APISA and PPSA Initiatives Overview

APISA and ACPR Initiatives

• APISA established in 2001 in Malaysia with the goal of creating an academic community for scholars focused on Asia.
• Founding congress held in Singapore in 2003; membership primarily consists of scholars from Southeast Asia.
• Organization promotes comparative scholarship in fields such as conflict, peace, democracy, governance, and development, modeled after Western academic institutions.
• Previously governed by an Executive Committee elected at biennial congresses, with a formal non-profit incorporation in Hong Kong in 2006.
• The APISA secretariat was moved from Malaysia to De La Salle University in the Philippines in 2010.

PPSA Historical Context

• Inaugural national conference of the Philippine Political Science Association (PPSA) took place in 1963.
• Experienced periods of inactivity between conferences due to commitments of founding members, particularly from 1984-1990.
• Successfully revived in 1993 with support from multiple universities, expanding annual conferences to include international participation.
• Celebrated 50th anniversary in 2012, institutionalized membership fee collection to address funding challenges.

Gender Representation in Political Science

• Male authors dominate publication contributions in political science research, with 67% male and 33% female authors represented in the journal.
• The University of the Philippines accounts for 59% of local authors, with contributions also from De La Salle University and Ateneo de Manila University.
• International contributions include 6% from the USA and smaller percentages from Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, and Canada.

Research Themes and Methodologies

• Significant focus on "democratic and state institutions," accounting for 29% of articles published over 40 years, covering topics like local government and elections.
• Other prominent subject areas include economic processes (28%), social actors (20%), and political order (14%).
• Majority of articles emphasize empirical methods, with 50% being largely descriptive; few focused purely on theory generation.
• Research primarily adopts qualitative methods, with only 1% utilizing purely quantitative approaches.

"Pangulo Regime" Concept

• The "pangulo regime" is characterized by the dominance of the president, emphasizing solidarity and shared responsibility.
• The concept reflects historical roots in Philippine political culture, particularly in writings by anti-colonial figures like Jose Rizal and Emilio Aguinaldo.
• Identified three presidents (Quezon, Laurel, Marcos) as effectively embodying the "pangulo regime," exercising authority at key historical moments.
• The framework was critiqued as potentially legitimizing authoritarianism, especially during the Marcos dictatorship.

Development of Political Science Discipline

• Philippine political science evolved outside the typical positivistic frameworks prevalent in Western contexts, avoiding a strict reliance on statistical methodologies.
• Emphasized the discipline's connection to the nation's postcolonial history and the role of state universities in shaping political studies.
• Demonstrated the importance of inclusivity and broadening membership beyond major universities for future development.

This quiz delves into the formation and evolution of the Asia-Pacific International Studies Association (APISA) and the Philippine Political Science Association (PPSA). It highlights their roles in fostering comparative scholarship and political discourse within the region. Test your knowledge on their historical contexts and significant milestones.