Leonard D. White Award
Leonard D. White Award
Nominations are closed.
The White Award honors the best doctoral dissertation in the field of public administration.
The award, supported by University of Chicago, is presented at the APSA Annual Meeting and carries a cash prize of $750.
Nomination Information
- Eligibility: Nominees do not have to be members of APSA, affiliated with an institution in the United States, or an American citizen in order to be considered for an award.
Dissertations must have been successfully defended within the previous two calendar years (dissertations for the 2026 award must be defended in 2024 or 2025).
Self-nominations are accepted. Nominations from non-PhD departments and institutions are also welcome if the nominee is currently employed there.
APSA will accept up to two nominations for the White Award per school or political science department.
Award Committee
Listing of Awardees
| Year | Author | Dissertation | Submitted by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | David Froomkin | Structuring Democracy | Yale University |
| 2024 | Sarah Rozenblum | Why Do Governments Ignore Their Own Experts? The Role of Scientific Advice in Covid-19 Vaccine Policy in France and the United States | University of Michigan |
|
2023 |
The Digital Citizen: The Impact of Technology on Public Participation and Government Responsiveness |
Emory University | |
|
2022 |
When is Hindsight 20/20? The Politics of Acknowledging and Revising Failed Policies |
Harvard University | |
|
2021 |
Domesticating Civil Society: How and Why Governments Use Laws to Regulate CSOs |
Indiana University | |
|
2020 |
Beyond Adoption: The Influence of Local Institutional Arrangements on Sustainability Policy Implementation and Management |
University of Kansas | |
|
2019 |
Moral Subsidy: The Origins of Influential Extra-Governmental Organizations in US National Security Politics |
University of Chicago | |
|
2018 |
Jennifer Mei Jun Yim |
Delinquency’s Treatment: Why Interactions Produce Policy and Identity in Secure Juvenile Facilities |
University of Utah |
|
2017 |
Alan Zarychta |
It Takes More Than a Village: Governance and Public Services in Developing Countries |
University of Colorado at Boulder |
|
2016 |
Bruce Jones |
An fMRI Study of the Reward Preferences of Government and Business Leaders |
University of Texas, Dallas |
|
2015 |
Katharine Bradley |
Who Lobbies the Lobbyists? Bureaucratic Influence on State Medicaid Legislation |
University of Michigan |
|
2014 |
Viridiana Rios Contreras |
How Government Structure Encourages Criminal Violence: The Causes of Mexico’s Drug War |
Harvard University |
|
2013 |
Deondra E. Rose |
The Development of U.S. Higher Education Policy and its Impact on the Gender Dynamics of American Citizenship |
Cornell University |
|
2012 |
Quinn W. Mulroy |
Public Regulation through Private Litigation: The Regulatory Power of Private Lawsuits and the American Bureaucracy |
Columbia University |
|
2011 |
Amanda M. Girth |
Accountability and Discretion in the Age of Contracting: When and Why Do Public Managers Implement Sanctions for Unsatisfactory Contract Performance? |
American University |
|
2010 |
Mikhail Pryadilnikov |
The State and Markets in Russia: Understanding the Development of Bureaucratic Implementation Capacities through the Study of Regulatory Reform, 2001-2008 |
Harvard University |
|
2009 |
Zachary Oberfield |
Becoming the Man: How Street-Level Bureaucrats Develop Their Workplace Identities and Views |
University of Wisconsin, Madison |
|
2008 |
Matthew Dull |
The Politics of Results: Comprehensive Reform and Institutional Choice |
University of Wisconsin |
|
2007 |
Daniel W. Gingerich |
Corruption in General Equilibrium: Political Institutions and Bureaucratic Performance in South America |
Harvard University |
|
2006 |
David Pitts |
Diversity, Representation and Performance: Evidence about Ethnicity in Public Organizations |
University of Georgia |