Nolan McCarty, Susan Dod Brown Professor of Politics and Public Affairs at Princeton University, was named co-recipient of the 2016 Franklin L. Burdette/Pi Sigma Alpha Award by the American Political Science Association (APSA).

This prize is awarded annually to the best paper presented at the previous year’s annual APSA meeting. McCarty and co-authors John Voorheis, University of Oregon, and Boris Shor, Georgetown University, presented their award-winning paper, “Unequal Incomes, Ideology and Gridlock: How Rising Inequality Increases Political Polarization,” in 2015. Their study found that increasing income inequality has had significant effects on political polarization in the American states.

McCarty studies U.S. politics, democratic political institutions and political methodology. He is jointly appointed with Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He is author of a number of books including, most recently, “Political Bubbles: Financial Crises and the Failure of American Democracy.”

The award committee included chair Carol Nackenoff, Swarthmore College; Jake Bowers, University of Illinois; and Jonas Pontusson, University of Geneva. McCarty and his co-authors will receive their award at the APSA Annual Meeting on Aug. 31 in Philadelphia.

For more information on APSA, click here.