Climate and the American Political Science Association

Abstract

The American Political Science Association (APSA) is a formal organization that offers mentoring, research opportunities, network ties, and faculty development. It provides relational anchors for members such as peerto-peer relationships cultivated at the Annual Meetings, communal connections promulgated by engagement activities at conferences, and solidarity ties associated with being part of the political science profession. Thus, APSA is a part of and essential to—but not the whole of—the political science community. APSA can influence inclusion in the profession of political science, in associational activities, and at the Annual Meetings. Its stakeholders are members and nonmembers, who as political scientists sometimes attend the Annual Meetings and are professional colleagues of members; organized section leadership, who organize the intellectual lives of members of their organized sections, including the bylaws, awards, programs, meetings, and receptions; membership leadership (including elected and appointed positions); and staff. This article identifies ways for APSA to contribute to a more inclusive climate for people from minority and marginalized groups. Our findings and recommendations are grounded in a review of the extant literature; APSA’s self-studies and resources on diversity, equity, and inclusion; our own participant observation in sectionmeetings and APSA-hostedmeetings for section leadership beginning as graduate students in the 1990s and 2000s, respectively; and review of diversity statements and initiatives by organized sections and allied groups. Our recommendations focus on three changes: (1) better utilizing the membership and section infrastructure to improve conditions within APSA; (2) broadeningmembership among minority political scientists and fostering inclusive climate in political science departments; and (3) increasing the number of staff who support diversity and inclusion as well as related resources.