This year marked the 120th American Political Science Association’s (APSA) Annual Meeting and Exhibition, and more than 100 members of our community were in attendance – participating or attending the many panels, presentations, and events.
Taking place in Philadelphia, the event kicked off in the evening of Wednesday, September 4 with a Reception Honoring the 2024 APSA Award Recipients – of which we had many this year. Wrapping up on Sunday, September 8 with a lecture from our Department Chair Daniel Carpenter, followed by a number of receptions and happy hours.
Notably, several faculty members and Ph.D. candidates participated in discussions and presented work. The wide range of events included a plenary panel on threats to democracy featuring Danielle Allen and Daniel Ziblatt, and another mini-conference panel featuring Daniel and Steve Levitsky talking about the Tyranny of the Minority. Melani Cammett also appeared on a panel discussing the Israel-Gaza crisis and Daniel Carpenter delivered the John Gaus Lecture.
Many also presented papers and posters or served as discussants and chairs. Marco Aviña, Taeku Lee, Mashail Malik, Reed Rasband, Marcel Roman, and Priyanka Sethy presented a methods paper on public opinion and immigration, while Emma Ebowe, Kosuke Imai, Christopher Kenny, Cory Macartan, Tyler Simko, and Michael Zhao presented on redistricting.
We’re particularly proud of the ten faculty members, graduate students, and recent alumni who were awarded prestigious awards and prizes, highlighting the incredible work of our department.
- Theda Skocpol received the James Madison Award, one of the highest honors APSA can bestow. It is presented every three years to honor an American political scientist who has made a distinguished scholarly contribution to political science.
- Peter Hall received the Bingham Powell Award for Graduate Mentoring, which is given by the Comparative Politics section every two years.
- Dustin Tingley received the Don K. Price Award from the APSA STEP Section for his book “Uncertain Futures: How to Unlock the Climate Impasse (The Politics of Climate Change)”.
- Feyaad Allie received several dissertation awards for his paper “Power Exclusion and Identity: The Politics of Muslim Marginalization in India”, including the Gabriel A. Almond Award for the best dissertation in Comparative Politics, the Juan Linz Prize for Best Dissertation in the Comparative Study of Democracy, and the Best Fieldwork Award from the APSA Democracy and Autocracy Section.
- Andrew O’Donohue received the Best Paper Award from APSA’s European Politics and Society Section for his paper “Law versus Democracy: Minoritarian Courts, Audience Costs, and Democratic Backsliding in Turkey.”
- Harry Oppenheimer ’23 was awarded the APSA International Collaboration Section’s 2024 Best Dissertation Award for his work titled “Essays on Digital Interdependence and Globalization”.
- Matthew Reichert was awarded theWalter Dean Burnham Dissertation Award for the best dissertation in the field of Politics and History.
- Alice Xu received the2024 Harold D. Lasswell Award for “Segregation and the Spatial Externalities of Inequality: A Theory of Interdependence and Public Goods in Cities”
- William Tilleczek ’22 received the Leo Strauss Award for the best dissertation in the field of political philosophy titled “Powers of Practice: Michel Foucault and the Politics of Asceticism”
- Soledad Artiz Prillaman ’17 received the Victoria Schuck Award for the best book published on women and politics. The book is titled The Patriarchal Political Order: The Making and Unraveling of the Gendered Participation Gap in India (Cambridge University Press)
Last, and by certainly no means least, it was fantastic to see Taeku Lee assume the APSA Presidency at this conference.
Overall, the 120th APSA was a resounding success and a fantastic way to kick off the academic year. We’re really pleased to once again see all the hard work and dedication of the department highlighted and celebrated on.