IPSA at the 2025 Italian Political Science Association Conference

Photo (left to right): Cecilia Sottilotta (University for Foreigners of Perugia), Francesco Raniolo (University of Calabria), Pablo Oñate (University of València and IPSA Past President), and Luca Verzichelli (University of Siena and Former SISP President).

The 38th Italian Political Science Association (SISP) Conference was held in Naples, Italy, from 4–6 September 2025, under the theme Political Science in the Digital Age. With the 2027 IPSA World Congress of Political Science scheduled to be held in Rome, IPSA had a strong presence at this regional gathering.

IPSA President Yuko Kasuya’s video message was featured at the SISP General Assembly on 5 September, where the 2027 IPSA World Congress and the next SISP Conference in Trento in 2026 were officially introduced. In her message, Prof. Kasuya addressed the SISP delegates and warmly invited them to attend the 2027 World Congress.

Several IPSA representatives participated in the SISP Conference. Among them were Past President Pablo Oñate, IPSAMOOC Coordinator Mauro Calise, Executive Committee (EC) member Fortunato Musella, and 2027 World Congress Program Co-Chair Francesca Longo. They contributed to academic sessions and promoted the 2027 World Congress.

Pablo Oñate joined several sessions, including the roundtable In Memory of Leonardo Morlino, held to honor former IPSA and SISP President Leonardo Morlino, who passed away on 17 June 2025. Alongside Francesco Raniolo (University of Calabria) and Cecilia Sottilotta (University for Foreigners of Perugia), Prof. Oñate reflected on Morlino’s scholarly legacy and the enduring relevance of his research on comparative politics and democratization.

Prof. Oñate also took part in the semi-plenary Academic Freedom at Risk: From Global to Local Challenges, co-organized by IPSA, SISP, and ECPR. The session featured Donatella della Porta (Scuola Normale Superiore), Daniela Irrera (ECPR Chair), Claudia Padovani (University of Padua), and Lorenzo Zamponi (Scuola Normale Superiore), and was chaired by SISP President Franca Roncarolo. Additionally, Prof. Oñate chaired the panel Democracy in Flux: Reconfiguring Representation in Uncertain Times.

The plenary session, The Personal President, brought together Mauro Calise (IPSAMOOC Coordinator and former SISP President), Fortunato Musella (IPSA EC member), Dora Gambardella (University of Naples Federico II), and Franca Roncarolo (SISP President). Prof. Calise also contributed to another plenary, AI as Cultural Regulation.

Finally, 2027 World Congress Program Co-Chair Francesca Longo took part as a speaker in the roundtable On ReArm Europe and the EU Defence Policy.