MPSA sponsors many awards for outstanding research presented at the annual conference and an award for the best article published in each volume of the American Journal of Political Science (AJPS). Nominations are made by conference chairs, discussants, and section heads after the conference and awards committees select the winning papers.

The following awards were given for research presented at the 2024 MPSA Annual Conference. The following winners will be presented with their respective awards at the 2025 MPSA Annual Conference Awards Ceremony and Annual Business Meeting on Saturday, April 5, 2025.

Flagship Awards

Paula D. McClain Award for the MPSA Best Paper

A $500 award for the best paper presented at the annual MPSA conference. Nomination pool will consist of papers selected for the field awards. Nomination pool will consist of papers selected for the field awards.

TBD

Award Committee: Dave Peterson, Iowa State University (Chair); Christina Xydias, Bucknell University; John Scherpereel, James Madison University; Boris Heersink, Fordham University; Christopher Zorn, Pennsylvania State University-University Park

AJPS Best Article Award

A $1,000 award for the best article appearing in the volume of the American Journal of Political Science published in the year preceding the conference. All published articles in this timeframe will be considered.

TBD

Award Committee: Sarah Bush, University of Pennsylvania (Chair); Sandra Joireman, University of Richmond; Zeynep Somer-Topcu, University of Texas at Austin; Seth Masket, University of Denver; Matthew Lacombe, Case Western Reserve University

Field Awards

Rodney Hero Award for the Best Paper in American Politics

A $250 award for the best paper on the topic of American politics.

Spatial Proximity to BLM Protests Reduces White Police Legitimacy
Arvind Krishnamurthy, University of California-Berkeley
Edgar Cook, Duke University
John Aldrich, Duke University

Award Committee: Matthew Hayes, Washington University in St. Louis (Chair); Ivy A.M. Cargile, California State University-Bakersfield; Heath Brown, CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Best Paper in International Relations

A $250 award for the best paper on the topic of international relations.

Production Networks and U.S. Anti-Dumping Petitions
Timm Betz, Washington University in St. Louis
Leonhard Hummel, Technical University of Munich

Award Committee: Jeff Carter, Appalachian State University (Chair); Xiaoyan (Christy) Qiu, Washington University in St. Louis; Summer Forester, Carleton College

Best Paper in Political Behavior 

A $250 award for the best paper on the topic of political behavior.

More COPS, Higher Turnout?
Brandon Romero, University of Michigan

The Just Public: Americans Broadly Prefer Policies that Distribute Benefits Fairly (Honorable Mention)
Nicholas Dias, University of Pennsylvania

Award Committee: Joanne Miller, University of Delaware (Chair); Nicholas Davis, University of Alabama; Andy Baker, Purdue University

Evan Ringquist Award

A $250 award for the best paper on the topic of political institutions.

Empowering the local executive: When electoral reform disrupts elite coalitions
Alyssa René Heinze, University of California-Berkeley

Award Committee: Jesse Crosson, Purdue University (Chair); Heather Stoll, University of California-Santa Barbara; Alexandra Cirone, Cornell University

Kellogg/Notre Dame Award

A $250 award for the best paper in comparative politics.

The Subnational Roots of Democratic Stability
Julian Michel, University of California-Los Angeles

Award Committee: Jeremy Wallace, Cornell University (Chair); Javier Osorio, University of Arizona; Jana Morgan, University of Tennessee-Knoxville

Kenneth J. Meier Award

A $250 award for the best paper in bureaucratic politics, public administration, or public policy.

I’m a Survivor:  Political Dynamics in Bureaucratic Elites Partisan Identification
Benny Guys, BI Norwegian Business School
Per Laegreid, University of Bergen
Zuzana Murdoch, University of Bergen
Susan Webb Yackee, University of Wisconsin–Madison

Award Committee: Nathan Jensen, University of Texas at Austin (Chair); Patricia Strach, SUNY at Albany; George Krause, University of Georgia

Review of Politics Award

A $250 award for the best paper in normative political theory.

Adam Smith on the Effectual Truth of Imagination
Trevor Shelley

Award Committee: Heather Pool, Denison University (Chair); Jennifer Forestal, Loyola University Chicago; Claire Rasmussen, University of Delaware

Robert H. Durr Award

A $250 award for the best paper applying quantitative methods to a substantive problem.

School Desegregation by Redrawing District Boundaries: Evidence from New Jersey
Tyler Simko, Princeton University

Award Committee: Danielle F. Jung, Emory University (Chair); Jeff Harden, University of Notre Dame; Adeline Lo, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Subfield Awards

Lucius Barker Award

A $250 award for the best paper on a topic investigating race or ethnicity and politics and honoring the spirit and work of Professor Barker.

More COPS, Higher Turnout?
Brandon Romero, University of Michigan

Award Committee: Ashley Jardina, University of Virginia (Chair); Benjamin Marquez, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Matthew Platt, Morehouse College

Patrick J. Fett Award

A $250 award for the best paper on the scientific study of Congress and the presidency.

Congressional Expectations of Presidential Self-Restraint
Jack Greenberg, Yale University
John Dearborn, Vanderbilt University

Award Committee: Kathryn Pearson, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (Chair); Lilly Goren, Carroll University; Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha, University of North Texas

Sophonisba Breckinridge Award

A $250 award for the best paper on the topic of women and politics.

Clicks and Stones: Women Politicians and Gendered Hostility Online
Annie Jarman, Washington University in St. Louis

Award Committee: Heather Ondercin, Appalachian State University (Chair); Melody Crowder-Meyer, Davidson College; Malliga Och, Denison University

Richard E. Matland Award

A $250 award for the best paper by an emerging scholar in representation, elections, or voting. Author (or lead author) is an untenured faculty member or graduate student.

Tending the Grassroots: How Local Institutions Impact National Elections
Tine Paulsen, University of Southern California

Award Committee: Danielle Thomsen, University of California-Irvine (Chair); Tesalia Rizzo, University of California-Merced; David Kimball, University of Missouri-St. Louis