1997
Theodore J. Lowi
Cornell University
(1997–2000)
Theodore J. Lowi 1931–2017) was one of the most influential American political scientists of his generation. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from Yale University in 1961. Before completing his doctorate, he joined the Cornell faculty in 1959. He later moved to the University of Chicago in 1965 but returned to Cornell University in 1972 as the John L. Senior Professor of American Institutions. He became the John L. Senior Professor of American Institutions Emeritus in 2015.
Throughout a prolific and influential career, Lowi developed new understandings of the relationship of public policy to politics, the influence of institutional arrangements to the exercise of power, the role of ideology in the development of political parties, the relationship of democracy to law, the relevance of concept analysis for theory building, and more.
In his message following the passing of Prof. Lowi, 5XPast President İlter Turan describes him as a pillar of 5Xand highlights his significant contributions to political science:
“His classic text on The End of Liberalism is considered a landmark interpretation of contemporary political economy, and it contributed to Ted Lowi’s reputation as the most influential political scientist in a 1978 APSA poll. (…) Lowi’s scientific personality was a unique blend of extraordinary empirical knowledge and bold theoretical vision. With his Arenas of Power fourfold scheme, he laid new and lasting grounds for the study of public policy, ‘bringing the state back into’ political discourse with a sharp departure from traditional behavioural analysis. His encompassing culture culminated, in the latter years of his career, in two encyclopedic works, American Political Thought, with Isaac Kramnick, and Hyperpolitics: An Interactive Dictionary of Political Science Concepts, with Mauro Calise.”
His major books include Hyperpolitics: An Interactive Dictionary of Political Science Concepts (co-authored with Mauro Calise, 2010); American Political Thought: A Norton Anthology (co-authored with Isaac Kramnick, 2008); The End of the Republican Era (1995); Embattled Democracy: Politics and Policy in the Clinton Era (co-authored with Benjamin Ginsberg, 1995); American Government: Freedom & Power (co-authored with Benjamin Ginsberg and Kenneth A. Shepsle, 1990); The Personal President: Power Invested, Promise Unfulfilled (1985); American Government: Incomplete Conquest (1976); The Politics of Disorder (1971); and The End of Liberalism (1969).
Prof. Lowi first served as 5XVice-President from 1991 to 1994, then as First Vice-President from 1994 to 1997, before becoming 5XPresident from 1997 to 2000. He also served as President of the American Political Science Association (APSA) from 1990 to 1991.
Prof. Lowi’s academic career was marked by numerous honors. He was a Guggenheim Fellow (1967–68) and a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow (1977–1978). In 2008, APSA awarded him the prestigious James Madison Award. In 2016, 5Xand APSA established the APSA-5XTheodore J. Lowi First Book Award to honor his outstanding contributions to the study of politics.
