Submissions are Open for the 48th Annual Fall Research Conference!

Fifty States, Fifty Systems: State Policy Variations and Impacts

APPAM is excited to announce that submissions for #2026APPAM are open! We encourage you to submit your research with the 2026 conference theme in mind: Fifty States, Fifty Systems: State Policy Variations and Impacts. The conference will take place November 5-7 in Boston, Massachusetts.

About this year's theme:

The US federalist system of government assigns substantial authority to states to create and implement policies. At this time, as the federal government's role is shrinking, the role of state policy is even more important. Ideally, states make laws based on the unique needs and conditions of their state; however, throughout history and continuing today, state policies vary considerably in their reach and generosity, and not always in ways consistent with the economic, environmental, or social needs of states, but rather in the ideology of state leaders. Measuring state-level variation and its impact on well-being is more important now than ever, and policy scholars bear responsibility for it.

Submit A Communities Gathering

We know how important it is to network with others in the policy field: to share similar experiences, to collaborate on research, or simply to chat with people with similar interests. To make these connections easier, APPAM is pleased to continue the APPAM Communities program. APPAM Communities provides opportunities for any group of people to meet at the Annual Fall Research Conference to talk about the topics that are most important to them. APPAM members and conference attendees are invited to submit an APPAM Communities gathering proposal for any purpose that they consider to be a priority.  These one-hour events focus on shared affinities, identities, and interests, and are open to all conference attendees. 

Applications for Affiliate Receptions must be completed no later than Wednesday, June 24 by 11:59 PM US Pacific Time or until all spaces are booked.

Host an Affiliate Reception (APPAM Institutional Members Only)

APPAM Institutional Members are welcome to host an Affiliate Reception at the on the Thursday, November 5 or Friday, November 6. APPAM will assign meeting space based on expected attendance and order of request. The meeting space is complimentary, but institutions will arrange room setup, catering, and AV orders directly with the hotel once space has been assigned by APPAM. The hotel will bill institutions directly. 

Space will be assigned on a first come, first served rolling basis and communicated to you for marketing purposes. Should the size of your event change, APPAM reserves the right to reassign your event to a room that is closer to expected attendance based on final RSVP numbers.  Please note that this opportunity is exclusively for current APPAM institutional members. If your membership has expired, you must renew to participate. The current member list can be found here.

Applications for Affiliate Receptions must be completed no later than Tuesday, October 1 by 11:59 PM US Pacific Time or until all spaces are booked.

Reserve a Meeting Space/Interview Room (APPAM Institutional Members Only)

APPAM is pleased to offer complimentary private meeting and interview space to our Institutional Members this November!  A room may be reserved in one-hour increments throughout Thursday, November 13 – Saturday, November 15 between 8 AM - 4 PM US Pacific Time. Once you reserve the space, you have access to the room for the entire time on the date of your reservation.

Conference rooms will be in boardroom setup and will have access to the standard conference wifi. Room sets may not be altered and no addtional AV may be added due to frequent room turnover. At the conclusion of the reservation times each day, the room will be refreshed for use by the next organization. All participations, both hiring representative and job seekers, must be registered conference participants. 

Space will be reserved on a first come, first served basis or until Monday, October 26, whichever comes first. 

For additional Onsite Institutional Member Benefits, please visit here.

To submit, log into the All Academic system using the login box on your right hand side bar and select "Submit or Edit a Proposal" in your submitters menu.

Please Note: All individuals on a submission must have an APPAM Memberclicks profile (membership is optional). It typically takes up to an hour for new Memberclicks profiles to be visible on the participant list, but we recommend that submission participants create a profile, or check their existing profile status, at least one day before they plan to submit and well ahead of the submission deadline as it is firm.

Submissions will open on Friday, May 1st