About Us


The Policy Studies Organization - a related society of the of the American, Midwest, Southern and International Political Sciences Associations, as well as of the International Studies Association - grew out of a concern on the part of members of the American Political Science Association in the 1970s that there was a need for more emphasis on (as one member put it) the "coalface". In other words, research knowledge had to be effectively disseminated and had to reach those who actually set policies. This was not a call for any sort of strict utilitarianism, but simply a feeling that much good could be done by bringing together people who felt that policies (and not just government policies, but policies of companies, of universities, and indeed of all kinds of institutions) should be informed policies.

An early member writes how she was "astonished when I was doing my doctorate that, for example, the Park Service was unaware of watershed research, and that professors were unaware how the Park Service felt about forestry practices." PSO has always had a geographically and occupationally diverse membership, and never had been limited to government issues or to those in higher education. Its founders avoided naming PSO the "American" Policy Research Organization, because they had an ecumenical and eclectic view of the association.


PSO FINANCES
The Policy Studies Organization is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization which through its Auditors files yearly reports with the relevant Federal and State agencies. The PSO Federal tax number is 23-7163011. The treasurer is Rex Kallembach, CPA. All subscription and membership monies for the journals are handled by Blackwell, and all book sales are handled by Rowman & Littlefield.


The Policy Studies Organization is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization which through its Auditors files yearly reports with the relevant Federal and State agencies. The PSO Federal tax number is 23-7163011. The treasurer is Rex Kallembach, CPA. All subscription and membership monies for the journals are handled by Blackwell, and all book sales are handled by Rowman & Littlefield.

PSO publishes three flagship periodicals that have won wide respect. PSO members serve as editors, reviewers, members of the editorial board, and in the other jobs necessary to produce what are described as "major resources" in the field. All full PSO individual members receive the three journals. Membership confers the privilege of submitting papers and panels for the major event of the PSO year, the annual conference held in association with the American Political Science Association in August, when prestigious PSO awards for research and service in the policy area are given.


An article by Paul Rich and Antonio Lara on the general history of Learned Societies is available at the American Academy web site.

In cooperation with a number of publishers, PSO sponsors series on policy issues. A publications coordinator oversees this, tending to issues such as copyright and reprint, as well as working to increase the sale and use of PSO books.

PSO includes senior executives, undergraduate and graduate students, state legislators, architects, judges, military officers, interested in policy studies, environmentalists who want to "green" decision making, NGO executives who worry about the future of volunteerism, professors who are working on curriculum revision, government officials in numerous agencies -- in short, PSO is for intellectually active people of all persuasions. Consider this an invitation from all of us in the PSO to join and participate .

Relations to other organizations:

  • The Policy Studies Organization and its journals--Politics & Policy, Policy Studies Journal and Review of Policy Studies--are members of the Council of Editors of Learned Journals , the CELJ.
  • The Policy Studies Organization sponsors the Seymour Martin Lipset Library in the American Political Science Association headquarters in Washington, D.C. The Committee includes those who wish to support a comfortable permanent facility for visiting students and scholars, honoring the long and distinguished career of one of America's leading researchers. Dr. Lipset is the only person to have served as both president of the APSA and of the American Sociological Association.
  • The Policy Studies Organization is a member of The Consortium of Affiliates of the American Association for the Advancement of Science .
    The Policy Studies Organization is active in the study of electronic publishing, cooperating with Blackwell in the development of the Synergy system and with Atypon Systems , a Blackwell partner, in new ideas for scholar, publishers, and libraries.
  • The Policy Studies Organization is currently cooperating with the Stephenson Disaster Management Institute in arranging the Parliamentary Debate series in the annual meeting of the Southern Political Science Association.

The following associations are partners with the Policy Studies Organization's journal Politics & Policy .

The Roosevelt Institution and PSO

The Roosevelt Institution is an undergraduate organization with chapters on many campuses, debating public policy and encouraging the publishing of policy papers by gifted students. PSO wholeheartedly supports this and carries news of Roosevelt meetings and activities in its journals, inviting Roosevelt members and their faculty associates to participate in PSO activities. See the Roosevelt Institution online.


PSO affiliation with ISA approved

The board of the International Studies Association has approved the affiliation of Policy Studies Organization with ISA. This link is similar to our affiliation with the American, Midwest and Southern Political Science Associations and gives us the privilege of panels as well as other advantages.




blog stats

Home     About Us     Publications     Conferences     Awards     Meet Our Officers     APSA Policy Section  



© Copyright Global Recovery Group, LLC