. APSACp American Political Science Association Organized Section: Comparative Politics Summer 1990 Vol. 1, No. 1 LETTER FROM THE CHAIR: OUR FIRST YEAR AND PLANS FOR DEVELOPMENT ExEcm Just about a year ago a number have revolved around panel COMMmE of you were gracious enough to selections for the 1990 annual sign a petition requesting that meeting in San Francisco and the APSA form an Organized getting our administrative Peter Lange Section in Comparative Politics. structure in order. Thanks to President A year later this initiative has John Freeman of the University Duke University become a major success and of Minnesota, the Program appears even more propitious Coordinator, an exceptionally than it did originally. I write to good set of panels was Russell Da&on you as introduction to our first, assembled. Secretruy/Tteamcrer informal newsletter to let you Florida State University/ know about our progress and Beginning in early fall, John University of Caiifomi4 plans and to solicit your input for collected proposals for panels Iwine the Section’s next phase of and papers. The Section’s call development. for papers stressed the effort to have panels which spanned areas, Ronald Rogowski The Section has taken off with subdisciplinary fields and University of Calrfomia, a bang! As of May, 1990 we methodological boundaries. We Los Angeles have eight hundred forty one also hoped to provide greater members. This is unprecedented opportunities for papers which growth for organized sections. It were rooted in the study of a Nina Haipem is a sign of the strong interest particular country or area and Stanford University . among APSA members in had broader comparative greater recognition for signilicance. The goal was to comparative politics. At the end help lessen the fragmentation of John Freeman of this newletter you will be the comparative fields and to 1990 APSA Coordinator given the opportunity to provide prompt discussion of approaches University of Minnesota the Executive Committee with in the field and their merits and suggestions about the kinds of limitations. These are goals activities you would like the which are likely to be relatively Richard Bates Section to undertake and the permanent features of our 1991 APSA Coordinator ways you would like it to spend progr=, allowing us to Duke University your dues. We expect to differentiate our product implement these over the course somewhat from that of the more Conte!nts: of the coming year, after narrowly focused program discussion at the Annual committee sections. 1 Letter from the Chair Business Meeting which will take place at the San Franc&Q A listing of the panels John put 3 Call for Papers: Meetings of APSA at 530 D t together is included with this 1991 APSA on Fridav. August 31. Pleg newsletter. I think you will see attend if you can. And, please be that he has done an excellent 4 1990 APSA Program sure to renew vour section job of meeting both the goals set membershin when renewing vour for the program and the larger 8 Bylaws APSA membershin. purposes of the Section which were set out in the founding 9 Membership Survey During the past year the documents. principle activities of the Section 2 APSA Organized Section: For 1991, Robert Bates of Duke the business meeting last year. ovemiew of the field. Obviously University has been asked by the The officers chosen then are we cannot do all of these Executive Committee to act as listed at the front of this activities nor do they exhaust the Program Coordinator and has newsletter. We are about to possibilities. On behalf of the accepted. The call for papers name a Nominating Committee l%ecutive Committee, therefore, which Bob has prepared is for the second phase in the I want to u pe vou to make included with this newsletter. I creation of an Executive 011s. i order to facilitate hope that you will start planning Committee. The officers to be m doinp so. we have attached proposals for panels and papers selected this year include a Vice 3 brief auestionnaire which we to send to Bob in the fall. In President/President Elect who would ask vou to return to me. doing so, you should be mindful will serve for one year and then of the fact that the overlap of become President; and two At- In closing, let me say subject matters of different large Executive Committee something about the broader program sections causes some members who will serve two year signi&ance I envision for the confusion. Those interested in terms. As stipulated in the By- Section. World events in recent program participation are, laws, I would herebv like tQ years, and the last year most therefore, encouraged to make solicit nominations for thw dramatically, have underlined the multiple submissions. Please be positions from the membership, potential of scholarship which is sure, however, to inform the Please send nominations for any rooted in knowledge of particular panel organizers of where else of these positions directly to me countries and areas but which is you are submitting your pro@ and I will pass them on to the analytically broad and Nominating Committee once comparative. Developments in It was our belief from the formed. Europe - the transformations in outset that one of the most Eastern Europe and the progress important services which the Due to the enthusiastic toward EEC integration - are OrganizedSectioncould provide response ofAPSA members, the only the most immediate signs for the members and the Organized Section has been able of the erosion of traditional profession was to raise the to accumulate a reserve fund national and area studies visibility of comparative politics which we can now begin to apply boundaries as appropriate limits within the annual program. The to Section activities. Russell on the selection of units of regular inclusion of a substantial Dalton has established the analysis for the study of many number of panels from our appropriate accounts, and we are issues. Section - which is based in part ready now to undertake a set of on the number of members - initiatives. In this regard,. x These events have also assures greater representation would welcome swt~ons from reaffirmed the value of research for comparative politics in the the members about what kin& which explores comparative program of (he APSA Annual gf sDecific activities thev would themes across not only countries Meeting than has been the case like to see the Organized Section in the same area but across areas in the past. We have, therefore, Sponsor, Among the things we well. Issues like made a very good start at have talked about are: a formal timocratization, the political accomplishing this goal. We newsletter which would appear sources of and obstacles to would welcome any comments twice a year and which would changes in economic regimes, the you may have as you look over include not only news of the domesticpoliticsofintemational the program for this year and Organized Section but possibly economic openness, or the next year’s call for papers. also short book notes and/or impact of media on processes short articles on our field; prizes of political change have taken on The other major task which we for articles appearing in journals, renewed significance and the had to undertake in order to papers delivered in our panels, scope of comparative cases has launch the Section was to get our or books appearing in the field; been markedly broadened. administrative and budgetary special activities at the APSA Changes in the world are matters in order. As you may Annual Meeting, perhaps impinging on a number of the recall, the By-laws passed at the focusing on the teaching of traditional research proclivities A~ual Business Meeting in 889 comparative politics; partial which have characterized, and provided for a two-step selection sponsorship of a conference fragmented, comparative politics of an Executive Committee. The intended to produce a volume as a sub-discipline. first phase was accomplished at which would provide a critical Comparative Politics 3 At the same time, it is clear that confrontation, of different 2. Attend the Business we run considerable risks in theoretical and methodological Meeting in San Francisco if you conducting cross-national and approaches to such themes and can: Friday, August 31 at 5:30 cross-area research on these and to comparative study more P.M.; similar themes if we are generally. These approaches insufficiently sensitive to might well bridge different 3. Send me any particular histories, cultures and disciplines as well as coming nominations you have for Vice institutional legacies. In fact, entirely from our own and would President/President-Elect and there are clear signs that both include both quantitative and two members of the Executive culture and institutions are qualitative and small-n and large- Committee; returning to prominence in n analyses. Some of the recent comparative analysis, albeit work on comparative 4. Send back the embedded in theoretical methodology has sought once questionnaire regarding the next frameworks somewhat different again to raise questions about phase of Section activities; than in the past. We certainly do the relative merits of these not want to repeat false starts different approaches and of 5. Start thinking about and steps in trying to develop context-specific knowledge as papers or panels you would like cross-national and cross-area contrasted to abstract to propose for the 1992 meetings frameworks and generalizations. generalization of relationships in light of the “Call” prepared But we also want to avoid the between variables. These are by Robert Bates. cumulation of national or area debates with which our work as specih findings which do not an Organized Section should be Thanks.