The judging panel for this year's prize included Professor Michael Kenny, Director of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy; Professor Diane Coyle, Inaugural Bennett Professor of Public Policy; Professor David Runciman, Department of Politics & International Studies, University of Cambridge, and Tom Clark, Editor of Prospect.
After much deliberation they have shortlisted:
- Institutional Shock absorbers: decentralising governance in the age of populism by Tom Arnold, Research Associate, University of Liverpool
- Is it possible to govern well in the age of populism? by Rachel Bruce, Civil Servant, UK Government’s Policy Lab
- Deep Democracy: a proposal for governance in the age of populism by Nina Foster, Clerk, House of Commons
- The Doncaster Canary & Hartlepool Monkey: Local experiences of governing well under populism by Jon Guest, Sheffield City Region Mayoral Combined Authority
- Closing the gap between representation and governance: the case for the random selection of party candidates by Oliver Large, Senior Policy Analyst, Centre for Social Justice
- Happiness, Equality, and Participation: What can Bhutan, New Zealand, and Estonia teach us about how to govern in the time of populism? by Keegan McBride, Hertie School
- Collaborating with political leaders and citizenry is the key to good governance in an age of populism by Phalasha Nagpal, Assistant Consultant at Oxford Policy Management
- Good Governance and Populism in the Developing World by Rishan Sathavisam, Independent Policy Researcher
- Populism as a reaction to the troubles of good governance by Callum Watts, Policy Fellow, UK Cabinet Office
- Is it possible to govern well in the age of populism? Yes under the following conditions by Masibulele Zonyana, City of Cape Town
Tom Clark said: “The question this year—about the challenges of governing well in a populist age—was bound to provoke interest, and indeed the number of entries went up. From the pitfalls and potential of devolution in the English regions, to the potential role of sortition (that is, picking politicians by lot) there was plenty of food for thought. The top few entries—and the eventual winner in spades—mixed authority and urgency as they grappled with the big political question of our time: namely, how to fill in the missing link between the governing and the governed.”
Each shortlisted entrant will receive a one-year digital subscription to Prospect.
The three finalists, including one winner who will receive £10,000, will be announced on Tuesday 6th April 2021.
