What Presses de Sciences Po does

Presses de Sciences Po is the academic publishing house of Sciences Po (Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris), founded in 1976 and headquartered in Paris. It operates as an integral unit of the university rather than as an independent commercial publisher, executing a three-part mission: publishing peer-reviewed original research in the social sciences, editing reference works and textbooks for university students, and supporting informed public and political debate. The portfolio comprises roughly ten academic journals (e.g., Revue française de sociologie, Revue française de science politique, Gouvernement & action publique, Critique internationale, Revue économique) and a monograph program organized into thematic collections covering political science, sociology, economics, international relations, history, law, gender studies, environmental politics, and sustainable development. Content is produced primarily in French with English-language summaries and a bilingual storefront.

The press's technology footprint is modest and standard for academic publishing: its website is built on the GiantChair content management system, and it publishes ONIX XML metadata (versions 2.1 and 3) for interoperability with global book trade systems. There are no proprietary AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or developer-facing integrations; the platform is a content storefront rather than a data or services business. The press employs approximately 15 people.

Commercially, revenue derives from three streams: one-time sales of print and e-book editions of monographs (priced €6-€35), recurring journal subscriptions and individual issue sales, and e-book distribution through third-party retailers (Amazon, FNAC, Decitre, Mollat, Librairie des Sciences Politiques) and academic aggregators (Cairn.info for current issues, Persée.fr and JSTOR for back issues). Wholesale distribution of physical books flows through Harmonia Mundi Livre. Strategic partnerships with the Fondation du risque and the Chaire de Sécurisation des parcours professionnels anchor a multi-stakeholder research collection on employment policy. The business model is mission-driven academic dissemination rather than profit maximization, and no external investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity are present in the available record.

Name

Presses de Sciences Po

Legal name

Presses de Sciences Po

Website

https://pressesdesciencespo.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Presses de Sciences Po is the Paris-based academic publishing house of Sciences Po university, founded in 1976. It publishes peer-reviewed French-language social science journals and monographs for researchers, students, and policy professionals, distributed via Cairn.info, JSTOR, and consumer e-book retailers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Research Monographs & University Press Publishing (MPAJABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed) (MPAJABAC), Social Sciences Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAD), Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAI)

Keywords

• Academic publishing
• Scholarly journals
• University press
• Social sciences
• Academic monographs

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Sale of academic monographs and edited volumes in social sciences, available in both print (paperback) and digital (ePub) formats. Prices range from €6 to €35 depending on format and publication type.
2. Journal Subscriptions and Sales: Sale of academic journal issues (e.g., Revue française de sociologie, Revue française de science politique) including subscription access through Cairn.info portal and individual issue purchases.
3. E-book Distribution: Digital content distribution through multiple retail channels including Amazon, FNAC, Decitre, Mollat, and specialized academic retailers, with pricing typically 40-50% lower than print editions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Presses de Sciences Po is the university press of Sciences Po (Fondation nationale des sciences politiques), publishing peer-reviewed academic journals (Revue française de sociologie, Revue française de science politique, Gouvernement & action publique, and others), original research monographs and edited volumes organized into thematic collections across the social sciences, student reference textbooks, and specialized reference works such as the Dictionnaire d'écologie politique. Content is sold in both print and digital formats, primarily in French.

Product overview

Presses de Sciences Po is Sciences Po University's academic publishing house with a threefold mission: publishing original research, producing student reference textbooks, and supporting public and political debate. The portfolio consists of two primary product lines: (1) Academic monographs organized into thematic collections (Académique, Références, Essai, Atlas, Les Manuels, Bibliothèque du citoyen, International Relations, Sécuriser l'emploi) covering political science, sociology, international relations, sustainable development, and related social science disciplines; and (2) Academic journals (Revue française de sociologie, Revue française de science politique, Gouvernement & action publique, Raisons politiques, Sociétés contemporaines, Critique internationale, Revue économique, Le mouvement social, Agora débats-jeunesses) published in partnership with Cairn.info for online access. The publisher also produces specialized reference works including dictionaries. Content spans fields including Environment, History, International Relations, Politics, Society, Gender, Governance, Health, Law, and Work/Occupations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Revue française de sociologie Leading generalist French-language sociology journal publishing rigorous peer-reviewed research on societies, structural problems, and methodologies. Sold in print issues and accessible via subscription through Cairn.info.
• Revue française de science politique Leading French political science journal publishing research on political institutions, democracy, and public action. Available in print issues and online via Cairn.info.
• Gouvernement & action publique French-language social science journal for government activities, the State, and public action at various scales and organizations. Available in print and online via Cairn.info.
• Raisons politiques Political science journal covering representative government, gender violence, and feminist movements. Available in print and online via Cairn.info.
• Sociétés contemporaines Journal publishing research on contemporary societies including age relations, conjugal violence, and social stratification. Available in print and online via Cairn.info.
• Critique internationale International relations journal covering global governance, development, and environmental professionalization in the Global South. Available in print and online via Cairn.info.
• Revue économique Leading economics journal covering macroeconomic analysis, energy transition, and climate policy. Available in print and online via Cairn.info.
• Le mouvement social Journal focused on social movements, labor history, and protest soundscapes across centuries. Available in print and online via Cairn.info.
• Agora débats-jeunesses Journal dedicated to youth studies and intergenerational dynamics in society. Available in print and online via Cairn.info.
• Dictionnaire d'écologie politique Political ecology dictionary with over 100 entries by 150 researchers covering concepts, ideas, and results for understanding human-environment relationships.
• Controverses climatiques, sciences et politique Book analyzing climate controversies, scientific denialism, and the role of media and lobbies in climate change skepticism. Available in print (€25.00) and ePub (€12.99) editions.
• La société du matching New release book by Melchior Simioni and Philippe Steiner exploring the social relationship of matching, in which selection is made based on data provided.
• Atlas du numérique New release atlas by Dominique Cardon and Sylvain Parasie mapping the different facets of contemporary digital life using digital visualization tools.
• Toilettes publiques New release essay by Julien Damon on urban public toilets, exploring the world of amenities from tradition to innovation.
• La désobéissance civile New release 3rd edition by Graeme Hayes and Sylvie Ollitrault retracing the history of civil disobedience and its connections with violence, law, and the media.
• Des scouts en Malaisie britannique New release book by Christina Jialin Wu on the circulation of ideas and models through the Scouting movement in British Malaya, contributing to a global history of colonisation and decolonisation.
• Culture écologique New release book by Pierre Charbonnier on ecological culture, drawing on Earth sciences, anthropology, sociology, history, geography, economics, and philosophy.
• Culture numérique New release book by Dominique Cardon providing keys to understanding the digital revolution and what societies do with digital technology.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Chaire de Sécurisation des parcours professionnelscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe press hosts publications from the Chair for Career Security, a research initiative managed by Fondation du risque. The chair brings together researchers from Sciences Po and GENES (INSEE group including ENSAE and CREST) to study employment policy effectiveness. Supported by Groupe Alpha, DARES, Pôle Emploi, and Unidec.
• Cairn.infocoreTechnology or IntegrationAcademic journals published by Presses de Sciences Po are accessible online through the Cairn.info portal from issue 1 (2012/1) onwards, providing digital access to subscribers.
• Fondation du risquecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation recognized as a public utility that manages the Chaire de Sécurisation des parcours professionnels, partnering with Sciences Po for joint research publication.
• Harmonia Mundi LivreminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWholesale distributor for physical books to bookstores and retailers. Contact: +33 4 90 49 58 05
• Groupe AlphaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCabinet d'expertise et de conseil spécialisé dans les relations sociales et le développement local - supporter of the Chaire de Sécurisation des parcours professionnels.
• DARESminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDirection de l'animation de la recherche des études et des statistiques du ministère du Travail - supporter of employment research publications.
• Pôle EmploiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench public employment service supporting research on employment policy published through the Sécuriser l'emploi collection.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Brill Publishers: Brill is an academic publisher with a strong portfolio in social sciences, international relations, and area studies, including some French-language scholarship. It is comparable as a humanities/social science publisher but operates commercially rather than as a university press.
• Edward Elgar Publishing: Edward Elgar specializes in academic books and journals in social sciences, politics, economics, and law, with growing presence in European Francophone scholarship. It is comparable as a niche academic publisher competing for the same author pool in political economy and public policy.

Broad incumbents

• Routledge (Taylor & Francis): Routledge is one of the world's largest academic publishers in humanities and social sciences, with extensive monograph and journal portfolios. It competes for the same academic authors and library customers as Presses de Sciences Po but at global commercial scale rather than as a university press.
• Éditions Gallimard: Gallimard is France's leading literary and intellectual publisher, with NRF and other imprints publishing essayistic and scholarly work in social sciences and political thought. It overlaps with Presses de Sciences Po in accessible scholarly essay publishing and French intellectual readership.
• Springer Nature: Springer Nature is a global academic publisher with major social science and political science journal portfolios. While it does not specialize in French-language humanities, it is increasingly competing for the same author pool and institutional library budgets as Presses de Sciences Po.
• Cambridge University Press: Cambridge University Press is one of the world's oldest and largest university presses, publishing extensively in social sciences, political science, and area studies. It is comparable as a university press model but with vastly greater scale, international reach, and English-language positioning.
• Oxford University Press: Oxford University Press is a global academic publisher with extensive social science and humanities journals and monographs. Comparable to Presses de Sciences Po as a university press, but operates at global scale with predominantly English-language content.

Direct peers

• Éditions La Découverte: La Découverte is a major French publisher specializing in social sciences, economics, and political analysis with strong author brands in sociology and political science. It competes directly for French social science authors and readers, though it operates as an independent rather than university press.
• Éditions CNRS: CNRS Editions is the publishing arm of France's Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, publishing scholarly books and journals in social sciences and humanities. It directly competes with Presses de Sciences Po in the French academic monograph market and is comparable in scope and prestige.
• Presses Universitaires de France (PUF): PUF is France's premier university press, publishing academic monographs and journals across the humanities and social sciences. It is the most direct French-language peer, competing for the same author pool, library budgets, and Sciences Po-adjacent scholarly content.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/presses-de-sciences-po

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Presses de Sciences Po