What other political scientists deserve the Nobel?

Tue, 10/13/2009 - 7:56am

Yesterday the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel to Oliver Williamson and Elinor Ostrom for their work on what economists call "governance" and what political scientists call "politics" (and what Larry David would call "unwritten law").  In awarding the prize to one economist (Williamson) and one political scientist (Ostrom), the Nobel committee awarded exemplars in the study of political economy.

Lots of (positive) blog reactions to this Nobel.  Henry Farrell does note a trenchant irony: 

It is also worth pointing out in passing (as an email correspondent has brought to my attention) that she has received roughly a dozen grants under the NSF program that Senator Tom Coburn wants to abolish. Tom Coburn vs. the Nobel committee as a judge of scholarly quality – you decide.

And for those who would argue that Obama's Peace Prize makes that decision an easy call for Coburn, bear in mind that the two awards are given by different committees.   

Steve Leavitt has an economist's take

What’s interesting is that in the ensuing 15 years, it seems to me that economists have talked less and less about Williamson’s research, at least in the circles in which I run. I suspect most assistant professors of economics have barely heard of him. Yet I suspect the older generation of economists will applaud this choice....

The reaction of the economics community to Elinor Ostrom’s prize will likely be quite different. The reason? If you had done a poll of academic economists yesterday and asked who Elinor Ostrom was, or what she worked on, I doubt that more than one in five economists could have given you an answer. I personally would have failed the test....

This award demonstrates, in a way that no previous prize has, that the prize is moving toward a Nobel in Social Science, not a Nobel in economics.

I think Leavitt is overstating the case a little.  Looking at the last 15 years' worth of winners, I see a few winners who are more appreciated outside of economics than inside the profession (Amartya Sen, Daniel Kahneman, Thomas Schelling).  More of them, however, easily fall within the boundaries of mainstream economics (Lucas, Phelps, Hurwicz, Meyerson, Kydland, Prescott, Heckman, Merton, Scholes, Krugman, etc.) 

Nevertheless, Leavitt's conjecture raises four dandy questions for readers of this blog: 

  1. Who will be the next political scientist to win this Nobel? 
  2. Who should be the next political scientist to win this Nobel?
  3. Who will be the next international relations scholar to win this Nobel?
  4. Who should be the next international relations scholar to win this Nobel?

Fire away, readers! 

[And what are your answers to these questions?--ed.  They are closely guarded secrets that will be revealed at an appropriate time.]



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Irony and Fearon

Yesterday was a good day for political science, no doubt. Another irony is that Williamson is probably read and cited more widely in political science than economics. His book was certainly on my graduate syllabus.

As for your the next political scientist to win the Prize, I have to go with Jim Fearon on all four questions. His use of "economic" methods to shed light on important political problems makes him a probable (of the Schelling type). It is also hard to overestimate the influence of his work on the study of conflict and cooperation.

The next time you speak with

The next time you speak with Heather Hurlbert, your bloggingheads interlocutor who speaks in a slightly snotty voice while getting everything wrong, please ask her how she was so wrong when she said that Obams's "brilliant" UN performance and dropping of the E. Europe missile shield had gotten Russia onboard for Iran sanctions.

A good day

Yes I agree it was a good day for political science. Williamson's book is really interesting vente privee

'Tom Coburn vs. the Nobel

'Tom Coburn vs. the Nobel committee as a judge of scholarly quality – you decide.'

Well, Coburn is an actual doctor, as opposed to the Nobel committee; so, not only is he probably a better judge of quality, I'd also much rather see him if I got sick...

Robert Axelrod

Robert Axelrod whose work on the evolution of cooperation is among the most cited work in all of the social sciences. Iterated Prisoners Dilemma as well as concepts such Tit for Tat are part of the cannon of almost all introductory courses in game theory.

Gilpin

Robert Gilpin should be the next social scientist to win it.

On problem

On problem with Ostrom winning is that it merely reinforces the perception that women can't or don't do "real" economics. They should have made the first female winner a "real" economist.

Dierdre McCloskey?

Dierdre McCloskey?

Elinor Ostrom's win

Well, I am not on Foreign Policy's masthead, nor can I boast of a my own blog, attempting wit thru mixing commentary on Salma Hayak and game theory, but I had heard of Ms. Ostrom and her work prior to her winning the Nobel.
Guess it's just a handful of grad students ( no, I am not one of her students) and other IR scholars who "have heard" of her.
Shame on you Mr Drezner. What is the point of such snarkiness? Couldn't yyou have just talked about her work, debated the merits of it, before implying that she didn't deserve it?

Um.....

I think you need to work on your reading comprehension skills. What part of "the Nobel committee awarded exemplars in the study of political economy" did you not understand?

Um

Sorry, my bad. You were right. I skimmed it not realizing those were Steve Leavitt's comments. Apologies.

1. Who will be the next

1. Who will be the next political scientist to win this Nobel?

Probably a political scientist with a PhD in econ...Weingast?

2. Who should be the next political scientist to win this Nobel?

Rogowski or Keohane or Katzenstein for international trade...?
3. Who will be the next international relations scholar to win this Nobel Prize in IR?

Kenneth Waltz, of course
4. Who should be the next international relations scholar to win this Nobel?

Kenneth Waltz, of course

Change #1

Anthony Downs

William Riker