IPSA at the 13th Latin American Congress of Political Science in Buenos Aires

Photo (left to right): Magna Inacio (ALACIP President, Federal University of Minas Gerais), Santiago Anria (Cornell University), Azul A. Aguiar Aguilar (IPSA Summer Schools Coordinator, ITESO, Guadalajara), Marianne Kneuer (IPSA Past President, TU Dresden), Carlos Gervasoni (Torcuato Di Tella University) and Santiago Basabe-Serrano (Former IPSA Executive Committee member, University of San Francisco of Quito).

IPSA was present at the 13th Latin American Congress of Political Science, organized by the Latin American Association of Political Science (ALACIP) and the Argentine Society of Political Analysis (SAAP). The Congress was held from 21-24 July 2026 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, under the theme Four Decades of Democracy in Latin America: Between Strengthening and Erosion in an Uncertain World. The Congress attracted 1,986 participants. IPSA was represented by Marianne Kneuer (IPSA Past President), Vanessa Elias de Oliveira (IPSA Vice-President& WC2027 Program Co-Chair), and Azul A. Aguiar Aguilar (IPSA Summer Schools Coordinator).

IPSA-ALACIP Joint Panel
Democratic Erosion in Latin America: Lessons for Resistance and Resilience from the Past for Current Cases

IPSA organized a joint panel with ALACIP, chaired by IPSA Past President Marianne Kneuer, titled Democratic Erosion in Latin America: Lessons for Resistance and Resilience from the Past for Current Cases, on 22 July 2026. The panel aimed to draw findings from a comparison between first- and second-generation backsliding cases that can shed light on strategies of resistance, mechanisms of resilience, and the recovery of democracy. It featured experts on Ecuador and Bolivia (past cases) as well as Mexico and Argentina (current cases), laying the foundation for this comparison.

Photo (left to right): Santiago Anria, Azul A. Aguiar Aguilar and Marianne Kneuer. 

Papers and Participants

By Way of Introductory Thoughts: Democratic Erosion, Democratic Recovery, Resilience and Resistance and how They can be Delineated
Marianne Kneuer (IPSA Past President, TU Dresden)

Democratic Erosion in Bolivia under Morales – Lessons on Successful (or not) Resistance and Resilience
Santiago Anria (Cornell University)

Democratic Erosion in Ecuador under Correa – Lessons on Successful (or not) Resistance and Resilience
Santiago Basabe Serrano (University of San Francisco of Quito)

Democratic Erosion in Mexico – First Insights on Successful (or not) Resistance and Resilience
Azul A. Aguiar Aguilar (IPSA Summer School Coordinator, ITESO, Guadalajara)

Democratic Erosion in Argentina – First Insights on Successful (or not) Resistance and Resilience
Carlos Gervasoni (Torcuato Di Tella University)

Other Roundtables 

Vanessa Elias de Oliveira (IPSA Vice-President & WC2027 Program Co-Chair) participated in several activities at the ALACIP Congress, including the roundtable titled Regional and Global Associations - What Political Science in the Face of Global Challenges to Democracy? The roundtable was chaired by María Inés Tula (University of Buenos Aires). Participants also included Magna Inacio (President of ALACIP, Federal University of Minas Gerais), Asbel Bohigues (University of Valencia), Freddy Orlando Santamaría Velasco (Pontifical Bolivarian University) and Gisela Sin (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign).

Photo: Vanessa Elias de Oliveira presents at the Regional and Global Associations - What Political Science in the Face of Global Democratic Challenges? roundtable. 

Azul A. Aguiar Aguilar (IPSA Summer Schools Coordinator, ITESO, Guadalajara) also attended the Panel of Representatives of National Associations: Launch of ALACIP’s New Publication, Agenda Latin America roundtable chaired by ALACIP President Magna Inacio. Representatives included Gustavo Dufour (Argentine Society of Political Analysis, SAAP), Sarah Patricia Cerna Villagra (Association of Political Science of Paraguay, ACIPP), Bruno Pinheiro Wanderley Reis (Brazilian Political Science Association, ABCP), Patricia Sotomayor Valarezo (Ecuadorian Association of Political Science, AECIP), Julio Ascarrunz (Bolivian Association of Political Science, ABCP), Azul A. Aguiar Aguilar (Mexican Political Science Association, AMECIP), Mario Herrera (Chilean Association of Political Science, ACCP), and Martin Freigedo (Uruguayan Political Science Association, AUCIP).

Photo: Representatives of the Latin American national political science associations gathered at the ALACIP roundtable.

IPSA Booth

IPSA held a booth in the exhibition hall as ALACIP delegates came to gather information about the 2027 IPSA World Congress in Rome, the 2026 IPSA Regional Conference in Wrocław, as well as IPSA’s broader activities and publications. 

For further details regarding the ALACIP Congress, please visit the congress website.