The Founding of the American Political Science Association: Discipline, Profession, Political Theory, and Politics

Abstract

In the evolution of the social sciences, disciplines (forms of research, training, and instruction) preceded professions (distinct occupational identities). Although professionalism has often been viewed as a conservative force, what was arguably the most prominent transformation in the history of political science was the result of a professional challenge to the discipline. The founding of the American Political Science Association represented not only an ideological break with some of the principal voices in the discipline but a reformulation of the reigning vision of the relationship between political science and politics. Despite the markedly different circumstances, the dissenting claims emanating from the subfield of political theory during the behavioral era reflected, in many respects, a similar form of confrontation.

From Competition and Collusion to Consent-Based Collaboration: A Case Study of Local Democracy

“…Too much research in this area takes the established political institutions as a fact of life, and few scholars adopt a creative design-and intervention-oriented approach (e.g., Antonacopoulou, 2010;Gunnell, 2006;Smith, 2002). The latter type of approach is needed to try out, scrutinize, and understand how civil participation in public policy making can be restored to those levels of engagement, support, and trust that any democratic system-be it local, regional, national or supranational-will thrive on.…”

“…Several scholars have been advocating a fundamental rethink of the apolitical character of much research in the area of political science and public governance (e.g., Gunnell, 2004;Ricci, 1984;Schram, Flyvbjerg, & Landman, 2013). In this respect, the mission of political science, envisioned by its founding fathers in the late nineteenth century, was to have science serve democracy (Gunnell, 2006). Methodological debates between positivists and interpretivists have, however, long inhibited a productive discussion about the purpose and role of political science (Al-Habil, 2011).…”

The Dysfunctional Congress

“…Attention to Congress's lawmaking performance would not have seemed unusual to any of the first political scientists. Before the American Political Science Association was launched in 1906, Frank Goodnow and other Columbia University professors contemplated creating an American Society for the Study of Comparative Legislation (Gunnell 2006). Today, we might view the early work as descriptive and normative.…”

Let One Hundred Flowers Bloom, Let One Hundred Thoughts Contend: Political Science with Chinese Characteristics

“…-Zhao Baoxu, 1984 10 There are also precursors that were established over one hundred years ago by their American counterparts. Early American political science worked along the same lines as Chinese political science does today, proposing to develop an indigenous scientific study of politics that would result in the improvement of American democracy and governance [17]. This suggests, across nations and fields, that there is a "remarkable heterogeneity and contested quality" about the discipline.…”