IPSA Lecture at the 2026 IAPSS World Congress

IPSA Vice-President Magdalena Musiał-Karg presented an online IPSA lecture at the 2026 International Association for Political Science Students (IAPSS) World Congress on 5 May 2026. 

In her presentation, titled Academic Freedom Under Pressure: Between Formal Guarantees and Systemic Constraints, Prof. Musiał-Karg discussed contemporary challenges to academic freedom in democratic societies, with a focus on subtle and systemic forms of pressure exerted on higher education and research environments.

Drawing on examples from Poland, Hungary, and the United States, she explained that academic freedom can be constrained not only through institutional reforms but also through political discourse, evaluation systems, and the public delegitimization of expertise. Prof. Musiał-Karg addressed the role of international and national academic associations in defending academic integrity, scholarly autonomy, and academic solidarity. The lecture was followed by a Q&A session.

About the 2026 IAPSS World Congress
The 2026 IAPSS World Congress was held at North-West University in Vanderbijlpark, South Africa, from 5 to 9 May 2026. The event included panels for student researchers, giving them a chance to share their work and learn from their peers, thus reinforcing the organization's long-term mission to support students through the creation of academic spaces where they can criticize, question, and further develop their ideas. 

For more information about the IAPSS World Congress, please visit the event website.