The Kenneth Sherrill Prize is presented annually by the American Political Science Association (APSA) to honor the best doctoral dissertation proposal for an empirical study of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) topics in political science.
Joseph “Joey” Saraceno is a Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science and International Relations department at the University of Southern California. Also at USC, he is a Bannerman Fellow, Political Institutions and Political Economy (PIPE) Fellow, and recent master of science graduate from the Department of Economics. He studies American political institutions and quantitative methodology, publishing in academic journals such as the Journal of Politics and The Forum. Since 2020, he has worked for Census Bureau as the administrator of USC’s Federal Statistical Research Data Center.
Citation from the Award Committee:
Joseph Saraceno’s proposed dissertation (Three Essays on the Representation of LGBT Americans) applies a variety of methodologies to the empirical study of LGBT politics and promises to make a significant contribution to our understanding of the representation of LGBT Americans. The first essay applies multiverse analysis to probe whether the size of the LGB population in legislative districts is significantly related to levels of pro-LGB bill sponsorship. The second essay examines support for LGBT rights initiatives in the U.S. Congress by party, political ideology, legislator identity and constituent interests. The third essay uses experimental audits to see if responsiveness to requests for services vary when constituents self-identify as heterosexual or homosexual (and black or white within those categories) across Republican and Democratic officeholders.
APSA thanks the committee members for their service: Gary Mucciaroni (Chair), Temple University; Douglas Page, Gettysburg College; and Kelly Kollman, University of Glasgow.
