IPSA Holds its 151st Executive Committee Meeting in Rome

Photo: Group photo of the IPSA Executive Committee members at Luiss Guido Carli

The 151st IPSA Executive Committee (EC) Meeting was held in Rome, Italy, from 17 to 18 April 2026. IPSA extends its thanks to the event hosts, Luiss Guido Carli and the Italian Political Science Association (SISP), for their support and hospitality. 

During the Rome EC meeting, IPSA adopted a revised Statement on Academic Freedom based on its previous statement issued in 2016. The official logo for the 2027 IPSA World Congress was also approved. In addition, the 2025 IPSA Membership Report was presented, showing that individual membership reached a historic milestone in 2025, with 4,936 members worldwide. Women now represent 42.2% of total membership. The IPSA leadership and the Secretariat also held a series of meetings concerning IPSA’s Regional Conference in Wrocław (14-16 October 2026) and the 29th IPSA World Congress of Political Science in Rome (24-28 July 2027).

IPSA Workshop on Academic Freedom and Global Trends in Autocratization

On 16 April 2026, the eve of its 151st Executive Committee (EC) meeting in Rome, IPSA presented a workshop on Academic Freedom and Global Trends in Autocratization at Luiss Guido Carli. The event brought together members of the IPSA Executive Committee (EC) and guest scholars for an in-depth look at autocratization and the state of academic freedom worldwide. Claudia Padovani (Associate Professor in Political Science and International Relations, University of Padova) also participated as a guest scholar representing the Italian Political Science Association (SISP). 

The workshop was co-chaired by Hasret Dikici Bilgin (IPSA President-Elect) and Indrajit Roy (EC member and Chair of the IPSA Committee on Academic Freedom and Ethics). The academic program featured three thematic panels, followed by closing remarks.

Photo: Group photo of participants at the IPSA Workshop on Academic Freedom and Global Trends in Autocratization

Panel 1 (Part 1): Trends in Autocratization

• Vanessa Elias de Oliveira (University of São Paulo), The Populist Trap: Executive–Judiciary Conflict and Democratic Stress in Brazil 
• Azul A. Aguiar Aguilar (Jesuit University of Guadalajara), The Judicial Path toward Electoral Autocracy in Mexico 
• Himanshu Jha (UPES), After Backsliding: Democratic Resilience amidst Decline

Panel 1 (Part 2): Trends in Autocratization

• Magdalena Musiał-Karg (Adam Mickiewicz University), Instrumentalizing Democratic Tools: Referenda, Regulatory Asymmetries, and Subtle Autocratization in Poland and Hungary 
• Francesca Longo (University of Catania), Autocratization, Democratic Backsliding and Inequality 
• Daniel Stockemer (University of Ottawa), The U.S. on the Road toward Autocracy? 
• André Lecours (University of Ottawa), Far-Right Populism, Nationalism, and Autocratization

Panel 2: Academic Freedoms: Prospects and Possibilities

• Claudia Padovani (University of Padova), Practicing Academic Freedom: Protection, Advocacy Practices and Students’ Voices 
• John Ishiyama (University of North Texas), Exploring the Relationship between Political Polarization and Academic Freedom 
• Julio Teehankee (De La Salle University), On Academic Freedom: Academics and Activists Under Populist Attack in the Philippines 
• Kgothatso Shai (University of Limpopo), Dialoguing “Double Standards” in Ideational Spaces: An Azanian Perspective 
• Hasret Dikici Bilgin (Istanbul Bilgi University), Centralization of Higher Education, Democratic Resilience and the State of Academic Freedom

Following the EC meeting, IPSA Executive Director Kim Fontaine-Skronski visited Federica Web Learning in Naples to meet with IPSAMOOC Coordinators Mauro Calise and Fortunato Musella, together with their colleagues at Federica Web Learning. Discussions focused on the IPSAMOOCs, the IPSA–Federica Summer School, as well as future joint projects and collaborations between IPSA and Federica Web Learning. 

Photo (left to right, top): Mauro Calise (IPSAMOOC Coordinator)
Middle: Marco Cerrone (edTech manager, Federica Web Learning), Tania Melchionna (Technical Director, Federica Web Learning), Kim Fontaine-Skronski (Executive Director, IPSA) and Fortunato Musella (EC member and IPSAMOOC Co-Coordinator)
Bottom: Valentina Reda (Head of R&D Operations and Strategic Partnership, Federica Web Learning)