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Trinity College Dublin

Political Studies Association of Ireland (PSAI)

 

 

The PSAI was founded in 1982 and put on an institutional basis in 1984 as the professional organisation of the study of politics in and of Ireland. It holds an annual conference, usually in October, sends all its members a monthly electronic newsletter, and is responsible for the journal Irish Political Studies, which has three issues a year plus a data section; information on back issues can be obtained from Taylor and Francis periodicals.

 

***** THERE IS NOW AN OFFICIAL PSAI WEB SITE *****

 

In 1991 it agreed on a set of guidelines concerning the issue of confidentiality in political science research, downloadable HERE.

 

It has also published or co-published a number of books under the PSAI Press imprint. These include

For information on ordering Politics in the Republic of Ireland go to your bookseller or to the relevant Routledge site.

 

How to order PSAI Press books

The first two books in the list above are available through bookshops. Other PSAI Press books may well be in the shops too, but in case of difficulty, or for bookshops wanting to order copies, contact Michael Courtney at courtnmj@tcd.ie

 

Cover of PRI5

 

Its current president is Professor Gary Murphy and its secretary is Dr Bernadette Connaughton (bernadette.connaughton@ul.ie). The Trinity College Dublin representative on the committee 2011–12 is Dr Elaine Byrne (elaine.a.byrne@tcd.ie).

 

The inaugural Basil Chubb prize established by the PSAI for the best politics thesis produced in an Irish university in 2005 was awarded in October 2006 to Dr Eoin O'Malley for his TCD thesis 'Give them awkward choices: a theoretical and empirical investigation into the operation of prime ministerial influence on policy in 22 countries'. The 2008 prize, for the best thesis submitted in an Irish university in 2007, was awarded in October 2008 to Dr Brighid Brooks Kelly for her TCD thesis 'An exploration of the relationship between consociationalism and stability in plural societies throughout the world'. The prize was named after the late Professor Basil Chubb, the first holder of the chair of Political Science at Trinity College Dublin (read more about the department's history here) and in many ways the founder of the discipline of political science in Ireland. He wrote the first systematic and comprehensive study of Irish politics, The Government and Politics of Ireland (first edition 1970), on which Politics in the Republic of Ireland builds.

 

Past presidents of the PSAI:

 

 

Membership is open to members of the staff of third-level institutions and other appropriate bodies, to postgraduate students of politics, and to other persons approved by the executive committee or by agents authorised to act on its behalf. Information on how to join the PSAI can be found here.

 

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Last updated 24 October, 2011 4:42 PM

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