bull, University of Salford, UK

In recent years, scientific research and evidence on global warming have made energy policy one of the most significant areas for debate across the world. The initial phase of this debate witnessed a clear divergence between US and European policies and over the willingness to adopt policies of control. More recently, the debate in the US appears to be shifting, with a consequent increasing convergence of positions. We welcome papers that address how policies have developed in both the US and Europe and what might explain the differing levels of hostility and support towards the science of Global warming and its policy implications.

Panel 2. ‘The Americanisation of European Executives’

Chair: Luciano Bardi, University of Pisa, Italy

The gradual phasing out of party government, the increasing personalisation of European executives (also as seen through media attention dedicated to national leaders' private spheres), and the emergence in Europe of features typical of U.S. campaign communication practices, are all elements of what has been defined as the ‘Americanisation of European Executives’. We are interested in papers addressing these issues from a comparative cross-European or cross-Atlantic perspective as well as single country studies. Theoretically and conceptually oriented papers are also welcome.

Panel 3: Terrors in Transatlantia: United States-European Relations since 9/11

Chair: Michael Cox, London School of Economics, UK

In 2003 and 2004 the Trans-Atlantic relationship went through one of the most severe crises in its history. Over the past few years however there has been a determined effort in both Brussels and Washington to rebuild bridges across the Atlantic. This has been reflected in several very high level meetings—Bush was the first US President to visit the European Commission, and in repeated joint references about the need to build a modern Transatlantic ‘global’ partnership for the 21st century. The current rapprochement between France and the United States; NATO's collective effort in Afghanistan; and the $3trillion worth of Transatlantic trade and FDI, have only lent credence to the argument that the crisis over Iraq was a mere passing phase rather than a serious breach in a well-established security community that one writer—Vittorio Parsi—has recently characterized as being ‘inevitable’. This panel seeks to interrogate these issues by asking and seeking to answer three questions: one, whether or not there ever really was a crisis; two, how and why this crisis appears to have been overcome; and three, whether the relationship still faces some major challenges in the years ahead—even under a new American president.

The Eric Voegelin Society

The Eric Voegelin Society will hold its 25th Annual International Meeting in Toronto, Canada in conjunction with the APSA convention in September 2009. Paper and panel proposals dealing with Eric Voegelin's political philosophy and related issues in the field of political theory would be welcomed.

French Politics Group

The FPG welcomes paper and panel proposals on a wide range of topics related to the study of French Politics. Comparative proposals are encouraged along with proposals that focus on the theme of this year's meetings.

Global Forum of Chinese Political Scientists

Change and Complexity in Chinese Politics and Diplomacy

Considering the main theme of the 2009 APSA Annual Meeting on “change and complexity in the contemporary era,” the Global Forum of Chinese Political Scientists welcomes paper proposals addressing any aspects of change and complexity in Chinese foreign policy and domestic politics for the 2009 APSA Meeting in Toronto, Canada. Since China began reform and opening in 1978, dramatic and profound changes have been taking place in Chinese politics and foreign relations. After three decades of reform, now is the time to critically examine key changes in Chinese politics and economy in an increasingly complex world environment. We especially welcome paper proposals addressing the following questions: What are the sources, patterns, and dynamics of China's reforms? What are the emerging social groups? How will rapid aging and other changing demographics affect China's economy and polity? What are the elements of change and continuity in China's foreign policy agenda? Are we entering a new stage of China's reform and opening? What are the key challenges of modernity for China? Where are the boundaries, and what are the dynamics, between the international and domestic in various policy areas? We welcome comparative analysis of China and other countries.

Green Politics and Theory

Joel J. Kassiola, San Francisco State University (kassiola@sfsu.edu)

David Whiteman, University of South Carolina (whiteman@ sc.edu)

Green Politics and Theory (previously known as the Section and then Related Group on “Ecological and Transformational Politics”) has the important mission of advancing the study and teaching of green politics and green political thought. We welcome proposals broadly relevant to these areas, including analyses of environmental politics and the social and political transformations required to address the global environmental crisis.

The theme for the 2009 APSA Annual Meeting in Toronto, Canada is “Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era.” We are seeking proposals for papers and panels related to this theme or on other topics. We are particularly interested in proposals in two areas: (1) “New and Classic Books in Green Politics and Theory” (present your own new book or a classic book in the field) and (2) “Teaching Green Politics” (participate in a roundtable on innovative approaches and assignments). In addition, we would like volunteers for two film-related lunch-time programs: (1) a general discussion of the use of film in green courses (bring a clip of a film and talk about how you use it) and (2) a screening and discussion of a recent film (all suggestions are welcome).

We also welcome volunteers to help with other ways in which the Green Politics and Theory Group can build its capacity and activities (e.g. an organization/social gathering in Toronto, newsletter, etc.).

Iberian Politics Related Group

The Iberian Politics Related Group invites proposals for papers on politics in Spain and Portugal. While we invite proposals on all topics of Iberian politics, we are particularly interested in proposal s that speak to the conference theme of “Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era.” For example, to what extent are the democracies in Spain and Portugal institutionalized, and to what extent are they still in flux? How are political institutions, political dynamics, and economic processes adjusting to a changing global context? To what extent can we find stability in the political systems of the two countries? We invite proposals regardless of the methodological approach but particularly welcome proposals that are comparative, either between Spain and Portugal or between one or both of the Iberian countries and other countries.

Indigenous Studies Network

The Indigenous Studies Network is seeking paper proposals and volunteers to serve as panel chairs and paper discussants for the 2009 APSA Annual Meeting. The theme for the upcoming annual meeting of APSA is “Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era.” Papers on any aspect of Indigenous politics are always welcome but we are particularly interested in those that speak to this year's theme. Questions that speak to this theme include, but are not limited to, the following: Speaking to the issue of change: What is new, different, and/or unusual about indigenous politics domestically and/or internationally? How has the study of indigenous identity and politics changed over time? What positive and/or negative developments influence the study of indigenous issues? What new methodologies are especially appropriate for approaching the study of indigenous issues? Speaking to the issue of complexity: How is the study of indigenous identities and politics different from the study of race and ethnicity? What makes indigenous politics, issues, and identities more complex? What are some of the complexities that arise in researching indigenous identity and politics? How can we make our work more relevant to race and ethnicity scholars and/or public policy?

Institute for Constitutional Studies

The Institute for Constitutional Studies is especially interested in papers/roundtables exploring constitutional history, law and development. In light of the theme for the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, proposals on how constitutional developments have structured constitutional politics in the twenty-first century would be particularly welcomed.

Intelligence Studies Group

The Intelligence Studies Group welcomes paper and panel proposals on a wide range of topics related to the study of Intelligence. Chair, discussant, and paper proposals are encouraged along with proposals that focus on the theme of this year's meeting: “Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era.”

International Association for the Study of German Politics

The IASGP has a reserved panel at the annual conference of the American Political Science Association (APSA). APSA profiles itself as the most significant association of political scientists in the world and it is quite an honour to be granted a reserved panel at their annual gathering. The 2009 jamboree will be taking place in Toronto, Canada on September 3–6, 2009. The IASGP's programme committee would like to encourage members to submit possible panel proposals. Panels should include three speakers and a contributor. It is important that panels address ‘hard-hitting’ topics and this is something to bear in mind when submitting proposals.

International Political Science Association, Research Committee #12

IPSA Research Committee #12 (Biology and Politics) will be organizing one panel/workshop/symposium for the 2009 American Political Science Association meeting (September 3–6, 2009), to be held in Toronto, Canada. We invite proposals for papers as well as offers to serve as panel discussants and chairs. Papers on all topics are welcome, whether bioethics, biopolicy, neurobiological aspects of behavior, etc. The official theme for the 2009 meeting is “Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era.” Your paper need not, of course, focus on that theme.

Japan Political Studies Group

Deborah Milly, Virginia Tech (djmilly@vt.edu) The Japan Political Studies Group (JPSG) welcomes proposals on all aspects of Japanese politics. Proposals that consider Japan together with another country or countries, whether from a comparative or international relations perspective, are especially encouraged, as are those that address the conference themes. Complete panel and roundtable proposals will be given preference over individual paper submissions. Please remember that the system for submission has changed and that you will need to submit proposals through APSA's online submission system.

Labor Project

The APSA Labor Project promotes scholarship on labor related issues. To this end, the 2009 theme of the annual meeting “Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era” is highly relevant. We invite papers and panels to be submitted on any theme related to labor, work, unions, and employment. We encourage diverse perspectives on these topics from any range of academic specialties including, but not limited to human rights, political economy, public policy, interest groups and social movements, comparative politics, state politics, voting and elections, immigration, theory, gender, race, ethnicity, history, and law.

All issues are welcome, in particular, we would like to see current topics addressed, such as the role and influence of organized labor in the 2008 elections, Iraq reconstruction, the current state of the NLRB, federal whistleblowing laws, local and state U.S. political representation of workers, neoliberalism, guestworker programs, advocacy efforts, new union strategies, court decisions affecting work, federal policies regarding employment, changes in union politics, political organizations, and labor, work, and employment issues.

Latin American Studies Association

Cynthia McClintock, George Washington University (mcclin@gwu.edu)

The Latin American Studies Association Related Group seeks papers on the comparative politics of Latin America. Papers may analyze politics in one or more Latin American countries or in the region as a whole, and may also be cross-regional. Usually, the Latin American Studies Association Related Group co-sponsors panels with APSA sections, in particular the Comparative Politics section and the Comparative Democratization section, and so it is recommended that proposals be sent to the appropriate APSA sections and not just to the Latin American Studies Association Related Group.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Caucus

The LGBT Caucus of the APSA is accepting proposals for papers and roundtable discussions for the 2009 Annual Meeting. While the general conference theme is ‘Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era’ and papers on this theme are welcomed, proposals on ALL aspects of LBGT politics, political action, policy, and theory are invited. In keeping with the theme, however, we especially welcome papers that address how LGBT political issues and LGBT political actors are complicating our understanding of political theory; liberty, equality and justice; and “traditional” political activities, like elections, leadership, and collective action in general.

National Humanities Institute

The National Humanities Institute is seeking paper proposals, panel chairs and paper discussants for the 2009 American Political Science Association Annual Meeting to be held September 3–6, 2009 in Toronto, Canada.

Papers on any aspect of the interaction between the study of the humanities and political science are welcome. We especially encourage proposals on the following themes: 1) connections between ethical deliberation and political thinking; 2) analyses of political philosophy in both its concrete and abstract iterations; 3) the manner in which competing philosophies of history affect American constitutionalism; 4) studies of culture that draw on philosophy, history, theology, the arts, or other disciplines to illuminate the political realm. We are particularly interested in papers that employ literary sources to explore these or similar questions.

Policy Studies Organization

The Policy Studies Organization will host panels on theoretically-oriented, empirical studies of public policy.

Politica: Society for the Study of Medieval Political Thought

Panel Theme: Change and Complexity in Medieval Political Thought

Given the 2009 theme of the conference, Politica's panel would like to feature papers that consider the complex and fluid nature of medieval politics and medieval political thought. Much scholarship has demonstrated that the Middle Ages was a fertile seedbed of political principles, dilemmas, and controversies sure to have influenced later political action and thought. Thus, there is no shortage of questions and thinkers that can be considered from a variety of approaches.

Political Economy of the Good Society

PEGS is a nonpartisan, ideologically diverse, nonprofit organization whose goal is to promote serious and sustained inquiry into innovative institutional designs for a good society. PEGS responds to the growing awareness that current versions of socialism and democratic capitalism fail to offer workable visions of a good society and seem increasingly to contradict such basic values as liberty, democracy, equality, and environmental sustainability. By encouraging development of practical visions of the good society, PEGS hopes to create a theoretical basis for the eventual restructuring of real world political-economic systems. It is our goal to bring together a diverse array of thinkers to help bridge some of the gaps between academic inquiry and practical reality, PEGS seeks and encourages the active participation of interested thinkers from across the disciplines and the activist community, as well as from the policy arena.

Political Forecasting Group

Dear Friends,

As you can see, we have a fascinating theme for this year! I encourage all of you to send in proposals. I shall do my very best to work with section chairs and APSA HQ to place as many papers and panels as possible.

Sincerely Yours,

Patrick James, Program Chair

Political Forecasting Group

Project on the American Constitution

The Project on the American Constitution is accepting proposals for papers, panels and roundtables for the 2009 Annual Meeting. We are particularly interested in proposals that address the issues in contemporary constitutional theory. Paper proposals should include an abstract and full contact information for the presenter. Panel proposals should include an abstract of each paper and full contact information for all participants. Roundtable proposals should include a summary of the question to be addressed by the roundtable as well as full contact information for all participants.

Political Studies Association (UK)

PSA UK is a ‘Related Group’ of the American Political Science Association (APSA) and has a ‘guaranteed’ panel entitlement at their Annual Meeting to be held in Toronto 3–6 September 2009. As Chair of PSA's External Relations and Conference Grants Sub-committee I am looking for ‘academic organisers’ for these panels, which should have broad appeal to worldwide political studies, and should reflect a mix of UK- and non-UKbased participants. Please understand the terms below and reply with a panel proposal through APSA's on-line submission process, carefully nothing their deadlines. You will need to find up to four paper-givers, up to two discussants, and provide the name of a chair. You are encouraged to approach non-UK-based scholars for the chair/discussant roles, but this is not a requirement. Any one of these roles can be taken by yourself. Note that Chair can be combined with discussant, and that you can have zero, one or two discussants, and say three or four paper-givers. The minimum number of different people is thus four (i.e. three paper-givers and a chair/discussant), and the maximum is seven. The on-line submission process will require names, affiliations, emails, paper titles, brief abstracts, and an overall title and statement describing the panel itself.

Bear in mind that anyone can make only two panel appearances at APSA in any capacity (their rules) and that this will count as one. Also bear in mind that if you take one of these roles you (and others whom you enlist) will need to give a VERY FIRM COMMITMENT TO ATTEND, as no-shows would not look good for us. All panel participants will need to join APSA (http://www. apsanet.org) and also to pre-register on time, and there are fees involved for both. There can be no exceptions to this. The panels will be widely advertised to PSA UK's membership before APSA's Annual Meeting, in order to secure attendance, and will be covered afterwards with an item and photo in PSA News.

Publius: The Journal of Federalism

Publius: The Journal of Federalism welcomes submission of research for the 2009 Annual APSA Meeting dealing with recent policies and events affecting American federalism and intergovernmental relations. A special issue of Publius provides an annual review of American federalism each year. Authors whose proposals are accepted for the meeting will be encouraged to submit the manuscripts for this special issue.

Society for Greek Political Thought

The Society for Greek Political Thought calls for paper or panel proposals for the 2009 APSA meetings. The Society is an interdisciplinary organization inviting insights into all manner of political thinking—philosophical, poetic, and historical—grounded in the Classical period. The Association's 2009 theme, Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era, suggests that we might contemplate the many changes, but also the continuity, in human political experience over the millennia.

Society for Romanian Studies

The Society for Romanian Studies invites paper proposals for the 2009 annual meeting. While we welcome proposals that involve a single case study of Romania, we are particularly interested in papers that place Romania within a comparative or international context.

Society of Catholic Social Scientists

The Society of Catholic Social Scientists (SCSS) is accepting proposals for papers, panels and roundtables for the 2009 Annual Meeting. We are particularly interested in proposals that address the Catholic tradition in social thought and its contemporary relevance. Paper proposals should include a brief abstract and full contact information for the presenter. Panel proposals should include a brief abstract of each paper and full contact information for all participants. Roundtable proposals should include a summary of the question to be addressed by the roundtable as well as full contact information for all participants.

Walter Bagehot Research Council on National Sovereignty

The Walter Bagehot Research Council on National Sovereignty invites proposals for papers, panels, and roundtables for the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association. The theme of the panel is “Changes in the Constitutional Powers of the Presidency in the 20th Century: First Principles and Public Opinion.” We are particularly interested in proposals that explore the topic of the presidency and the Constitution in a manner that combines historical research and reflection on the theoretical questions of the proper role of the presidency in a constitutional republic. Reflections that include comparative analyses of American British political development are especially welcome. The panel seeks to examine understandings of the separation of powers with respect to the presidency, transformations in these understandings, and the influence of social, cultural and religious trends in these developments.

Submission Requirements

The following submission rules were established by the APSA Committee on the Annual Meeting:

• • Submit up to two sole-authored papers or two organized panel proposals. Additional proposals from the same author or organizer will not be accepted.

• • Submit each proposal to no more than two Divisions.

• • All paper proposals will be considered for poster presentation.

• • All submissions must be received electronically by December 15, 2008.

Confirmation of Proposal Receipt at APSA

All electronic proposal submissions will receive a unique ID number and email confirmation within 24 hours. Please save confirmation email and ID number for future reference. Also, login to MyAPSA on http://www.apsanet.org to view and confirm submission details. Contact APSA at meeting@apsanet.org if you do not receive an email confirmation of your submission within 24 hours.

Acceptance Notification

In March 2009, you will receive an acceptance or rejection email from the division chair for each proposal you submitted. If accepted for a panel or poster presentation, the email will indicate the division for which you are accepted. If your proposal is not immediately accepted for a panel or poster, you may be contacted at a later date to serve as a chair or discussant. You will receive additional detailed information regarding your panel or poster session from the division chair.

Rule 1: Participation Limitation

Participation in the Annual Meeting is limited to two (2) appearances on sessions organized by the APSA Program Committee, Organized Sections, and Related Groups. An appearance may take the form of paper or roundtable presenter, discussant, or chair. Appearances in workshops, poster sessions, evening sessions, and panels sponsored or co-sponsored by the Annual Meeting program chair(s) do not count against the participation limit.

If a person is appearing during a panel session as a paper giver, roundtable presenter, or discussant, serving as chair of the same session does not count as an additional appearance. A person may appear on the program only once as the sole author of a paper unless one of his/her single-authored papers is on a panel organized by Division 9: Teaching and Learning in Political Science or Division 10: Undergraduate Education.

Rule 2 : Preregistration

The APSA Council requires all program participants to preregister by April 24, 2009. Participants who do not preregister by April 24 will not be listed in the Preliminary Program. Participants added to the program after April 24 should pre-register within 10 days of their notification.

Rule 3: Exempt Participants

Prospective participants may request of a division chair or panel organizer an exemption from the preregistration requirement if they are:

1. a) not a political scientist;

2. b) appearing on only one panel; and

3. c) not an exempt participant in 2008.

An exempt participant receives a badge for admission to all Annual Meeting activities but will not receive an Annual Meeting Program or the reduced hotel rate.

Rule 4: Paper Delivery

As a paper presenter, you have two important obligations:

1. a) to ensure that the members of your panel, especially discussants, receive your paper in time to read it carefully prior to the meeting; and

2. b) to submit your paper to PROceedings, APSA's online collection of Annual Meeting papers. NOTE: Your paper should not be considered “published” because it is posted online.

Rule 5: Panel Schedule

Please note that due to the large number of panelists on the meeting program, scheduling requests are not guaranteed.