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See You in Denver in 2027!

WPSA Annual Meeting
March 25–27, 2027

Submit Proposals for the 2027 Annual Meeting

Proposals for papers and panels are now being accepted for the 2027 annual meeting of the Western Political Science Association. You can access the submission form here: https://www.wpsanet.org/conference-proposals. The DEADLINE for submitting paper and panel proposals, and for participating as a discussant or chair, is September 25, 2026.

The theme for the 2027 conference is: “From Political Turmoil to Democratic Renewal." While proposals are welcome on all topics in political science, the program chair is encouraging proposals that identify the causes and consequences of some of the most pressing issues facing our society including democratic backsliding, climate change, political polarization, institutional distrust, political misinformation, economic displacement, growing racial and gender inequality, and political violence. Scholars in all subfields of the discipline are welcome to submit proposals on subjects related to this theme. The annual meeting will be held at the Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center from March 25 to 27. 

For special submissions including proposals for mini-conferences, workshops, receptions, or other events, please contact Program Chair Christopher Stout ([email protected]) or Executive Director Richard Clucas ([email protected]) for instructions.

Details about the conference, the conference theme, the list of section chairs, and proposal instructions appear on our meeting information page:

2027 Conference Meeting Page
Make Your Hotel Reservations Here

Council Approves New Executive Director

Regina Branton, Marshall A. Rauch Distinguished Professor of Political Science at University of North Carolina-Charlotte, has been selected to serve at the next executive director of the Western Political Science Association. Branton will be replacing Richard Clucas, Professor Emeritus at Portland State University, who has served as executive director since 2009. Branton's official start date is in September 2027. Until then, she will be serving as Executive Director in Training.

Branton was appointed by the WPSA Executive Council in September after a nationwide search. Branton brings important skills to the position and a deep commitment to the WPSA. She has served on the WPSA council at two different periods. She is currently the co-editor of Politics, Groups, and Identities, a WPSA journal. She has organized other conferences, chaired numerous conference sections, played a leadership role in several academic caucuses, and established a stellar publication record. Branton received her Ph.D. in political science from the University of Arizona in 2000. She will be the third executive director of the association.

Richard Clucas has been involved with the association since the 1990 annual conference in Newport Beach, California, which is also the year in which he received his PhD in political science from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He was hired as Executive Director in Training in September 2008, a position in which he shadowed Betty Moulds, the association's first executive director. He became the association's executive director in September 2009. He retired from Portland State University in 2026 after 31 years working there. Prior to that, he taught at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

"The One Place I Always Felt Supported"

Luis Fraga, the Joseph and Elizabeth Robbie Professor of Political Science at Notre Dame University, gave a moving talk about the Western Political Science Association after receiving the Betty Moulds Lifetime Service Award. The talk captured an essential element of the association to many members. Please watch.


 

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