28TH IPSA WORLD CONGRESS OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

From July 12 to 16, 2025, the 28th World Congress of the International Political Science Association (IPSA) was held in Seoul, the capital of South Korea — one of the key events in global academic life. The Congress took place at the Coex Convention & Exhibition Center, one of the largest and most advanced venues in Asia, in cooperation with the Korean Political Science Association (KPSA). It was the second time Seoul hosted the IPSA World Congress — the first occasion being in 1997.

The main theme of the 28th Congress was “Resisting Autocratization in Polarized Societies”. This topic is particularly timely, as even well-established democracies are facing the threat of authoritarian regression — from both political elites and increasingly disillusioned citizens.

Key areas of discussion included: the erosion of democratic institutions, populism and authoritarian rhetoric in electoral politics, the undermining of human rights and civil liberties, political polarization among both elites and citizens, disinformation, “post-truth” narratives, and the political use of digital technologies. Authoritarianism cloaked in the rhetoric of public safety, migration crises, or climate challenges also came under scrutiny.

Despite these challenges, the Congress emphasized the importance of an active civil society, independent judiciaries, and responsible opposition parties as critical safeguards against authoritarian drift. A strong emphasis was placed on international democratic solidarity, the role of regional organizations, and global cooperation. The program also underscored the need for in-depth analysis of the reasons behind the appeal of authoritarianism for certain segments of the population, as well as the significance of the transnational dimension of contemporary politics — including the impact of new regional orders, digital transformations, and migration policies on the state of democracy.

The Ukrainian Political Science Association (UPSA) — the only official collective IPSA member from Ukraine — participated in the 2025 Congress. UPSA was represented by Galyna Zelenko, Deputy Director for Research at the Institute of Political and Ethnic Studies, and First Vice President of UPSA. She took part in a series of meetings of the IPSA Council, the Association’s highest governing body responsible for making strategic decisions. Ukraine has been represented in this body for several years by Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Oleh Rafalskyi, President of UPSA and Director of the I.F. Kuras Institute of Political and Ethnic Studies.

During the Council’s session, a new Executive Committee of IPSA was approved for the 2025–2027 term. Professor Yuko Kasuya of Keio University, Tokyo, was elected as the new President of IPSA.

The opening ceremony was attended by the President of the Republic of Korea, Yoon Suk-yeol. The closing ceremony featured the Speaker of the National Assembly, Woo Won-shik.

The 2025 IPSA World Congress in Seoul was not only a platform for the exchange of ideas among approximately 3,400 political scientists from around the world, but also a powerful statement of shared responsibility within the discipline for safeguarding democracy as a universal value. For Ukraine, participation in the Congress was a strategic opportunity to act not only as a subject of academic study but also as an active contributor to global political science.