What are associations for? Sustaining political research under pressure

Abstract

Political research is facing challenging times. Changes in funding environments, pressure on academic institutions, growing demands for policy relevance and changes in the way political knowledge is communicated are raising important questions about the role of scholarly associations. How can they support political science as a discipline and community? How can they foster intellectual exchange, research collaboration and professional development? How can they respond to inequalities and pressures affecting political scientists, particularly young ones, across different institutional and national contexts? This roundtable brings together scholars to reflect on the present and future role of associations in political science. Rather than treating them simply as professional organisations, the discussion will consider associations as spaces for sustaining disciplinary communities, shaping research agendas, and navigating periods of institutional and political uncertainty. The discussion will explore the challenges that associations currently face, as well as the opportunities they offer to strengthen political research and the political science community.