IPSA Welcomes Research Committee (RC54) on Latin American Politics

IPSA is pleased to announce the formation of a new Research Committee (RC), RC54 - Latin American Politics, which was approved at the 148th IPSA Executive Committee meeting in Seoul on 12 July 2025. 

Created by Gabriela Ippolito-O’Donnell (Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Argentina), RC54 - Latin American Politics aims to foster scholarship, promote empirical research, and facilitate academic and policy engagement in the region. Latin America faces critical political challenges, including democratic erosion, inequality, social movements, and shifting geopolitical alliances, requiring rigorous, collaborative research. The RC aims to produce cutting-edge academic work on Latin American political dynamics, foster collaboration among political scientists by engaging diverse analytical perspectives, and strengthen the network and influence of IPSA members in the region.

The new RC’s planned activities include panels at the IPSA World Congresses, biennial workshops in collaboration with national and regional associations, an annual working paper series, policy briefs, virtual seminars, and a digital platform featuring datasets and research tools. The RC will also prioritize education, mentorship, feminist and intersectional approaches, and engagement with civil society and policymakers.

IPSA Research Committees
To institutionalize research activities in political science worldwide, IPSA officially established Research Committees (RCs) in 1970. Composed of members from IPSA and national and regional associations, the 54 IPSA RCs work in specific sub-fields of the discipline to develop research in political science through initiatives based on international cooperation. They contribute to the creation of networks of political scientists sharing common research interests, with the goal of disseminating information, publishing scholarly research, and providing a framework for teaching and research in political science.