The APSA Dissertation Improvement Grant promotes the progress of science by identifying and supporting doctoral dissertation research projects that have the potential to advance knowledge of citizenship, government, and politics, knowledge that will advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare. It expands on the success of the current NSF program by drawing on APSA’s networks and programming to promote diversity and representation throughout the recruitment, selection, and support of awardees. Each year the program will provide research support for up to twenty research projects, as well as professional development and public engagement resources, to amplify the effect of the award on the awardee’s career and on the impact of their work. Along with its direct effects on the potential for supported research to advance knowledge, this project will also support increased participation of women and underrepresented minorities in political science research by recruiting diverse applicant and reviewer pools to support doctoral students from diverse groups and institutions. In addition, the project will support increased public engagement with political science through ongoing attention to training and support for public engagement to strengthen and enhance the exchange between the public and political scientists.
The APSA Dissertation Improvement Grant project will support doctoral dissertation research in political science to enhance and improve the conduct of doctoral dissertation projects. The program will be executed by APSA staff and supervised by the APSA Executive Director. The APSA Dissertation Improvement Grant program will award up to twenty grants yearly of between $10,000 and $15,000 to support doctoral dissertation research that advances knowledge and understanding of citizenship, government, and politics. Awards will support basic research (applied research will not be funded) which is theoretically derived and empirically oriented. Successful proposals will focus on research costs not normally covered by the student’s university and will be evaluated based on their intellectual merit and broader impact. The program will also connect awardees to APSA’s extensive professional development and public engagement networks and resources, to amplify the effect of the award on the awardee’s career and on the impact of their work. This project will advance knowledge through support of highly promising doctoral dissertation research in political science. Importantly, it will maximize impact through diversifying the applicant pool, thus identifying and supporting dissertation research that will explore solutions to a wide range of institutional, political, and social challenges. Through recruiting diverse applicant and reviewer pools to support doctoral students from diverse groups and institutions, this program will also have a broader benefit to society by supporting increased participation of women and underrepresented minorities in political science research and the development of a diverse, globally competitive political science workforce.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
