Discover Groups

Researchers examining authoritarian and complex environments face increasing physical and ethical challenges when doing their work. By its very nature, the field of politics examines issues that are often sensitive or even threatening to some elites and powerful societal groups. In a wide range of contexts, researchers have faced growing political constraints including access to approvals, visas, and important information, and even the threat of detention or even violence, just for doing their work. This group seeks to support these researchers, and to facilitate methodological innovation that ensures the strength, integrity and viability of future research on authoritarian and challenging environments.

^{Banner image credit: Dalton Abraham}

The aim of the Environmental Politics and Policy (EPP) Research Group is to develop a network of researchers working in the broad field of environmental policy and politics – from domestic policy to global governance, from local efforts to global civil society, from empirical research to political theory, we seek to include researchers who address all political aspects of the human/nature interface. The EPP Research Group will attempt to promote an increased awareness among social scientists of this interface, and seek to inform policy-makers of the potential implications of an enriched approach to environmental and ecological perspectives.

The group’s annual meeting at the APSA conference also announces the winner of The Pete Hay Environmental Politics Prize and The Pete Hay Early Career Research Prize.

Anyone with an interest in this field is welcome to join.

The International Relations Group is open to all APSA members working in or with an interest in International Relations and International Political Economy, broadly construed. In a period of change, challenge, and uncertainty, the group welcomes and seeks to encourage cutting-edge research that addresses contemporary issues, challenges the boundaries of IR and IPE, and engages with diverse theoretical and methodological approaches.

Image credit: Thomas Franke

The Interpretive Methods Research Group promotes collaboration and exchange on interpretive methods among political scientists and scholars of international relations and public policy around Australia, and supports instruction of Australia-based research students and early career researchers in these methods.

There are many different varieties of interpretive methods, including, by way of examples, critical discourse analysis, interpretive policy analysis and political ethnography. What makes these methods interpretive is that they are conducted in order to generate data on intersubjective meaning-making with which to make inferences about the political and social worlds in which we live. They proceed from the assumption that social worlds are realised through language and communication.

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI+) caucus was founded by Chris Peppin-Neff in 2023. The LGBTQI+ Caucus is the primary association of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex people and allies within the Australian Political Studies Association. The Caucus promotes and facilitates the study of sexual and gender diverse studies in politics, international relations and related disciplines, and fosters community, mentorship and belonging to LGBTQI+ scholars and allies. We welcome any APSA members who identify as LGBTQI+ as well as allied researchers working in this space. This caucus will provide a hub for intellectual advancement and creative outputs that benefit the LGBTQI+ community.

The Policy Studies Research Group is a specialist research group of the Australian Political Studies Association. Its role is to promote and advocate for research on public policy and public administration across Australia and internationally. The Group accommodates allied and intersecting research interests from Public Administration, Political Science, Geography, Economics, Sociology, International Relations and beyond. It embraces diversity in participation from all career levels, from PhD students and early-career researchers to mid-career and senior scholars. It also welcomes those engaged in policy as practitioners in local, state and federal government.

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The study of political organisations and participation has long been central to Australian political science and remains a key focus among APSA members. The Political Organisations and Participation (POP) Standing Research Group builds on this strength by fostering new generations of scholars engaged in high-quality, original and topical research in the fields of political organisations and participation, including political parties, interest groups, non-membership advocacy organisations, movements and social media, but it is not limited to these specific subfields.

Political theorists in APSA are concerned with the ideas, concepts and normative controversies that arise in politics, both historically and in the contemporary era. They adopt a variety of different theoretical approaches from politics, philosophy, law and the social sciences, and engage with politics at domestic and international levels. They bring theory to bear on critical social challenges and in doing so, foster greater understanding of, and innovative responses to, many of the major problems of our time.

The Political Theory Research Group promotes the work being done by Australian political theorists and creates opportunities for intellectual exchange and research collaboration. It facilitates conferences, workshops and panels that bring political theorists together for scholarly discussion and debate.

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The Caucus runs a full day workshop prior to APSA Annual Conference. This is an exciting opportunity to network prior to the conference with postgraduate colleagues pursuing similar interests. It is also an invaluable opportunity to prepare for the conference by meeting key APSA academics. Informal but informative presentations are provided. Topics covered generally include career options, publishing and the range of opportunities offered by APSA to its postgraduates.

The Quantitative Methods Research Group (QMRG) brings together political science researchers and students in Australia and internationally who develop, apply, or are interested in applying quantitative empirical methods across all areas of political science.

Our activities include organising quantitative-methods panels at APSA annual meetings, the Quantitative Methods Award (Quant*), Quantitative Methods Clinics for Graduate Students, the annual Quantitative Methods Workshop (usually held in June) and online seminars throughout the year. We also maintain an email list through which members can share announcements, seek methodological advice, and identify potential collaborators.

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APSA’s Teaching and Learning Specialist Group was established to promote the teaching of politics, policy, international relations and related disciplines. The group aims to bring together academics and practitioners to strengthen the teaching of politics. The group will encourage the development and distribution of evidence about best practice teaching methods; and encourage the creation of resources to support the teaching and learning about politics, public policy, and international relations in Australia.

^{Banner image credit: Tom Hermans}

The women's caucus is a historic caucus that was originally formed in 1979  out of the political organising of women scholars at the time. 

We are committed to honouring our foremothers labours and to maintaining an inclusive caucus space and environment that is built on the recognition of  the plurality of women who are part of politics disciplinarity within so called Australia. 

As part of this commitment we also seek to nurture and recognise the plurality of knowledges, ontologies and  lineages of political inquiry, scholarship and praxis that these women in the plural embody. 

We are committed to supporting the presence, the success, the flourishing and the longevity of women in all areas and in all ranks of our discipline.

And for that presence to also contribute to a feminising and feminist (decolonising) praxis of politics disciplinarity where appropriate and relevant to those women subjects, their responsibilities and relations.