Presidents and Executive Politics (Section 9)
Presidents & Executive Politics (PEP) of APSA is the premier association of scholars devoted to the study of the presidency and executives (formerly known as the Presidency Research Group). To that end, it welcomes diverse theoretical perspectives, analytical techniques, and data sources as they contribute to the advancement of scholarship and teaching. It also invites the contributions and perspectives of other disciplines. PEP values the establishment and enhancement of non-partisan links between scholarship, the real world of presidential and executive politics, and public policy.
Founded: 1985
Social: @APSApep
Website: connect.apsanet.org/s9
Section Membership Dues
| Student | Regular |
|---|---|
| $0 | $10 |
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 09. Presidents and Executive Politics awards to-date »
George C. Edwards III Dissertation Award
The George C. Edwards III Dissertation Award is given for the best dissertation on executive politics completed and accepted during the previous two calendar years (January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2025). To be considered for the award, nominees must submit a nomination letter and a PDF version of the dissertation to each member of the award committee. The recipient will receive a $250 award. Deadline for nominations: February 20, 2026
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
Julian Michel (Chair) | University of California, San Diego | julianmichel@ucla.edu |
| Zak Taylor | Georgia Institute of Technology | mzak@gatech.edu |
| Julia Azari | Marquette University | julia.azari@marquette.edu |
Founders Best Graduate Student Paper Award
The Founders Award honoring Thomas Cronin will be given for the best paper on executive politics presented by a Graduate Student at either the APSA annual meeting or at any of the regional meetings in 2025. Deadline for nominations: March 2, 2026
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Benjamin Goehring (Chair) | University of Michigan | bengoehr@umich.edu |
| MaryAnne Borelli | Connecticut College | mabor@conncoll.edu |
| Nancy Kassop | SUNY New Paltz | kassopn@newpaltz.edu |
Founders Best Paper Award
The Founders Award honoring Dom Bonafede will be given for the best paper on executive politics authored by a PhD – holding scholar at the previous year’s (2025) APSA annual meeting. Deadline for nominations: March 2, 2026
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
Christopher Carter (Chair) | University of Virginia | christopher.carter@virginia.edu |
| Anna Callis | Tulane University | acallis@tulane.edu |
| John Dearborn | Vanderbilt University | john.a.dearborn@vanderbilt.edu |
| Justin Vaughn | Coastal Carolina University | jvaughn@coastal.edu |
Richard E. Neustadt Award
The Richard E. Neustadt Award will be given for the best book on executive politics published during 2025. Section Bylaws require that a hard copy of nominated books be sent to the committee members for award consideration. Deadline for nominations: February 2, 2026
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
Kenneth Lowande (Chair) | University of Michigan | lowande@umich.edu |
| Jeffrey Crouch | American University | crouch@american.edu |
| Lilly Goren | Carroll University | lgoren@carrollu.edu |
| Karen Hult | Virginia Tech | khult@vt.edu |
| Brandon Rottinghaus | University of Houston | bjrottin@central.uh.edu |
The Legacy Award
The Legacy Award will be given to a living author for a book, essay, or article, published at least 10 years prior to the award year that has made a continuing contribution to the intellectual development of the fields of presidency and executive politics. Letters of nominations should provide a rationale for the work receiving the award. Deadline for nominations: February 2, 2026
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| David Lewis | Vanderbilt University | david.lewis@vanderbilt.edu |
| Meena Bose | Hofstra University | meena.bose@hofstra.edu |
| Amnon Cavari | Reichman University | cavari@runi.ac.il |
| Anne Pluta | Rowan University | pluta@rowan.edu |
PEP Career Service Award
Every four years, during a presidential election, the division awards one person the PEP Career Service Award in recognition of career service to the study of the presidency. Deadline for nominations: Not Awarded in 2025
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
Emerging Scholar Award
Emerging Scholar Award will be given to an early career scholar (10 years from date of award of PhD) that has made a significant contribution to the intellectual development of the fields of presidency and executive politics. Deadline for nominations: February 20, 2026
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Brandice Canes-Wrone (Chair) | Stanford University | bcwrone@stanford.edu |
| Irwin Morris | North Carolina State University | ilmorri2@ncsu.edu |
| James Pfiffner | George Mason University | pfiffner@gmu.edu |
Lyn Ragsdale Mentorship Award
The Lyn Ragsdale Mentorship Award recognizes outstanding mentorship in the field of presidency and executive politics. Nominations should include a letter outlining the ways in which the nominee has mentored individuals in the Presidency and Executive Politics section. Deadline for nominations: Not awarded in 2025
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|