David L. Weimer Receives the 2026 John Gaus Award

The John Gaus Award is presented annually by the American Political Science Association (APSA) to honor a lifetime of exemplary scholarship in the joint tradition of political science and public administration. David L. Weimer will deliver the Gaus Lecture on Friday, September 4, 2026 at 6:30pm ET as part of the APSA Annual Meeting.

Citation from the Award Committee:

The 2026 John Gaus Award Committee is honored to recognize Professor David L. Weimer for a lifetime of exemplary scholarship in the joint tradition of political science and public administration. Across nearly five decades, Professor Weimer has built a body of field bridging and field-defining work. Over the course of his career he has held appointments in both political science and public affairs, taking up the study of public administration and public policy with a political scientist’s sensibilities. His publications have been cited more than 18,000 times, and have influenced generations of researchers and practitioners.

Among his many contributions, Organizational Report Cards, coauthored with William Gormley, stands as a landmark achievement in public administration. As the nomination letter notes, the book “developed a theory of report cards that anticipated later debates in public management and governance;” subsequent empirical work demonstrated how performance information shapes provider behavior and exposes disparities in service quality. This work remains one of the most important bridges between political science and public administration, offering a durable framework for understanding accountability, incentives, and institutional design.

Professor Weimer’s pioneering work in cost-benefit analysis has shaped the conceptual foundation of modern policy analysis. As the nomination emphasizes, “generations of public servants around the globe see public problems differently because of his work.” His research on medical governance, stakeholder rulemaking, and evidence-based policy further exemplifies the Gaus tradition of integrating political science with public service.

Professor Weimer has continued to expand the boundaries of policy analysis in recent years—most delightfully with his 2024 book Dog Economics, a playful yet analytically serious exploration of our relationships with canines. It’s a reminder that his intellectual curiosity is as wide-ranging as it is rigorous. Even after decades of field-shaping scholarship, he still finds new ways to teach us how to see the world differently.

For his extraordinary intellectual leadership, his sustained contributions to both political science and public administration, and his profound influence on how we study and practice governance, the committee is proud to present David Weimer with the 2026 John Gaus Award.

David L. Weimer earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Applied Science and a B.A. in Urban Studies from the University of Rochester, and an M.A. in Statistics, an M.P.P., and a PhD in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley. From 1977 to 2000 he was a member of the Political Science faculty at the University of Rochester. From 2000 through 2025 he was a member of the University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty, where he is currently the Edwin E. Witte Professor of Political Economy, Emeritus. In 2006 he served as President of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management and in 2013 he served as President of the Society for Benefit-Cost Analysis. His academic contributions have been recognized with election as Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration (2008); University of Wisconsin–Madison, Hilldale Award in the Social Studies for 2016–2017; Excellence in Mentoring Award, Public Policy Section, American Political Science Association (2017); Outstanding Achievement Award, Society for Benefit-Cost Analysis (2018); Policy Field Distinguished Contribution Award, Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (2031); Ph.D. Alumnus of the Year Award, Goldman School of Public Policy, UC Berkeley (2025); and best article awards from the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory (2013) and the Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis (2021). His most recent books are Negotiating Values: Implementing Change in the Allocation of Transplant Organs (Cambridge University Press, 2025) and (with Aidan Vining) Dog Economics: Perspectives on Our Canine Relationships (Cambridge University Press, 2024).

APSA thanks the committee members for their service: Manny Teodoro (Chair) of the University of Wisconsin, Gene Brewer of the University of Georgia, and Amanda Rutherford of Indiana University Bloomington