This week, faculty and students from the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) are making a powerful impact at the 2025 American Political Science Association (APSA) Annual Meeting. With participation in 40 individual panels and presentations, SPIA scholars are presenting innovative research, leading critical discussions, and chairing panels across a wide range of topics—from global governance and authoritarianism to judicial politics, diversity, and public opinion.
SPIA’s strong presence at APSA 2025 reflects the school’s commitment to advancing political science through rigorous scholarship and public engagement. We’re proud to celebrate the achievements of our faculty and students as they help shape the future of the discipline.
Thursday, Sept. 11
“Aid, Accountability, and Voters”
8:00 to 9:30am PDT (11:00am to 12:30pm EDT)
Chair- Ryan M. Powers, University of Georgia
“Mechanisms of Authoritarian Control in a Globalized World”
8:00 to 9:30am PDT (11:00am to 12:30pm EDT)
Discussant – Rongbin Han, University of Georgia
“Diversity and Its Effect on the Judiciary”
10:00 to 11:30am PDT (1:00 to 2:30pm EDT)
Presenters- (Paper) Diversity and the Judiciary: An Organizational Perspective – Susan Haire, University of Georgia
“New Research Frontiers in Asian American Politics”
10:00 to 11:30am PDT (1:00 to 2:30pm EDT)
(Paper) Language and Voting Behavior among Asian Americans – Jangai Jap, University of Georgia
Poster Session: “Human Rights & Issues in African Politics”
Chair and Discussant- Bree Laura Bang-Jensen, University of Georgia
“Glass Making and Breaking: Opportunities for Women’s Representation”
2:00 to 3:30pm PDT (5:00 to 6:30pm EDT)
(Paper) Record Breakers: Narratives about Women’s Emergence and Symbolic Representation – Katelyn E. Stauffer, University of Georgia
“Cars, Faith, and Parties: The Politics of State-Building and State-Capture”
2:00 to 3:30pm PDT (5:00 to 6:30pm EDT)
Presenter: (Paper) Who Captures the State? Break and Continuity in Post-Colonial Party Manifestos – Joowon Yi and Bonkyu Lim, University of Georgia
“Affective Polarization around the Globe”
2:00 – 3:30 pm PDT (5:00 to 6:30pm EDT)
Chair- Alexa Bankert, University of Georgia
“Geopolitics and International Organizations”
4:00 to 5:30pm PDT (7:00 to 8:30pm EDT)
(Paper) Reputational Sources of the Accommodation Dilemma – Ryan M. Powers, University of Georgia
“Public Opinion and Social Dynamics in Contemporary China”
4:00 to 5:30pm PDT (7:00 to 8:30pm EDT)
(Paper) Putnam’s Puzzle: How Civic Engagement Erodes Immigration Approval in China – Rongbin Han, University of Georgia
“Controversies in Bureaucratic Politics”
4:00 to 5:30pm PDT (7:00 to 8:30pm EDT)
Presenter: (Paper – Virtual) Courts and the Clock: Agency Responses in the Separation of Powers – Yao Yao, University of Georgia
“Ethnicity, Legitimation, and Authoritarian Legacies in Southeast Asia”
4:00 to 5:30pm PDT (7:00 to 8:30pm EDT)
Chair- Jangai Jap, University of Georgia
Presentation- (Paper) When Ethnic Identity Undermines National Identity – Jangai Jap, University of Georgia
Friday, Sept. 12
“Global Governance Contestation and Pushback”
8:00 to 9:30am PDT (11:00am to 12:30pm EDT)
Presenter- Ryan M. Powers, University of Georgia
“Gatekeepers and Leaky Pipelines: Challenges to Women’s Representation”
10:00 to 11:30am PDT (1:00 to 2:30pm EDT)
Chair- Katelyn E. Stauffer, University of Georgia
“International Cooperation and Compliance”
10:00 to 11:30am PDT (1:00 to 2:30pm EDT)
(Paper) The Diffusion of Report Non-Compliance in the UN Human Rights Treaty System – Carrie (Ha Eun) Park, University of Georgia
“Judicial Decision Making”
10:00 to 11:30am PDT (1:00 to 2:30pm EDT)
Chair- Gbemende Johnson, University of Georgia
“Threat Perception, Security Institutions, and Strategic Responses”
12:00 to 1:30pm PDT (3:00 to 4:30pm EDT)
Chair and presenter- (Paper) COVID-19 and Public Threat Perception of Biological Weapons – Justin Conrad, University of Georgia
“Democratic Principles”
2:00 to 3:30pm PDT (5:00 to 6:30pm EDT)
Discussant: Alexander Kaufman, University of Georgia
“The Executive and Judicial Politics”
2:00 to 3:30pm PDT (5:00 to 6:30pm EDT)
(Paper) Judges, the Executive Branch, and Dispute Salience – Gbemende Johnson, University of Georgia, Yao Yao, University of Georgia
“Parties and Group Identities: Gender and Ethnicity”
4:00 to 5:30pm PDT (7:00 to 8:30pm EDT)
Chair- Minjin Choi, University of Georgia
(Paper) In the Shadow of Dissatisfaction: The “Korean Men in Their 20s” in Elections – Solbi Kim, University of Georgia, Minjin Choi, University of Georgia
“Election Workers”
4:00 to 5:30pm PDT (7:00 to 8:30pm EDT)
(Paper) How State Laws Shape Public Attitudes about Poll Watchers- Geoffrey Sheagley, University of Georgia
Authors Meet Critics: “Strategic Responsiveness: How Congress Confronts Presidential Power”
4:00 to 5:30pm PDT (7:00 to 8:30pm EDT)
Chair- Scott H. Ainsworth, University of Georgia
Presenter(s)- Gbemende Johnson, University of Georgia
Saturday, Sept. 13
“Experiments on Violence and Political Behavior”
8:00 to 9:30am PDT (11:00am to 12:30pm EDT)
(Paper) Can Violence Narratives Shape Political Participation? Evidence from Nigeria – Megan Turnbull, University of Georgia
“Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine and the ‘Nuclear Taboo'”
8:00 to 9:30am PDT (11:00am to 12:30pm EDT)
Presenter- Naomi Egel, University of Georgia
“Water Politics across Boundaries”
8:00 to 9:30am PDT (11:00am to 12:30pm EDT)
(Paper) Evolving Dynamics of Water Planning and Collaborative Outputs over Time – Emily V. Bell, University of Georgia
“Digital China”
10:00 to 11:30am PDT (1:00 to 2:30pm EDT)
Chair: Rongbin Han, University of Georgia
“International Security Cooperation”
10:00 to 11:30am PDT (1:00 to 2:30pm EDT)
(Paper) Impact of Intergovernmental Organization Hierarchy on Peace Building – Carrie (Ha Eun) Park, University of Georgia
“Psychological and Social Mechanisms for Reducing Polarization”
10:00 to 11:30am PDT (1:00 to 2:30pm EDT)
(Paper) From Conflict to Cooperation: Changing Partisan Norms to Reduce Polarization – Alexa Bankert, University of Georgia
“Statemaking and State Failure”
10:00 to 11:30am PDT (1:00 to 2:30pm EDT)
(Paper) Non-State Authority and Legitimate Violence: A Survey Experiment in Nigeria – Megan Turnbull, University of Georgia
“What Drives Polarization in Contemporary Societies?”
12:00 to 1:30pm PDT (3:00 to 4:30pm EDT)
(Paper – Virtual) Citizen Voices Reshaping Politics – Solbi Kim, University of Georgia
“Public Opinion, Alliance Politics, and the Future of Nuclear Strategy”
12:00 to 1:30pm PDT (3:00 to 4:30pm EDT)
(Paper) Public Opinion in NATO on Nuclear Deterrence – Naomi Egel, University of Georgia
“Migration, Inequality, and Discrimination in Korea and East Asia”
12:00 to 1:30pm PDT (3:00 to 4:30pm EDT
(Paper) In-Group Hate: Intolerance in Asia towards Returning Co-Nationals during COVID-19 – Jangai Jap, University of Georgia
“Elections and Conflict”
12:00 to 1:30pm PDT (3:00 to 4:30pm EDT)
Discussant- Megan Turnbull, University of Georgia
“Automating Insights: Harnessing LLMs for Conflict and Human Rights Research”
12:00 to 1:30pm PDT (3:00 to 4:30pm EDT)
Presenters: (Paper) Measuring Intensity of Repression Using an LLM and a Latent Variable Approach – K. Chad Clay, University of Georgia, Rebecca Elizaeth Cordell, University of Pittsburgh, Christopher J. Fariss, University of Michigan, Reed M. Wood, Arizona State University, Thorin Martin Wright, Arizona State University
“Identity Issues in Immigration: Gender, Religion, and Indigeneity”
12:00 to 1:30pm PDT (3:00 to 4:30pm EDT)
(Paper) Shortcomings of Migrant Socialization: A Survey of the EU Turkish Diaspora – Gulcan Saglam, University of Georgia
“Lightning Round: Law and Courts”
2:00 to 3:30pm PDT (5:00 to 6:30pm EDT)
Chair- Susan Haire, University of Georgia
“The Politics of International Regime Complexity”
4:00 to 5:30pm PDT (7:00 to 8:30pm EDT)
Discussant – Bree Laura Bang-Jensen, University of Georgia
Sunday, September 14
“International Health Cooperation”
8:00 to 9:30am PDT (11:00am to 12:30pm EDT)
(Paper) Breaking the Habit: Treaty Exit, Trust and Drug Legalization – Bree Laura Bang-Jensen, University of Georgia
“Staffing the Executive Branch”
8:00 to 9:30am PDT (11:00am to 12:30pm EDT)
(Paper) The Loyalty Premium: Examining Unified Control of the Appointment Process – George A. Krause, University of Georgia
“The State, Land, and Information”
10:00 to 11:30am PDT (1:00 to 2:30pm EDT)
Discussant and presenter- (Paper) The Social Consequence of Bureaucratic Oversight – Ning He, University of Georgia
