About the organization

The Swedish Political Science Association ("SWEPSA"), founded in 1970, is the disciplinary organisation for political scientists in Sweden. Swepsa has both institutional members (approximately 17) from the 15 universities and 21 university colleges in Sweden and individual members from all over the country.

Membership is open to everyone with an interest in political science and includes researchers, teachers, Ph.D. students and practitioners of various kinds. As a member, you are entitled to take part in the annual meetings and related conference.

The annual conference rotates between the main universities and university colleges and includes both general sessions and a range of smaller workshops where papers are presented and discussed. Traditionally, there have been sections for international politics, public administration, comparative politics and political theory, while in recent years additional groups have been formed to cover, for instance, gender politics, EU research, constitutional politics and the politics of environment and sustainable development.

The purpose of SWEPSA is fourfold:

1. to promote critical debate of the aims and means of political science and its function in society at large;
2. to inform about research in the field;
3. to stimulate co-operation between political scientists from different departments in Sweden; and
4. to represent Swedish political science in international co-operations, e.g. in NOPSA, ECPR and IPSA, i.e. the Nordic, European and international organisations.

SWEPSA has a close collaboration with the Swedish political science journal "Statsvetenskaplig tidskrift", managed by a foundation at Lund University and published from 1964 and onwards, which contains both research articles and debates relating to political science. Since 2005, SWEPSA has a special section for information and debate published in this journal. SWEPSA members contribute regularly to the journal and enjoy a reduced subscription rate.

The chairmanship of SWEPSA rotates biannually between the different university-based political science departments, while its steering board is comprised of approximately 17 representatives from all departments including those from university colleges, doctoral students and practitioners.