European Consortium for Political Research Guide

The European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) is an independent scholarly association dedicated to advancing research, training, and cross-national collaboration in political science. Established in 1970, the consortium connects universities, research institutes, and scholars across Europe and internationally. Unlike individual-membership societies, the ECPR is organized around institutional membership, providing faculty, researchers, and postgraduate students at affiliated institutions with structured access to major conferences, intensive workshops, methods training, and scholarly publishing.

In academic practice, researchers engage with the ECPR to collaborate across subfields including comparative politics, public administration, and public policy analysis. The association plays an integral role in European social science research, connecting empirical inquiry with foundational disciplines explored in our guide to what is political science and policy frameworks in what is public policy.

What it is

The European Consortium for Political Research is Europe’s primary professional network for political scientists. It was established to overcome national fragmentation across European higher education by creating cross-border research networks and regularized workshop platforms. As an academic society and registered charity, it coordinates scholarly discourse through institutional representation, standing research groups, and disciplinary publications.

The consortium provides three distinct pillars of research support:

• Research Networks: Over 50 Standing Groups coordinate research on specialized topics, such as European Union politics, international relations, party politics, and public administration.
• Scholarly Gatherings: The annual ECPR General Conference and the collaborative Joint Sessions of Workshops enable scholars to present working papers and secure peer feedback.
• Publishing Infrastructure: A portfolio of peer-reviewed journals, book series, and digital platforms that provide dissemination avenues under rigorous peer review standards.

Who runs it and what it covers

The ECPR is governed by an elected Executive Committee composed of twelve trustees chosen by the consortium’s Council. The Council consists of Official Representatives appointed by each institutional member. Central operations, conference logistics, and membership administration are managed by professional staff headquartered at Harbour House in Colchester, United Kingdom.

The consortium covers the full disciplinary scope of political science and international studies, including:

• Comparative Politics: Empirical analysis of institutions, electoral systems, political parties, and voting behavior.
• Public Policy and Administration: Policy design, evaluation, and administrative structures, examined alongside dynamics in public policy vs public administration.
• International Relations: Global governance, security studies, diplomacy, and regional integration.
• Political Theory: Normative inquiry into democratic governance, justice, and the history of political thought.
• Research Methodologies: Qualitative, quantitative, computational, and mixed methods supported by the ECPR Methods School.

Membership is institutional. Universities and research institutes hold institutional membership, entitling all faculty, researchers, postdocs, and graduate students at that institution to full member benefits. Scholars create individual affiliate accounts tied to their home institution to access event fee discounts, apply for travel funding, and join standing groups.

How to search or use it

Researchers and academic administrators interact with the ECPR through four primary pathways:

1. Institutional Affiliation and Account Setup

Access begins by registering on ecpr.eu using an institutional email address. The platform prompts users to select their home university from the member directory. Once verified, the user account inherits institutional member benefits, qualifying the scholar for discounted conference registration, workshop applications, and research group access.

2. The ECPR General Conference

The ECPR General Conference is Europe’s largest annual gathering of political scientists. First held in Canterbury, UK in 2001, it operated biennially before transitioning to an annual schedule in 2014. The academic programme is organized into thematic Sections, each containing 3 to 8 Panels of 4 to 5 Papers. Scholars submit paper abstracts or full panel proposals directly to open Sections. Section Chairs review submissions for methodological rigour and thematic fit, and accepted authors upload full working papers to the conference portal prior to the meeting.

3. The ECPR Joint Sessions of Workshops

Convened annually in March or April since 1973, the ECPR Joint Sessions of Workshops provide an intensive, collaborative seminar format recognized as a cornerstone of European political science research. Unlike conventional conferences with short presentations, each Joint Session workshop:

• Is strictly limited to 15–20 participants working on a focused substantive topic.
• Runs over four full days, requiring participants to stay for the duration and read every paper in advance.
• Emphasizes round-table critique and manuscript refinement, frequently resulting in edited volumes or permanent standing groups.

4. Scholarly Publishing and Methods Training

The consortium provides formal publication venues indexed with Crossref DOI identifiers and rigorous editorial workflows:

• European Journal of Political Research (EJPR): Flagship peer-reviewed journal focused on comparative politics and institutional analysis.
• Political Data Yearbook (PDY): Verified factual records on national elections, cabinet formations, and institutional changes across democracies.
• European Political Science Review (EPSR): Broad-scope scholarly journal published with Cambridge University Press.
• European Political Science (EPS): Professional journal focusing on teaching, disciplinary standards, and academic careers.
• Political Research Exchange (PRX): A fully peer-reviewed gold open-access journal.
• Comparative Politics Book Series: Scholarly monographs published in partnership with Oxford University Press.
• Methods School: Year-round training offering qualitative and quantitative methodology courses that can yield ECTS academic credits.

Strengths and limits

When planning research dissemination and institutional memberships, scholars evaluate key trade-offs:

Strengths

• Intensive Workshop Quality: The four-day Joint Sessions format offers rare, sustained peer review that sharpens draft manuscripts prior to journal submission.
• Institutional Value: A single institutional membership extends discounts and grant eligibility to all faculty and students across the institution.
• Methodological Rigour: Dedicated Methods School courses provide practical, credit-bearing training in social science methods.
• High-Impact Outlets: Journals such as EJPR and EPSR carry strong international reputations and rigorous editorial oversight.

Limits

• Non-Member Costs: Scholars at non-member universities face substantially higher event registration fees, which can strain limited travel budgets.
• Geographic Concentration: Most conferences and workshops occur within Europe, resulting in high travel and lodging expenses for overseas scholars.
• Workshop Selectivity: Joint Sessions workshops enforce strict 15–20 participant limits, producing high rejection rates for competitive topics.

Alternatives

Scholars compare the ECPR to other international political science and international studies bodies:

Organization	Primary Scope	Membership Model	Flagship Conference	Key Publication Outlets
ECPR	European and comparative political science, methods training	Institutional (with individual scholar affiliation)	General Conference & Joint Sessions of Workshops	EJPR, EPSR, EPS, PRX, OUP Book Series
APSA	US and international political science, public policy	Individual and departmental membership	APSA Annual Meeting & Exhibition	American Political Science Review, Perspectives on Politics
IPSA	Global political science representation under UNESCO	Individual and national association membership	IPSA World Congress (biennial)	International Political Science Review, IPSA Abstracts
ISA	International studies, foreign policy, and security	Individual membership	ISA Annual Convention	International Studies Quarterly, Foreign Policy Analysis
BISA	UK and international studies, diplomacy, and defense	Individual membership	BISA Annual Conference	Review of International Studies, EJIS

FAQ

What is the difference between the ECPR General Conference and Joint Sessions?

The General Conference is a large-scale event featuring thematic Sections and 90-minute panel presentations open to broad audiences. The Joint Sessions of Workshops are closed, intensive four-day seminars limited to 15–20 participants who read all papers in advance and engage in round-table critique.

Can scholars from non-member institutions participate in ECPR events?

Yes. Researchers from non-member institutions may create an account on ecpr.eu and submit paper proposals or register for conferences and Methods School courses. However, they pay higher non-member registration rates.

What journals are affiliated with the ECPR?

Affiliated journals include the European Journal of Political Research (EJPR), the Political Data Yearbook (PDY), the European Political Science Review (EPSR), European Political Science (EPS), and the open-access journal Political Research Exchange (PRX).

How does a university become an ECPR member?

Academic institutions apply directly through the ECPR central office, providing evidence of teaching and research programmes in political science or related fields. Upon acceptance, the institution designates an Official Representative to the ECPR Council.

Sources

• European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR). (2026). About Us: Leading Scholarly Society for Political Science. https://ecpr.eu/AboutUs (Read 2026-11-08).
• European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR). (2026). About ECPR General Conference. https://ecpr.eu/content-page/110 (Read 2026-11-08).
• European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR). (2026). About our Joint Sessions of Workshops. https://ecpr.eu/content-page/112 (Read 2026-11-08).
• European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR). (2026). Publishing at ECPR: Journals, Books, and Digital Outlets. https://ecpr.eu/Publications (Read 2026-11-08).
• European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR). (2026). The ECPR Methods School: Methodological Training for the Social Sciences. https://ecpr.eu/content-page/131 (Read 2026-11-08).