The Harold D. Lasswell prize is awarded annually for the best dissertation in the field of public policy. The award is co-sponsored by the Policy Studies Organization.
The committee has unanimously selected “Evading the Patronage Trap: Interest Organizations and Policymaking inMexico” as the recipient of the Harrold Lasswell Award for the Best Dissertation in Public Policy. In this study, Palmer‐Rubin calls for a return to the study of organizations representing collective interests and their effect on policymaking.
He departs from the prevailing research linking poverty to demand for patronage, arguing that membership conditionsand electoral competition can overtake class pressure and provide a pathway for organizations to influence policymaking. Through case studies and data on the distribution of subsidies across 32 Mexican states, Palmer‐Rubin builds a compelling argument for the role of organizations in the policymaking process. This important study should generate considerable attention among comparativists and interest group scholars alike.
Special thanks to our committee Jennifer Clark (Chair), University of Houston; Chris Koski, Reed College; Christian Breunig, University of Konstanz