MEMORANDUM

TO: APSA Membership
FROM: Michael Brintnall, Executive Director
DATE: October 13, 2009

I have two important pieces of political science news to convey:

1). Elinor Ostrom Wins the 2009 Nobel Prize in Economics
2). Senator Proposes Amendment to Defund Political Science at NSF

1). Elinor Ostrom Wins 2009 Nobel Prize in Economics

Dr. Elinor Ostrom has earned the 2009 Nobel Prize in Economics Sciences. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded Professor Ostrom (Indiana University) the Nobel Prize for "her analysis of economic governance, especially the commons."

APSA President Henry Brady writes:

I am sure that the entire membership of the American Political Science Association joins with me in congratulating Elinor Ostrom, a past President and longtime member of our association, as the 2009 Nobel Prize winner in Economic Sciences.

Starting from fundamental political science concerns about the role of rules and rule-governed behavior in social life, Elinor Ostrom's work knits together the social sciences by showing how social dilemmas and collective action problems described by economists and sociologists can be solved by behavioral models of human behavior drawn from psychology and anthropology. She shows how reciprocity, reputation, and trust can help overcome narrow self-interest, and how they can provide the foundation for workable and sustainable governmental institutions. She employs empirical research to test economic and political theories about collective action problems, and she offers practical policy recommendations for the management of the commons such as forests, fisheries, and water resources.

Her range and her insights are in the great tradition of the moral philosophers as well as the social scientists, and we are proud and honored to have her as a colleague.

Dr. Ostrom served as president of the American Political Science Association in 1996-97 (view her presidential address).

Professor Ostrom is the first woman to win the Nobel Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences since it was founded in 1968. More on Dr. Ostrom and the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences

2). Amendment to Eliminate Political Science Program from NSF

As you are now no doubt aware, there is a proposal on the floor of the U.S. Senate to eliminate the political science program and its funding from the National Science Foundation. The proposal has been made by Senator Coburn (R-OK) as an amendment (No. 2631) to the H.R.2847 - Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 (H.R. 2847) that includes the NSF Appropriation.

As of this writing, the amendment has been filed, but not made pending for action. There are 84 filed amendments. It is likely that the deadline for Senator Coburn to determine whether to bring his amendment forward will be this afternoon, after which a vote could occur today, or more likely tomorrow.

The Senator's statement about his amendment is here: http://coburn.senate.gov, arguing that political science funding should be diverted to other sciences.

APSA is following this carefully and offers members updates and a list of resources on the Association's website (www.apsanet.org/coburnamendment). APSA urges all members to contact their senators to express their views on this; and to alert college or university public affairs officers and other groups also to take steps. The higher education community, led by the American Council on Education has also spoken out as has the Consortium of Social Science Associations of which APSA is a charter member.

The case for political science research as a component of the National Science Foundation and the national science agenda is profoundly compelling: valid and reliable knowledge about success or failure of nations, the moderation of terrorism, the workings of democracy, mobilization in the face of disasters, expanding participation in the democratic process, how the US responds to threats and how we can avoid them, and, in debt to Elinor Ostrom (and her NSF supported research) "real world research" on how local people work collectively to solve problems without the interventions of distant authority. Some of the strongest advocates for political and social science funding at the NSF are indeed the other sciences, who recognize that physical and biological science discoveries require partnership with social and political science research before any realistic (and fair) prospect of application to real world problems can be expected. And the government itself is a ready consumer of political science research supported by the NSF, including the US Departments of Defense and Homeland Security.

APSA's advocacy role on this issue follows from a long-standing Association commitment to advancing funding for political science within the national science agenda, and particularly at the NSF. The APSA Constitution makes clear that the purpose of the Association is to promote the study of political science, and that the Association may take a position on matters that are concerned with the direct purpose. Federal law recognizes the right for non-profit associations to do advocacy work as an element of their activities.