Volume numbers of IAPSS Politikon now correspond to the year of publication. The issues published between 2023 and 2026 have been relabelled, and their PDFs reissued. All DOIs are unchanged.
On 11 May 2026 (10:00 GMT+1, London), Domenico Andrea Schiuma, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Milan, will present a seminar on Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA). The talk traces the history and foundations of this method, developed by Charles Ragin in 1987 as a way to bridge the longstanding divide between qualitative and quantitative research traditions. Drawing on his own experience using QCA in comparative political research, Schiuma will explain how the method works and what makes it distinctive among mixed-methods approaches.
How are world leaders responding to the United States’ changing diplomatic posture? As Washington adopts a more transactional approach to alliances and engages more openly with authoritarian governments, political leaders across democratic and non-democratic systems face difficult choices. Some accommodate the shift, others resist it, and many attempt to navigate the tension between strategic partnership and the defence of democratic norms.
The Conversations section invites short analytical contributions that place political leadership at the centre of this debate. We welcome essays and reflections examining how individual leaders’ personalities, strategic visions, and domestic constraints shape their responses to an increasingly authoritarian-leaning U.S. foreign policy. Submissions (500–1,000 words) are due 15 April 2026.
