JAMES GORDON BENNETT PRIZE
This is one of six prizes offered for subjects in various fields of political science. A prize from a fund established by the late James Gordon Bennett is offered for the best essay in English prose on some subject of American governmental, domestic, or foreign policy of contemporaneous interest.
PHILO SHERMAN BENNETT PRIZE
This is one of six prizes offered for subjects in various fields of political science. A prize from a fund established by the late Philo Sherman Bennett of New Haven, Connecticut, is offered for the best essay discussing the principles of free government.
GERDA RICHARDS CROSBY PRIZE IN GOVERNMENT (1954)
By gifts of numerous friends of the late Gerda Richards Crosby (A.M. 1923, Ph.D. 1933), a prize has been established to be awarded annually on the recommendation of the Department of Government to a candidate for the degree of A.B. with honors, for excellence in meeting the requirements for that concentration. [Always goes to the top-ranked student in the class.]
ERIC FIRTH PRIZE
This is one of six prizes offered for subjects in various fields of political science. A prize from the income of the gift of Eric Firth is offered for the best essay on the subject of the ideals of democracy. The essay should give attention to the social and ethical as well as the political values of democracy and to its relationship to the defense of peace and freedom. This prize is open only to Seniors concentrating in Government.
2025 Undergraduate Award Winners
| Award Name | Recipient |
|---|---|
| James Gordon Bennett Prize | Conner Huey: The Progressive Paradox: How the Democratic Party Won Rural Western Washington, 1976-2024 Danny Laughary: The Neutral Ethic and the Spirit of Bureaucracy Emory Paul: ‘Homeless, Not Helpless’: How Homeless Unions Transform the Local Political Life of the Unhoused Mateo Velarde-Berrios: A Shapeshifting Reality: The Influence of AI-Generated Political Disinformation on Affective Polarization in the United States |
| Philo Sherman Bennett Prize | Oluchi Amadife: REIMAGINING FRENCH UNIVERSALISM: Le prix littéraire de la Porte Dorée and Migrant Recognition Addie Esposito: The Berlin Wall Still Cuts Through the Bundestag: East/West Divides on Personal and National Identity Among German Parliamentarians Zaki Lakhani: ‘We Do Not Negotiate with Terrorists’…Until We Have To: Investigating the Influence of U.S. Administrations’ Political Ideology on Hostage Negotiation Outcomes |
| Gerda Richards Crosby Prize in Government (1954) | Michael Zhao: Words Speak as Loudly as Actions: Deep Learning Methods for Stance-Based Ideal Points From Congressional Speeches |
| Eric Firth Prize | Ethan Jasny: The Rights of the Dead: How the Precision of National Constitutions Shapes Institutional Stability and Change Katalina Toth: Power to the Individual, Knowledge to the Public: A Foucauldian Reconsideration of Indigenous Self-Determination in Canada |
| David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS): Maxwell Prize on Brazil | Eduardo Vasconcelos Goyanna Filho: Gold, Greed, and Governance: the Capture of Local Governments by Illegal Gold Mining in the Amazon Rainforest Luísa Shida: Radio Silent: Assessing Electoral Performance and Media Control in the Brazilian Military Dictatorship (1964-1985) |
| The Hoopes Prize | Joyce Chen: China’s Socialization in the UN Security Council: The Case of the North Korean Nuclear Issue Kate de Groote: Beliefs, Behavior, and the Bench: Judicial Ideology and Voting Behavior on State Supreme Courts, 1995–2023 Samir Duggasani: Social Media Soldiers: Influencers as Brokers in the Contemporary Indian Political Machine Alexander Hughes: ‘Under Sacred Ties’: Lincoln’s First Inaugural and the Colonial Origins of the Union Isabelle King: Collateral Damage in Third-Party Interventions: Mixed-Methods Evidence from Mali Victoria Li: Abortion after Dobbs: A Causal Inference Approach to Changes in Abortion and Fertility Anna MacLennan: They Aren’t Eating the Dogs: An Analysis of Anti- Immigrant Misinformation and Strategies for Countering It. Michael Zhao: Words Speak as Loudly as Actions: Deep Learning Methods for Stance-Based Ideal Points from Congressional Speeches |
| Harry and Cecile Starr Prize in Jewish Studies | Meredith Zielonka: Fractured but Fortified: Harnessing Ideological and Ethnic Division for Resilient Peacebuilding in Israel/Palestine |
2024 Undergraduate Award Winners
| Award Name | Recipient |
|---|---|
| James Gordon Bennett Prize | Arjun Akwei: From Nehruvian Non-Alignment to the Bharat’s ‘Best Partner’: How a Change in Indian Nationalism Explains the Revitalization of Indo-American Relations Claire Duncan: People Over Politics: The Effect of Coordinated Violence Prevention Programs on Firearm Homicide Rates in Chicago and the District of Columbia James Jolin: A Tale of Two Pandemics: The Differential Effects of COVID-19 Infection and Death on Voter Opinions in the United States Dina Kobeissi: Sanction Evasion and Devastation: The Growing Divide in Syrian Society |
| Philo Sherman Bennett Prize | Tessa Conrardy: From ‘Independent’ to ‘Opposition’: Russia’s War in Ukraine and Role Discourse Among Russian Journalists in Exile Aidan Wrenn-Walz: Testing the Bocca della Verità: Political Misinformation Consumption and Italy’s Declining Public Confidence in Democratic Institutions |
| Gerda Richards Crosby Prize in Government (1954) | Amen Gashaw: For God or Greater Good: Organizational Religiosity as an Enhancer of Coalitional Capacity and Efficacy in Development Service Delivery |
| Eric Firth Prize | June Park: ‘Teach Me Why and How to Vote. Then I’ll Vote.’: The Effects of High School Voter Registration Drives on Youth Voter Participation Kento Yamada: The Impact of Exposure to Immigration on Attitudes Toward Immigration and Voting Behavior: Evidence From Japan |
| David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS): James R. and Isabel D. Hammond Thesis Prize on Spanish-speaking Latin American Studies | Jorge Ruiz: Old Parties and New Cleavages: Puerto Rico’s Emerging Multi-Party System. |
| The Hoopes Prize | Amen Gashaw: For God or Greater Good: Organizational Religiosity as an Enhancer of Coalitional Capacity and Efficacy in Development Service Delivery Fred Larsen: A Musical Politics Jaya Nayar: Deliberative Disagreement: Learning to Appreciate Pluralism in Practice through Disagreement |
| Seymour E. and Ruth B. Harris Prize for Honors Thesis in the Social Sciences | Fred Larsen: A Musical Politics |
| African and African American Studies (AAAS): Kwame Anthony Appiah Prize | Nia Warren: SHE HAD TWO CHOICES: HOMELESSNESS OR HARASSMENT: An Intersectional Study of Underreporting of Sexual Harassment in Housing |
| African and African American Studies (AAAS): Kathryn Ann Huggins Prize | Nia Warren: SHE HAD TWO CHOICES: HOMELESSNESS OR HARASSMENT: An Intersectional Study of Underreporting of Sexual Harassment in Housing Ebony Smith: Consuming Chocolate and Blackness: Reparative Imagery to Address the Triple Oppression of Black Women in the Cocoa and Chocolate Industry |
| African and African American Studies (AAAS): Philippe Wamba Prize | Jolly Rop: The Politics of Tea & Robots in Western Kenya: Implications for Our Understanding of the Political Impact of Automation |
2023 Undergraduate Award Winners
| Award Name | Recipient |
|---|---|
| James Gordon Bennett Prize | Miroslav Bergam: In the Weeds: Investigating the Impact of 21st Century Marijuana Legislation on Drug Outcomes in America Kayla Manning: Abortion Policy Spillover: When Policy Consequences Contradict the Intent Ruhi Nayak: A New Prescription: Factors That Affect the Emergence and Progression of Resident Physician Unionization Aristotle Vainikos: The Determinants of Success in Multi-Technology Military Projects |
| Philo Sherman Bennett Prize | Florian Bochert: Happy Here, Troubled There: The Local Roots of Political Disaffection in Germany David Miller: Partisan Social Identity, Motivated Reasoning, and the Decline of Trust in American Institutions |
| Gerda Richards Crosby Prize in Government (1954) | Lindsey Greenhill: Speaking Different Languages: A Linguistic Approach to Mass Polarization |
| Eric Firth Prize | Adrian Hackney (joint Anthropology/Gov): Rhinestones and Resistance: The Politics of Fashion in Ballroom Culture Alexa Jordan: Shattering the Stained-Glass Ceiling: The Political Ambition of Religious Women in Utah Samuel Lowry (joint History/Gov): THE CHILD LABOR AMENDMENT AND THE CREATION OF A NEW CONSTITUTIONAL ORDER |
2022 Undergraduate Award Winners
| Award Name | Recipient |
|---|---|
| James Gordon Bennett Prize | Jenna Bao, “News from “The Jungle”: The Impacts, Limitations, and Advocacy Potential of 1970s Prison Journalism in the Angolite” Alexandra Norris “Building Back Better: A quantitative analysis of the role of the state in natural disaster response and recovery” Trisha Prabhu, “Say What? Regulating Mediums For Speech in the Social Media Age” Jade Woods, “On the Frontlines of State Control: Collective Prison Resistance in Louisiana State Penitentiary and Mississippi State Penitentiary” |
| Philo Sherman Bennett Prize | Corbin Duncan, “Death, Taxes, and Kidnapping: Armed Banditry in Nigeria” Nidhi Patel, “Benevolence Born of Adversity? Investigating the Neural Mechanisms Mediating the Relationship Between Trauma and Prosocial Behavior in Youth Ages 9-10 in the United States” |
| Gerda Richards Crosby Prize in Government (1954) | John Chua, “Mainstreaming Hate: Radical Right Politicians and the Erosion of the Anti-Prejudice Norm” |
| Eric Firth Prize | Noah Dasanaike, “Historical Regional Identity and National Populism in Sweden and Finland” Salomé Garnier, “Not Your Guinea Pigs’: Trust and Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in the Dominican Republic” |