The Harold D. Lasswell Award is presented annually by the American Political Science Association (APSA) to honor the best doctoral dissertation in the field of public policy.
Citation from the Award Committee:
“The Evolving Politics of Using AI Algorithms” makes novel and groundbreaking theoretical and empirical observations on a rapidly emerging – and high-stakes – issue area: the use of artificial intelligence in public services. Through a series of sophisticated empirical experiments, Raviv finds that people’s evaluations of AI-based algorithmic decision-making (ADS) in the public sector largely depend on two considerations: their perceived accuracy and fairness. In this regard, respondents express aversion to using ADS in decisions that are seen as designed to sanction target populations (rather than assist them) and under conditions when decision-makers are required to make inferences about individuals rather than collectives. Raviv also shows how public attitudes toward the use of ADS in public services evolve with increased engagement or personal experience with them. These insights can assist in determining under what circumstances the use of AI in public services may be appropriate.
Shir Raviv is a postdoctoral researcher at the Data Science Institute at Columbia University and a non-resident fellow at the Institution for Social and Policy Studies at Yale. In Fall 2025, she will join the faculty at Tel Aviv University as an Assistant Professor of Political Science. Her research examines the political implications of rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and the challenges of governing this technology in ways that reflect public values and preserve democratic accountability.
She is writing a book on public opinion on the use of AI in government, particularly the sources of opposition to such use. It distinguishes between concerns based on misconceptions, which can possibly be addressed through the provision of relevant information, and those rooted in deeper moral reservations, which are less prone to change and, therefore, need to be considered in the design and deployment of the technology.
Her broader work examines the competing pressures shaping AI regulation efforts across governments, international institutions, and the private sector. Her research interests extend to political behavior, experimental methods, and survey design, with publications in the Journal of Politics and Political Science Research and Methods.
Shir received her PhD in Political Science from Tel Aviv University in 2024, under the supervision of Professors Yotam Margalit (Chair), Alexander Kuo, and Neil Malhotra.
APSA thanks the committee members for their service: Dr. Christopher Bosso (Chair) of Northeastern University, Dr. Ashley Fox of University at Albany, SUNY, and Dr. Dorothy Daley of The University of Kansas