The award, granted to a living political theorist, is for a work of exceptional quality that is still considered significant after a time span of at least 15 years since the publication date.

Award Committee:  Michael R. Alvarez, California Institute of Technology, Chair; Michael J. Hiscox, Harvard University; Ronald J. Schmidt, Sr., California State University, Long Beach

Recipient: Anthony Downs, The Brookings Institution

Book:  An Economic Theory of Democracy (Harper and Brothers, 1957)

Citation:  Since it’s publication in 1957, Anthony Downs’ An Economic Theory of Democracy has had enormous impact in political science, with a contribution that continues to grow today. An Economic Theory of Democracy led to the development of new theoretical perspectives into individual voting behavior, about the dynamics of party systems and party strategies, and the meaning of political ideology. It also was one of the original and foundational works that helped launch the positive political theory and rational choice theoretical perspectives in political science, and today remains one of the key reference works in those fields. Today Downs’ An Economy Theory of Democracy is a staple in graduate reading lists, and continues to spark the development of new theoretical perspectives in diverse areas of political science. Widely read and widely cited, An Economic Theory of Democracy has been, and will continue to be, a key work in political theory and political science.