Academy of Political Science

What Academy of Political Science does

The Academy of Political Science is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit scholarly publisher founded in 1880 and incorporated as an independent institution in New York in 1910. Its flagship product is Political Science Quarterly (PSQ), a peer-reviewed journal covering government, politics, and public policy published continuously since 1886 and reaching Volume 141 in 2026, making it one of the oldest continuously published political science journals in the United States. The Academy complements the journal with an APS Books program publishing paperback and eBook titles on timely political science topics, and an Academy Forum Events series of conferences, book talks, and webinars.

The Academy serves a horizontally segmented audience: government officials (Members of Congress, executive branch and state/local officials), academic scholars in political science and history, media and commentary professionals, business and legal professionals, and informed members of the general public. Its go-to-market combines subscription-driven membership (with annual tiers ranging from a $35 subsidized student rate to $1,000+ Benefactor support levels, plus a print edition tier) with e-commerce book sales through its website and global institutional subscriptions and advertising handled by Oxford University Press. Manuscript submissions run on the ScholarOne platform, journals are digitally archived on psqonline.org dating back to 1886, and distribution is augmented by an Oxford Academic channel for institutional buyers. The organization is led by President & CEO Robert Y. Shapiro, who also serves as Editor of PSQ and holds an appointment at Columbia University's Department of Government.

Name

Academy of Political Science

Legal name

Academy of Political Science

Website

https://psqonline.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1880

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Academy of Political Science is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit scholarly publisher, founded in 1880 and headquartered in New York, that has published Political Science Quarterly continuously since 1886, serving scholars, government officials, media professionals, and informed citizens with peer-reviewed political science research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scholarly Journal and Academic Publishing

NAICS

Political Organizations (813940)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing (MPAJABAK)

Keywords

• Scholarly journal publishing
• Political science research
• Academic books publishing
• Nonprofit learned society
• Policy analysis publications

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Journal Subscriptions and Membership: Annual membership fees provide full online access to Political Science Quarterly archives and discounts on Academy books. Members receive invitations to virtual panel discussions and events.
2. APS Books Sales: Sale of books on political science topics including paperback and eBook formats. Members receive 20-30% discount.
3. Advertising: Advertising inquiries are handled by Oxford University Press for the journal.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Academy of Political Science is a nonprofit learned society that publishes Political Science Quarterly (PSQ), a peer-reviewed scholarly journal covering government, politics, and public policy continuously since 1886. It sells APS Books on political science topics in paperback and eBook formats, offers individual and institutional memberships granting access to the full journal archive, and convenes conferences and webinars through its Academy Forum program.

Product overview

The Academy of Political Science operates as a nonprofit scholarly publisher offering a portfolio of products centered on its flagship journal Political Science Quarterly (PSQ), published continuously since 1886. The core offering includes PSQ, a peer-reviewed journal covering government, politics, and public policy with original articles and extensive book reviews. The APS Books program complements the journal with published volumes on timely political science topics. The Academy Forum Events provide conferences and webinars for professional discourse. Individual and institutional memberships provide access to digital archives and discounts. Content is distributed through the psqonline.org website and Oxford Academic platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Political Science Quarterly (PSQ) Peer-reviewed scholarly journal covering government, politics, and public policy, published since 1886 by the Academy of Political Science. Features original research articles and 30-40 book reviews per issue on domestic and international affairs, with full archives available online from 1886 to present and available in print and digital editions.
• APS Books Published volumes on timely political science topics including collections of articles from PSQ and original works on American politics, foreign policy, democracy, and international affairs. Available in paperback and eBook (PDF) formats with 20-30% discounts for Academy members, sold directly through psqonline.org and distributed through Oxford University Press.
• Academy Membership (Individual) Annual membership program providing full online access to all PSQ issues since 1886, 20-30% discounts on APS Books, and invitations to virtual panel discussions and Academy Forum events. Includes Student rate at $35/year, Regular at $67/year, and Special tier adding four print issues per year, personalized certificate, and recognition listing in the Spring issue. Higher support tiers (Contributor, Fellow, Patron, Benefactor) provide additional philanthropic recognition.
• Institutional Journal Subscriptions Subscription access to Political Science Quarterly for libraries and institutions, administered through Oxford University Press and delivered via the Oxford Academic platform, providing academic and research institutions with journal content for faculty, students, and researchers.
• Academy Forum Events Conferences, webinars, book talks, and panel discussions convened by the Academy of Political Science, bringing together experts from government, academic, and nonprofit sectors to discuss timely political and policy topics. Offered as virtual webinars and in-person gatherings, with invitations extended to members.

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• IRIS (French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Collaboration on the book 'America at 250: At Home and Beyond', published by the Academy of Political Science in collaboration with IRIS. The book brings together leading voices in political science and international affairs from both sides of the Atlantic to explore the evolution, challenges, and global role of the United States on the occasion of its 250th anniversary.
• Oxford University PresscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOxford University Press administers and manages all permissions requests for reprinting or photocopying Political Science Quarterly articles. They also handle advertising inquiries and institutional subscriptions for the journal.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Wiley: Major commercial publisher of peer-reviewed political science and public policy journals. Comparable as a publisher in the same scholarly content space, though operates at much greater scale as a commercial enterprise.
• Council on Foreign Relations: Publishes Foreign Affairs, the leading magazine on U.S. foreign policy and international affairs. Overlaps with APS on international affairs and public policy content, though broader in scope and larger scale.
• MIT Press: University press publishing leading political science and international relations journals (e.g., International Security). Comparable as a nonprofit scholarly publisher of peer-reviewed content on politics and policy.
• Cambridge University Press: Publishes numerous political science and international relations journals (e.g., American Political Science Review in partnership with APSA). Comparable as a publisher of peer-reviewed political science scholarship.
• Oxford University Press: Major academic publisher that distributes PSQ and also publishes competing political science journals through Oxford Academic. Comparable as a publisher of scholarly political science content at much greater scale.
• Brookings Institution: Think tank producing books, reports, and policy analysis on government, politics, and international affairs. Adjacent comparator in the political science/public policy content space with a different nonprofit business model.

Direct peers

• American Economic Association: Scholarly society publishing flagship economics journals (American Economic Review, Journal of Economic Literature). Directly comparable business model as a learned society using journal subscriptions and membership to fund activities.
• Annual Reviews: Nonprofit publisher of authoritative annual review journals including Annual Review of Political Science. Directly comparable as a nonprofit scholarly publisher producing peer-reviewed review content across the social sciences.
• American Political Science Association: The leading scholarly society for political scientists in the U.S., publishing American Political Science Review, Perspectives on Politics, and PS: Political Science & Politics. Directly comparable as a learned society publishing flagship political science journals.

Others

• Hoover Institution: Stanford-based public policy think tank publishing books, policy briefs, and essays on politics and economics. Thematically comparable as a publisher of political and policy scholarship, though primarily a think tank rather than a journal publisher.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/psquarterly
• Facebookfacebook.com/PoliticalScienceQuarterly

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Academy of Political Science