The Ombuds Blog: American Political Science Association Launches Ombuds Program

August 22, 2017

American Political Science Association Launches Ombuds Program

The professional association of political science students and scholars in the U.S. has appointed two Ombuds for a two-year pilot program. As the inaugural Ombuds, APSA has named Carol Mershon, Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia, and David Rasch, the Stanford University Ombuds.

According to the association's website:

The APSA Ombuds will be available during the 2017 ASPA Annual Meeting to speak with any meeting attendee on a variety of topics including, but not limited to, consultation with any meeting attendees who believe that they have experienced any form of harassment, or have concerns about violations of the sexual harassment provisions of the APSA anti-harassment policy while onsite at the 2017 annual meeting.

The decision to create an Ombuds program for ASPA members was announced in July 2016 and came in partial response to a complaint of sexual harassment in September 2015. Several other remedial measures have also been implemented by the association. (ASPA Ombuds; ASPA Ethics Letter.)

Related posts: American Philosophical Association Ombuds Reports No Cases; Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance Creates Ombuds Program; Academy of Management Creates Ombuds Program; American Society of Mammalogists Has Two Ombuds.

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Organizational Ombuds

Organizational Ombuds serve as a confidential, independent, neutral and informal dispute resolution resource for a specific entity. They are accessible to a defined population and can advocate for fairness. These unique characteristics distinguish Organizational Ombuds from Classical Ombuds, mediators, arbitrators, and other alternative dispute resolution professionals. The term "Ombuds" is shorthand for "Ombudsman," "Ombudsperson" and "Ombuds Officer," which also are used widely.

Some other variants include:

Austria -- Ombudsstelle

Brazil -- Ouvidor

Croatia -- pravobranitelji

France -- médiateur/defénseur

Germany -- Ombudspersonen

Italy -- difensore

Netherlands -- ombudspersoon

Norway -- ombudet

Poland -- Rzecznik

Portugal -- provedor

Russia -- омбудсмен

Spain -- ombudsman organizacional

Sweden -- studentombud

Switzerland -- ombudsmann

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