Adam Zelizer (Ph.D. 2018) receives dissertation award

June 11, 2019

The Experimental Research Section of the American Political Science has named Adam Zelizer (Ph.D. 2018) the recipient of the 2018 Best Dissertation Award for his dissertation, “Legislating while learning: How staff briefings, cue-taking, and deliberation help legislators take policy positions.”

The Selection Committee were intrigued and inspired by how Adam used experiments while embedded in a state legislature to study the legislative process at close range. Adam’s experiments on policy briefings, peer influence, and deliberation offer a clear window into how legislators learn about bills and decide whether to support them with cosponsorship and roll-call votes. Adam’s dissertation speaks directly to fundamental questions in political science, offering insights to researchers as well as a broad audience interested in the inner workings of legislation.

Adam Zelizer joined the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago as a Postdoctoral Researcher (Instructor) in 2018. He has been promoted to Assistant Professor beginning Fall 2019. His research focuses on legislative behavior and institutions, with an emphasis on causal inference. His specific interests include the influence of policy information, communication, and institutions on legislators’ policy positions and the role of voluntary legislative institutions in policymaking. Adam also has published articles on political communications and applied econometric methods.