Founded in 1985, the Institute of Political Science (IPS) of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences is the only state-level institution dedicated to political science studies since the restoration of the political science discipline in China.

IPS currently has 40 staff members, including 11 senior research fellows, 13 research associates, and 10 research assistants.It also boasts 1 Honorary Academic Member, 3 experts receiving special government allowances from the State Council, and a number of others with honors and titles conferred by the Central Government. 

IPS is comprised of 7 research divions and 3 affiliated offices. The former include: Research Division of Marxist Political Theory, Research Division of Socialist Democracy, Research Division of State Governance, Research Division of Contemporary Chinese Politics, Research Division of Administrative Science, Research Division of Political Systems, and Research Division of Comparative Politics. And the latter include: Editorial Office of CASS Journal of Political Science (政治学研究), Executive Office, and Scientific Management Office.

The Research Division of Marxist Political Theory focuses on studies of Marxist political theory, theory and practice of socialist political building with Chinese characteristics, state governance in the ideological sphere, and some forefront issues concerning the “three systems” construction of political science.

The Research Division of Political Systems mainly engages in studies of major political systems in the world, with particular reference to the socialist political and governance systems of China, as well as comparative studies of political systems between China and other countries.

The Research Division of State Governance conducts studies of the modernization of state governance system and capacity, institutional advantages and governance efficiency, as well as new technologies and innovations in political science methodology.

The Research Division of Administrative Science typically addresses issues of political and administrative system reforms, theoretical issues of administrative science, as well as issues concerning government functional transition and performance assessment.

The Research Division of Comparative Politics is engaged in studies of world political changes and international political trends, comparative studies of political development across the world, overseas studies of Chinese politics, as well as comparative political studies.

The Research Division of Contemporary Chinese Politics focuses on major political risks and challenges confronting China, as well as Chinese political development after the accomplishment of a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

The Research Division of Socialist Democracy is dedicated to studies of Marxist democratic theory, theory and practice of socialist democratic politics with Chinese characteristics, consultative democracy, as well as whole-process people’s democracy.

IPS makes a consistent commitment to creating multi-level platforms for the advancement of academic research. The CASS Journal of Political Science, run by the Institute and sponsored by CASS, is the only comprehensive professional journal published in the field across the country. The journal is widely listed in PKU, CSSCI and AMI core journals.

IPS is commissioned by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences to, on its behalf, guide the specific work of the Chinese Association for Political Science, Chinese Association of Policy Science, and Chinese Red Culture Research Association.

IPS functions as the Secretariat of the Chinese Association for Political Science which, founded in 1980, is a professional academic organization engaging Chinese political science workers with extensive academic activities and exchanges. In recent years, the Association has organized a wide variety of seminars on, for instance, “Whole-process People’s Democracy and the Chinese Path to Modernization” (2023), “Developing Whole-process People’s Democracy and Firmly Pursuing the Chinese Path to Modernization” (2022), “Centennial Party and World Changes: Marking the Centenary of the Founding of CPC” (2021), “Academic Seminar on the 40th anniversary on the Founding of the Chinese Association for Political Science and the Development of Chinese Political Science in the New Era” (2020), etc., which have produced significant influence.

IPS takes its part in promoting the development of 4 non-entity research centers, namely the Research Center for Socialist Democracy (at the CASS level), the Research Center for International Chinese Studies (at the CASS level), the Research Center for Marxist Political Theory (at the institute level), and the Research Center for Public Administration (at the institute level). It also helps with the operation of the Think Tank of State Governance Studies and the Simulation Laboratory of Public Administration, both located within CASS.

In the past years, IPS has accomplished multiple tasks commissioned by the Central Government and CASS party group, among which was a White Paper on Democracy in China. Currently, IPS is hosting a dozen NSSF or key national programs entitled with Whole-process People’s Democracy and the Modernization of State Governance, Whole-process People’s Democracy and the Development of the Socialist Path with Chinese Characteristics, Chinese Citizens’ Political Values and Their Impact on National Stability, etc.

Over the years, IPS has produced a large amount of influential research both domestically and internationally. Among them are: The Encyclopedia of China: Political Science (中国大百科全书·政治学), A General History of Chinese Political System (中国政治制度通史, ten volumes) (awarded the Third National Book Award in 1997), Chinese Experience in Democracy (民主的中国经验), Research in Asian Political Development (two volumes), Chinese Political System (中国政治制度), The Paradox of Democratization: Political Dilemmas and Lessons in the Post Cold War World (民主化悖论——冷战后世界政治困境与教训), 70 Years of Political Science Studies in New China (新中国政治学研究70年), Institutional Fluctuations and Path Efficiency: A Comparative Analysis of World Politics (制度兴衰与道路成败：世界政治比较分析), The Governance of China: Institutional System and Governance Efficiency (中国之治：制度体系与治理效能), The Governance of China: Theoretical Logic and Practical Exploration (中国之治：理论逻辑与实践探索), etc.

IPS lays a particular emphasis on field surveys. For decades, research groups from IPS have tracked the governance practices of grassroots governments in Zhejiang, Sichuan, Yunnan and other regions, conducted extensive surveys on Chinese people’s views of democracy and political psychology, and have retrieved a huge amount of first-hand materials. Now, they are undertaking new field surveys on the innovative practices of grassroots governments in Whole-process people’s democracy, on the difficulties, obstacles and pain points in urban and rural governance, as well as on the measurement of Chinese people’s perception of politics and democracy.

The School of Government, initiated by IPS, is one of the colleges that combine scientific research with education at the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The school consists of 6 departments and 1 education center, including the Department of Political Science, the Department of CPC History and Party Building, the Department of Administrative Management, the Department of Public Policy, the Department of Social Security, the Department of Government Functioning and Security, and the MPA Education Center, respectively. It offers a doctoral program of first-level discipline of political science and 5 doctoral programs of second-level disciplines including political scientific theory, social security, public policy, administrative management, and party regulations, as well as a postdoctoral program.

Currently, the college has a faculty of 23 full-time teachers and 56 part-time teachers, including 16 doctoral supervisors and 30 master’s degree supervisors. The college annually enrolls over 250 students, including 40 undergraduates and graduate students respectively, and over 160 MPA students.