POLITICAL STUDIES ASSOCIATION AWARDS 2008 25 NOVEMBER 2008 Institute of Directors, 116 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5ED A W ARDSï 2 004 Welcome It is an honour and pleasure to welcome you to the 2008 Political Studies Association Awards. I have recently taken over as Chair of the Association from Jon Tonge, who helped to establish the Awards ceremony as a regular calendar event. It is now in its seventh year. The Political Studies Association is the main association in the UK responsible for developing and promoting political studies, both as an intellectual field and as a profession. After the American Political Science Association, it is the second largest such association in the world. The Awards ceremony is an opportunity for the PSA to highlight and celebrate academics, journalists and politicians who have made an outstanding contribution to public political life, analysis and debate in the preceding year. Each year, as interest in the Awards ceremony has grown, the numbers of individuals nominated for the different categories of award have increased. This has made the task of the jurors more challenging, but we are satisfied that this year’s awards are extremely well earned. In these times of global political and economic turbulence the importance of clear dispassionate analysis, honest and informative reporting and courageous political leadership has never been clearer. The individuals to be honoured today exemplify these virtues. We are once more indebted to a range of contributors for the effort and enterprise that has made the Awards ceremony possible. Firstly we must thank members of the awards jury and in particular Professor Lord Bhikhu Parekh who hosted the jurors’ meeting and Dr Katharine Adeney who chaired it. Thanks, too, to James Naughtie who has again taken on the role of Master of Ceremonies; to those in the PSA National Office, especially Sue Forster, and Simon Coote of Alive Events who have worked so hard to ensure organizational continuity of the event; and to Ipsos MORI who, in collaboration with the PSA, have conducted the poll on ‘The best American President’. Finally thanks to Wiley-Blackwell, Routledge and the Economic and Social Research Council for their very generous sponsorship of this year’s ceremony. Warmest congratulations to our winners and we hope that you all enjoy today’s proceedings. Professor Vicky Randall Chair, Political Studies Association of the United Kingdom Political Studies Association Awards 2008 The Political Studies Association exists to develop and promote the study of politics. We are the leading organisation in the UK linking academics in political science and current affairs, theorists and practitioners, policy-makers, journalists, researchers and students in higher education. JOURNALS OTHER PUBLICATIONS WE PROVIDE A FORUM FOR SCHOLARSHIP WE ALSO PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT THROUGH FOUR QUALITY JOURNALS, POLITICS AND EXPERTISE THROUGH A PUBLISHED IN ASSOCIATION WITH WILEY- RANGE OF PUBLICATIONS BLACKWELL Political Studies is the leading UK journal PSA News, a quarterly newsletter, featuring in the field and attracts contributions from articles, news from departments, academics of international standing. Through information about research grants and articles, debates and research notes, it reflects projects, plus details of conferences, the vigour and importance of the discipline of specialist groups and other activities. politics and contributes significantly to the development of political science internationally. Political Studies Review brings together the unique book reviews service of Political Studies with a set of major review articles which survey key current issues in political Study Politics, our accessible guide to science. The journal builds on more than fifty studying politics at university, distributed to years of book reviewing which have made all UK sixth-forms and colleges. Political Studies Review the largest source of book reviews in political science in the world. Media Register of Experts, promoting our members’ areas of political expertise to the Politics publishes cutting edge political media. Published online at science research in all the sub-fields of the www.psa.ac.uk/experts discipline, without restriction on themes, approach or country focus. The short article format means that articles are provocative, punchy and readable. The British Journal of Politics and International Relations aims to influence international debates in political science. It encourages contributions from scholars in Annual Directory, listing all political all parts of the discipline and from all parts scientists in the UK and Ireland by university of the globe, and is fast attaining a reputation and department. Published online at for innovative interdisciplinary research. www.psa.ac.uk Political Studies Association Awards 2008 EVENTS AWARDS GRADUATE NETWORK WE OFFER A UNIQUE ARENA FOR THE WE PROMOTE THE STUDY OF POLITICS WE ARE COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING EXCHANGE OF IDEAS AND EXPERTISE THROUGH OUR ANNUAL AWARDS THE NEXT GENERATION OF POLITICAL THROUGH CONFERENCES AND EVENTS AND PRIZES SCIENTISTS Annual Conference, attracting leading politicians, civil servants and academics, and comprising more than 100 specialist discussion panels covering all aspects of the discipline. Network of Specialist Groups, covering all major fields of political research. Each provides a forum in which individuals with specialised research and teaching interests can develop their own seminars and conferences to supplement the Annual Conference. Our prestigious annual awards include: The Graduate Network exists to promote Heads of Department Conference, held links between postgraduate politics students to assist UK political science departments ■ The Sir Isaiah Berlin Prize throughout the UK. The Graduate Network with planning and training for research for lifetime contribution to political holds its own annual conference, regional and teaching. studies group events and short conferences for members. All postgraduates can join the Media Training Workshops, offering ■ The W.J.M. Mackenzie Prize Association at a reduced rate, including members expert training and practical for best book published in political free Graduate Network membership. preparation for TV and radio interviews. science www.psa.ac.uk ■ The Sir Bernard Crick Prize MEMBERSHIP Our award-winning website is an impressive for outstanding teaching in political Membership is open to everyone interested research tool with over 12,000 links to studies in the study and practice of politics. There political information sources. Online services are separate categories of membership for include access to electronic versions of all ■ Four dissertation prizes people who are retired and for companies. the Association’s journals, Annual for best dissertation in particular fields of Conference papers, Members’ Directory and political studies To join call 0191 222 8021, Register of Experts. e-mail: [email protected], or visit our website: ABOVE www.psa.ac.uk Shami Chakrabarti receiving her award from Lord Bhikhu Parekh in 2007 Political Studies Association Awards 2008 Political Studies Communication Award Award sponsor PROFESSOR TONY TRAVERS Tony Travers was born in North Wales, In addition to work on London and other went to school in the Midlands and took British cities, Travers has been involved in a degree in London. He has worked at the international comparative studies, London School of Economics and Political including (with Gerry Stoker) The Mayor- Science since 1987 and previously at the Council Model: Lessons from Barcelona, North East London Polytechnic. He has (1999) and London-New York Study: The worked within higher education for over economies of two great cities at the 30 years but has also maintained a millennium, edited with Rosemary Scanlon number of outside interests. and Greg Clark, 2000. Travers’ research has centred on local Beyond his academic work, Travers has THE JUDGES SAY government, local government finance, worked since 1980 as an advisor to a A distinguished academic with a plethora of education finance and the government number of parliamentary committees, publications holding academic and public of London. He was co-author, with John currently including the Children, Schools policy impact, Professor Tony Travers is one Pratt and Tyrrell Burgess, of Costs and and Families Committee (and its of the leading authorities on central-local Control in Further Education (1978) and predecessors responsible for education, relations, political decentralisation and local wrote an extended study of local skills, the arts and libraries) and the government. Academic distinction has been authority funding in The Politics of Local Communities and Local Government complemented by a major input to British Government Finance (1986). Committee. He was a Member of the political life through his advice to national Audit Commission from 1992 to 1997, government and contribution to good In 1994, he co-authored (with David a Senior Associate of the Kings Fund from governance in London. The 2008 award Butler and Andrew Adonis) Failure in British 1998 to 2004, a member of the Touring for Political Communication is merited Government – the Politics of the Poll Tax, Panel of the Arts Council from 2000 to due to the way in which academic a detailed analysis of one of the biggest 2003 and a member of the Working knowledge, perceptive judgement and British policy adventures of modern times, Group on Finance for the Urban Task first-rate broadcasting skills