Political Sociology Graduate Student Paper Prize 2006

Award Committee: Steve Pfaff (chair), Gwen Moore, David Fitzgerald, Michael Mulcahy

Winner: Jon Agnone (University of Washington), “Amplifying Public Opinion: The Policy Impact of the U.S. Environmental Movement”

After two rounds of thorough review by all committee members, our winner is Jon Agnone from the University of Washington. Jon’s paper “Amplifying Public Opinion: The Policy Impact of the U.S. Environmental Movement”, is an important piece of scholarship in the field of political sociology that deserves to be published, widely read, and cited extensively by everyone interested in the relationship between social movements and legislative outcomes in advanced democracies. All agreed, as one reviewer put it, that it was “a well-done empirical analysis of the impact of protest and public opinion on policy-making”. Specifically, reviewers extolled the paper’s theoretical clarity and empirical analysis. One noted, “The paper pulls together an impressive dataset to addresses a key area of social movement research: the relations between public opinion, protest, and policy change. I was particularly impressed by the methodological virtuosity of the paper, and the use of data and methods to contribute to theoretical development.” Another stated, “He [Agnone] takes on the contentious issue of the impact of social movements…His analysis of the passage of environmental legislation from 1960-1998 is a sophisticated effort to see how protest might have direct or indirect effects on the political process. Theoretically, his amplification model of policy impact is persuasive and the sophisticated statistical analysis yields evidence in support of it.”

Honorable Mention: Brian Dill (University of Minnesota), “Under(developing) Democracy: Mechanisms of Association in Tanzania”

Very narrowly in second place to Agnone’s paper was a fascinating piece of political ethnography by Brian Dill of the University of Minnesota entitled “Under(Developing) Democracy: Mechanisms of Association in Tanzania.” The committee was unanimous in suggesting that this second-place winner be distinguished with an “Honorable Mention” for the excellence of his submission. Reviewers were impressed by the paper’s “broad and deep analysis of the formation of voluntary associations in Tanzania and their relationship to the state.” It was regarded as “an important corrective to existing models” and praised for its “extensive observational fieldwork and good sense for inequality and the limits of political mobilization in a developing society.” Reviewers also saw Dill’s paper as noteworthy contribution to an emerging public sociology, with one reviewer observing “This paper addresses important theoretical and practical issues, based on fascinating data from extended fieldwork. I found the argument compelling, and the data very impressive” and noting its “contribution to the development of public sociology(s).” Finally, reviewers were united in praising Dill’s paper for its impressive fieldwork “fraught with risks and challenges” and which departed from sociology’s “well-marked trail”.