Garrett named AAPSS fellow

She is recognized for direct democracy, tax reform work

-By Gilien Silsby

In recognition for her extensive work on direct democracy, tax reform and statutory interpretation, USC Provost and Gould Professor Elizabeth Garrett has been named a 2013 Harold Lasswell Fellow of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 

Garrett will officially join the Academy - one of the nation’s oldest learned societies - at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, May 8. 

“The USC community is tremendously proud that Provost Garrett has been elected to the American Academy of Political and Social Science,” said President C. L. Max Nikias. “This exceptional honor reflects Provost Garrett’s numerous scholarly contributions as well as her longstanding dedication to improving public policy through rigorous research.”

Garrett’s fellowship is named after Harold Lasswell, an interdisciplinary scholar and leading American political scientist and communications theorist.

“It is a great honor to be selected for membership in this Academy and, in particular, to join others who hold this fellowship that honors the legacy of Harold Lasswell, a scholar who exemplifies the interdisciplinary approach that has revolutionized the study of law in research universities,” said Garrett, the Frances R. and John J. Duggan Professor of Law, Political Science and Public Policy.

Garrett is a nationally respected leader and interdisciplinary scholar with a commitment to improving the democratic process, said USC Gould Dean Robert K. Rasmussen.

“Beth Garrett is a scholar of the first rank, well deserving of this fellowship,” said Rasmussen. “Her work draws on a detailed understanding of both law and politics, providing insights to scholars in both fields. Her work ranges across a number of areas, and in each instance she has advanced our understanding of the institutional architecture that helps shape public policy.”

Garrett is one of four fellows selected this year for scholarly contributions to the social sciences and public policy research. 

The three other fellows are:  Norman Bradburn, a social psychologist at the University of Chicago; David Card, a labor economist UC Berkeley and Robert Hauser, a sociologist and executive director of the National Research Council’s Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education.

“Beth Garrett’s scholarly career demonstrates how social science can advance the common good, and we’re thrilled that she’s joining the Academy as a fellow,” said Thomas Kecskemethy, executive director of the AAPSS.

Garrett specializes in the legislative process, direct democracy, the federal budget process, the study of democratic institutions, statutory interpretation and tax policy. She is an expert on state, national and presidential politics. She was legal counsel to Sen. David Boren (D-OK) and a member of President George W. Bush’s Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform. She also served on California’s Fair Political Practices Commission.

Garrett was appointed USC’s provost and senior vice president for academic affairs in 2010. As the university’s second-ranking officer, she oversees the USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences as well as the Keck School of Medicine of USC and 17 other professional schools, in addition to the divisions of student affairs, libraries, information technology services, research, student religious life and enrollment services. She also sits on the governing board of the USC hospitals. She holds a primary faculty appointment in USC Gould School of Law, and joint appointments in USC Dornsife College and the Price School of Public Policy.