This APSA panel assembles papers that approach the practice of political science and the study of politics and policy from a critical perspective. Merging insights from interpretive methodologies and critical policy studies the panel encompasses five papers, each of which problematizes its specific topic of focus in ways of relevance and import to the wider discipline. From interrogating concepts such as state failure to evaluating methods for studying sex work or collecting data at-a-distance, from unpacking policy-makers' prioritizations of disease management over eradication to calls for a political science that engenders political change, this panel spotlights the many important ways interpretive and critical sensibilities can enhance the study of states and the societies that inhabit them.

Panelists include Michael David Forrest (Oberlin College), Aarie Glas (NIU) and Alesha Porisky (NIU), Carolyn Holmes (University of Tennessee), Erica MacDonald Laplante (University of Connecticut), and J. Ricky Price (St. John Fisher College).

The panel will take place from 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM (ET) in the Marriott Philadelphia Downtown, room 501. It is open to APSA attendees.