Canadian Political Science Association

What Canadian Political Science Association does

The Canadian Political Science Association (CPSA) is a federally incorporated nonprofit academic professional association founded in 1912 and incorporated under the Canada Corporations Act in 1971, headquartered in Ottawa, Canada. Its mission is to facilitate and promote the study of politics and government in Canada by connecting students, researchers, journalists, practitioners, and teachers across a network of more than 40 affiliated university departments. The association operates with a small secretariat of 1–10 employees and is governed by a Board of Directors, with activity spanning annual conferences, scholarly publishing, prize administration, internship programs, and reconciliation-focused initiatives in Indigenous political science education.

CPSA's core offerings include the Canadian Journal of Political Science (CJPS), a bilingual peer-reviewed journal published in English and French; an annual conference that draws researchers from across Canada and internationally; and an extensive prizes program — including the C.B. Macpherson Prize, Vincent Lemieux Prize, Donald Smiley Prize, Jill Vickers Prize, John McMenemy Prize, and a Three Minutes Thesis Prize — recognizing excellence across the discipline. The association also administers two internship programs: the Ontario Legislature Internship Programme (established 1975 and supported by a grant from the Legislative Assembly of Ontario) and the Parliamentary Internship Programme (currently subject to administrative transition under a Board-mandated committee established June 2023). Supporting infrastructure includes the POLCAN2 monthly newsletter (free subscription, distributed to members and non-members), a curated Pol Sci Podcasts & Videos directory, the Indigenous Content Syllabus Materials resource, caucuses (Women's Caucus, Student Caucus), task forces (Diversity, Research Ethics), and the Reconciliation Committee. The CPSA does not develop proprietary technology; its technical footprint is limited to its public website (cpsa-acsp.ca), member portal (mycpsa-cpsa-acsp.ca), and newsletter infrastructure.

Revenue is generated primarily through recurring annual individual and departmental membership dues (pricing not publicly disclosed, quote-based), supplemented by conference registrations, journal publication income, government grants supporting internship administration (notably the Legislative Assembly of Ontario's OLIP grant), and charitable donations to the CPSA Innovation Fund held via the Ottawa Community Foundation. The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven: the annual conference serves as the primary member-acquisition and engagement event, while the CJPS journal functions as the principal membership benefit and the association's primary vehicle of scholarly credibility. There are no intermediaries, resellers, or technology licensing revenue streams; distribution is direct to members and departmental subscribers.

Name

Canadian Political Science Association

Legal name

Canadian Political Science Association

Website

https://cpsa-acsp.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Canadian Political Science Association is a federally incorporated nonprofit academic association founded in 1912, serving political scientists, graduate students, and practitioners across 40+ Canadian universities through its bilingual peer-reviewed journal, annual conference, prizes, and government-supported internship programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association / Academic Membership Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional Certification & Training Content Publishing (Exam Prep, CE/CPD) (MPAJACAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Legal & Governance Professional Development (EDAGANAK), Legal, Governance, Privacy & Audit Certifications (EDAAANAN)

Keywords

• Professional academic association
• Political science research
• Scholarly journal publishing
• Academic conference services
• Membership organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: The association generates revenue through individual and departmental membership fees. Members pay annual dues to join and renew their membership, gaining access to publications, conferences, prizes, and networking opportunities. The association offers individual and departmental membership categories.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The CPSA is a nonprofit professional association that facilitates and promotes the study of politics and government in Canada. It sells individual and departmental memberships and delivers scholarly value through the Canadian Journal of Political Science (CJPS), an annual conference, 12+ scholarly prizes, internship programs (Ontario Legislature Internship Programme, Parliamentary Internship Programme), the POLCAN2 newsletter, and reconciliation/Indigenous content educational resources.

Product overview

The Canadian Political Science Association is a professional association that operates as a unified membership organization rather than a technology product company. Its core offerings include the Canadian Journal of Political Science (CJPS) as its primary publication, the Annual Conference as its flagship event, and a comprehensive Prizes and Awards program recognizing excellence in political science research. Supporting services include the Ontario Legislature Internship Programme, the Parliamentary Internship Programme, POLCAN2 newsletter, and Pol Sci Podcasts & Videos content platform. Educational resources include the Indigenous Content Syllabus Materials developed by the Reconciliation Committee. The association also manages an Innovation Fund and provides membership services to individuals and departments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Canadian Journal of Political Science (CJPS): The official academic journal of the Canadian Political Science Association, published in both English and French.
• POLCAN2
• CPSA Reconciliation Committee
• CPSA Women's Caucus
• CPSA Student Caucus
• Ontario Legislature Internship Programme (OLIP)

Products and services

• Canadian Journal of Political Science (CJPS) The official peer-reviewed bilingual journal of the CPSA, publishing research in English and French in all fields of political science. Targeted at and subscribed to by academics, researchers, students, and libraries.
• Annual Conference The association's annual meeting bringing together political science researchers, students, and practitioners from Canada and internationally, featuring paper presentations, poster sessions, three minutes thesis competitions, prize ceremonies, and networking.
• CPSA Prizes and Awards Annual prizes recognizing excellence in political science research and teaching, including the C.B. Macpherson Prize, Vincent Lemieux Prize, Donald Smiley Prize, Jill Vickers Prize, Prize in International Relations, and Prize for Teaching Excellence.
• Ontario Legislature Internship Programme (OLIP) An internship program established in 1975, administered by CPSA and supported by a grant from the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, providing practical parliamentary experience for political science graduates.
• Parliamentary Internship Programme A program administered by the CPSA to provide parliamentary experience, with a Transition Committee working toward new administrative arrangements with the House of Commons.
• Indigenous Content Syllabus Materials A curated resource for political science instructors developed by the CPSA Reconciliation Committee, providing materials on Indigenous politics, decolonization, and reconciliation for university courses.
• Membership Services Individual and departmental membership providing access to publications, conferences, networking, and professional development opportunities.
• Innovation Fund A fund supporting innovative projects and initiatives within the Canadian political science community, funded through charitable donations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 40 affiliated university departments participate in CPSA activities
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Australian Political Studies Association: APSA (Australia) is a regional political science association with a parallel national association model—journals, annual conference, prizes—serving the Australian academic community rather than competing directly with CPSA.
• Southern Political Science Association: SPSA is a US regional political science association running the Southern Political Science Journal and an annual convention, paralleling CPSA's model in a different geographic footprint.
• Political Studies Association of Ireland: PSAI is the national political science association in Ireland operating a small-scale membership, journal, and conference model similar to CPSA but serving the Irish academic market.
• Midwest Political Science Association: MPSA is a US-based regional political science association that hosts a major annual conference and publishes the American Journal of Political Science, operating a comparable association model but in a different geography.

Direct peers

• American Political Science Association: APSA is the direct US counterpart professional association for political scientists, operating journals, annual conferences, prizes, and member services for the academic political science community in a comparable model to CPSA.
• Association française de science politique: AFSP is the French national political science association and a particularly close peer given CPSA's bilingual English/French operations and its Prix francophone prize category.
• European Consortium for Political Research: ECPR is a Europe-based consortium supporting political scientists through events, journals, and research methods training, with a comparable membership-association structure to CPSA.
• Political Studies Association (UK): PSA is the UK-based professional membership association for political scientists, publishing journals and running an annual conference with a near-identical service model to CPSA.

Emerging players

• International Studies Association: ISA is an international association focused on international relations and cross-border political studies, with membership, journals, and annual conventions that partially overlap CPSA's sub-discipline coverage.

Broad incumbents

• International Political Science Association: IPSA is the global umbrella organization for political science associations worldwide, including CPSA's affiliated community; it publishes the International Political Science Review and offers a broader international scope that overlaps with CPSA's mandate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/525999840837699
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/canadian-political-science-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Canadian Political Science Association