Formal Theory (Section 52)
The Formal Theory Section of the American Political Science Association is a forum for scholars who use formal theory in their research. The scholarship of the Section’s membership spans substantive subfields and formal approaches. The Section supports and advocates on behalf of its members by, for example, organizing panels at the annual meeting, conducting business meetings of the Section membership, facilitating communication among members, providing relevant resources for teaching and research, and working to broaden the appeal and accessibility of formal theoretic research.
Founded: 2020
Website: formaltheorysociety.com
Twitter: @FormalTheory
Section Membership Dues
| Student | Regular |
|---|---|
| $0 | $25 |
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Section Officers
Section Officers
Section Awards
Section awards are presented during the APSA annual meeting awards ceremony. To learn more about any award listed, contact the award committee chair for the award.
All section 52. Formal Theory awards to-date »
Journal of Theoretical Politics Ostrom Award
This award is given to the author(s) of the best article published in the Journal of Theoretical Politics within the previous two calendar years. To be eligible for this award, an article must have appeared in an issue of JTP during one of these two years. OnlineFirst articles are not eligible for nomination, but they may be later nominated for the year in which they appear in an issue of JTP. Due Date: TBA
| Name | Affiliation |
|---|
Best Article by a Non-Tenured Scholar
This award is given to the author(s) of the best paper published in 2026 by a non-tenured scholar. To be eligible for this award, an article must have been published during 2026 and the recipient must not have tenure on the date the article is first published on a journal’s website. An article may only be nominated once and it may be nominated for either the year in which it is first published on a journal’s website (e.g., as an “OnlineFirst” or “FirstView” article) or the year in which it appears in a print issue (but not both). Due Date: March 1, 2027
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Marko Klansja | Georgetown University | marko.klasnja@georgetown.edu |
| Livio DiLonardo | Bocconi University | livio.dilonardo@unibocconi.it |
| Greg Martin | Stanford University | gjmartin@stanford.edu |
Best Article
This award is given to the author(s) of the best paper published in 2026. To be eligible for this award, an article must have been published during 2026. An article may only be nominated once and it may be nominated for either the year in which it is first published on a journal’s website (e.g., as an “OnlineFirst” or “FirstView” article) or the year in which it appears in a print issue (but not both). Due Date: March 1, 2027
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Emily Sellars | Yale University | emily.sellars@yale.edu |
| Gleason Judd | Princeton University | gleason.judd@princeton.edu |
| Daniel Gibbs | Virginia Tech | gibbsd@vt.edu |
Best APSA Paper
This award is given to the author(s) of the best paper presented at APSA in 2026. To be eligible for this award, a paper must have been presented during the 2026 APSA Annual Meeting. Due Date: March 1, 2027
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Frederick Joseph | University of California, San Diego | mfjoseph@ucsd.edu |
| Sidak Yntiso | University of Rochester | syntiso@ur.rochester.edu |
| Jessica Sun | Emory University | jessica.sun2@emory.edu |