1994
Jean Leca
FNSP, Paris
(1994–1997)
Jean Leca is a French political scientist. He earned his Ph.D. in Law in 1959 and became a Professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Grenoble in 1960. He served as Director of the Institut d’études politiques d’Alger from 1962 to 1965. From 1967 to 1980, he taught again at the University of Grenoble, where he also directed the Institut d’études politiques de Grenoble.
Throughout his career, Prof. Leca held numerous academic and leadership positions in France, especially at Sciences Po Paris, where he served as Director of the École Doctorale from 1997 to 2000. He also contributed to major French institutions, including the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) from 1982 to 1991. In addition, Leca directed the scientific review Maghreb-Machrek (2002–2003) and participated actively in editorial boards, including the European Journal of Political Research and Government and Opposition.
Internationally, Prof. Leca was a visiting scholar at institutions such as the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Dartmouth College, and the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, among others. His scholarly work spans comparative politics, governance, political institutions, and the intersection of political philosophy and empirical research.
Prof. Leca authored and co-authored several books, including Pour(quoi) la philosophie politique ? (2001); Sur l'individualisme : théories et méthodes (co-edited with Pierre Birnbaum, 1986); Les démocraties sont-elles gouvernables ? (4 volumes, co-edited with Roberto Papini, 1985); Traité de science politique (co-edited with Madeleine Grawitz, 1985); and L’Algérie politique: Institutions et régime (co-authored with Jean-Claude Vatin, 1975).
Prof. Leca served on the 5XÉçÇøExecutive Committee from 1988 to 1991 and as First Vice-President from 1991 to 1994 before being elected 5XÉçÇøPresident (1994–1997). He became IPSA’s fourth Francophone President, following Jean Laponce (1973-1976), Jacques Freymond (1964–1967), and Jacques Chapsal (1958-1961). In addition to his leadership at IPSA, Prof. Leca served twice as President of the French Political Science Association (AFSP) from 1992 to 1994 and again from 2000 to 2003.
