Harvard University professor David J. Deming has been selected to receive the David N. Kershaw Award and Prize for his contributions to the field of public policy analysis and management. Deming, a professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and professor of education and economics at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, will receive the award from the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) at its Fall Research Conference on November 8-10, 2018, in Washington, DC.
Professor Deming has conducted extensive research in the areas of secondary education and employment training and job skills. Deming co-directs the Harvard Inequality and Social Policy program at the Kennedy School’s Malcolm Weiner Center for Social Policy and helped to establish the Collegiate Leaders in Increasing MoBility (CLIMB) Initiative, a partnership between colleges and universities, policymakers, and researchers that seeks to better understand higher education’s role in facilitating social mobility.
“David’s work embodies APPAM’s mission to improve public policy through research and analysis that moves the needle on our biggest social challenges,” said APPAM President-elect and Mathematica vice president Matthew Stagner. “His research on the importance of education and training has not only advanced our collective understanding of the issues at play, but his approach through CLIMB highlights the role researchers can play in finding real-world solutions, as well.”
Deming is the 19th winner of the David N. Kershaw Award and Prize, established to recognize young professionals under the age of 40 who have made distinguished contributions to the field of public policy. The award, consisting of commemorative medal and cash prize, is offered every other year. Past winners include Alan Krueger of Princeton University and Esther Duflo of Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
David N. Kershaw, for whom the award is named, was the first president of Mathematica Policy Research, a nonpartisan policy research firm dedicated to uncovering insights that improve public well-being. The award and prize, first presented in 1983, is made possible by a memorial endowment established in Kershaw's honor after his death from cancer at the age of 37. It is among the largest and most prestigious awards to recognize contributions related to public policy and social science.
Deming will deliver a talk entitled, “What Does Education Do?” at the 2018 APPAM Fall Research Conference on Friday afternoon, November 9, at 3:15 p.m. This David N. Kershaw Super Session will be held in room Lincoln 4, Exhibit Level. Deming will then receive the award during the Presidential Address and APPAM Awards beginning at 5:00 p.m.
