'Is Democracy Working?' was the challenging title of the 20th World Congress of the International Political Science Association (IPSA), that took place in Fukuoka, Japan, 9-13 July 2006.

Issues addressed included those of the crisis and capacity of democracy, the reasons why young people’s vote is declining, the functioning of political parties and its impact on democracy, gender quotas and electoral democracy.

Fundamental changes and developments in political relations at all levels and in all parts of the world have sparked a vigorous reassessment of democracy. IPSA World Congress – which brought together over a thousand political scientists and researchers from universities around the world – addressed aspects such as the effectiveness of contemporary electoral systems, campaign practices, and political parties.

Democracy needs to be sustainable, because democracy is a long-term, difficult, political process.

"Democracy is inherently local", "It must be home-grown, and its delivery should depend on the commitment of domestic actors. While recognising the universal validity of the broad principles underpinning democracy, it will inevitably take different institutional forms in different regions, countries and localities to resonate with local conditions".

IPSA was founded in 1949 under UNESCO sponsorship and is composed of national political science associations. The IPSA World Congress, which is held every three years, has developed into a major international political science event.