Promoting Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Encouraging of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) both in the PSA and in the Political Studies discipline is a core value and mission for our association. From our journals and conferences through to our prizes and governance, we have taken steps to make our work more inclusive and welcoming to scholars, students and practitioners from all backgrounds. However, there is still much to do to increase representation and opportunities in the PSA and beyond.

 

Therefore In 2022, we established a new EDI Working Group to challenge practices, provide oversight and drive positive change. This is directly linked to the PSA's Executive Committee through its membership including its chair and PSA Trustee Dr Manjeet Ramgotra. We are grateful to our colleagues for stepping forward to give their time and expertise:

 

 

The PSA EDI Working Group has been established to uphold values of equality, diversity and inclusion in the profession and in all of our teaching and research activities. The group will not only scrutinize policies and practices within the PSA, but also it provides a forum through which to raise and freely discuss EDI issues. It will undertake activities (workshops, data collection) to promote the PSA Equality and Diversity strategy. This entails promoting marginalised scholars and their work, valuing marginalised and minoritised forms of knowledge and supporting forums that discuss and circulate a wide variety of scholarly work from a range of ontological, epistemological and methodological starting points. The PSA EDI group is committed to actively pursuing transformative change to create a truly equitable field, challenging the status quo, holding those in positions of power to account, and creating structures that support and embed EDI principles.

Please do get in touch with Manjeet if you wish to learn more or get involved. 

 

You can read the PSA's current strategic statements on EDI here: 10-Year Strategic Plan 2017 - 2027.  Read the Equality and Diversity Strategy here and find the PSA's Equality and Diversity Equal Opportunities Monitoring form: here.

 

As the leading Political Studies learned society in the UK, the PSA has a key oversight role into the state of the discipline. In 2021 we published this report as a first step in determining the key EDI challenges in University Politics and IR departments  'Career Trajectories in UK departments of Politics and International Relations'

 

The PSA is a member of The Academy of Social Sciences and is part of its EDI working group which has helped pull together a hub of data and good practice initiatives from across the academe which will hopefully be useful and inspiring to our community:

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion – Academy of Social Sciences (acss.org.uk)

EDI within research groups and networking communities – Academy of Social Sciences (acss.org.uk)

EDI and research funding – Academy of Social Sciences (acss.org.uk)

 

How Diverse are Politics and IR Departments?

 

The PSA is a member of The Academy of Social Sciences (ACSS) and is part of its EDI working group which has helped pull together a hub of data and good practice initiatives from across the academe which will hopefully be useful and inspiring to our community:

Indeed, the PSA is currently working with the British Academy on its disciplinary analysis of Politics & International Relations (due Autumn 24) which will provide us with further evidence of the diversity and health of our discipline.

As a learned society, we are committed to encouraging an inclusive and equitable environment where diversity thrives. This is demonstrated by our recognition of the invaluable contribution that women and people of colour bring to the discipline and our support in their career advancement. The PSA’s Women and Politics Specialist Group provides an invaluable network and platform for women to advance their work and careers in the discipline. The Diverse Voices Programme is another initiative by the PSA that supports black and minority ethnic PhD students with scholarships. The programme also provides early career researchers from underrepresented groups with small grants to advance their research.

Crucially this analysis from the Academy of Social Sciences (ACSS) will help inform PSA’s new 2025+ strategy as it places EDI at the heart of its operations and activities that support the higher education teaching and research landscape.

You can access the ACSS summary report on EDI in the social sciences, and read the analysis by Joan McDappa, PSA’s Diversity and Projects Officer here.