IRSPM O’Leary prize and Routledge lifetime achievement award 2024 - Winners announcement
Dear Colleagues, Dear Friends,
We are thrilled to announce the winners of the IRSPM Rosemary O’Leary Prize and IRSPM Routledge Prize for 2024!
The 2024 IRSPM Rosemary O’Leary Prize is awarded to…
Sue Williamson, Helen Taylor and Vindhya Weeratunga for their paper “Working from home during COVID-19: What does this mean for the ideal worker norm?”, published in Gender, Work and Organization in 2023.
The IRSPM Rosemary O’Leary Prize was inaugurated in 2019 to recognize excellent scholarship on women in public administration, broadly defined. It is named after Professor Rosemary O’Leary, an outstanding public management scholar in her own right and a previous IRSPM Routledge Lifetime Achievement Award winner.
This article was chosen for the substantial contribution it makes to scholarship on women and public administration. The paper provides novel conceptual perspectives by questioning the concept of the 'ideal worker' (typically attributed to men), yielding a significant contribution to the HR literature in public services and the digitalisation agenda in public management.
Drawing on a large database of 5000 Australian employees in a mixed methods design, the paper offers new and important empirical research on the benefits of hybrid working for disabled women and women with caring responsibilities. Drawing on Acker's ideal worker norm, the paper finds that these women are more productive working from home, without having to negotiate a compromise between being a public servant and a carer or disabled person. This paper provides a strong case for legitimising the emerging ‘multi-dimensional ideal worker’ in the hybrid world of work, which can only benefit all organizations and employees. The paper particularly stands out through its scholarly rigour and innovation. It makes an important, evidence-based contribution to reducing harmful gendered workplace practices which has the potential to substantially progress gender equality.
Sue Williamson, Helen Taylor and Vindhya are the 6th winners of this prize, which was decided upon by a panel of IRSPM board members: Professor Ileana Steccolini (IRSPM President and Chair of the Committee), Dr. Elke Loeffler and Dr. Annette Quayle, with the support of Eva Thomann, IRSPM Awards Coordinator.
The 2024 IRSPM Routledge Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded to…
Board of Governors Distinguished Professor Norma M. Riccucci for her excellent, inspirational and lasting scholarly contribution to the field of public management and policy implementation. Norma is a Board of Governors Distinguished Professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) at Rutgers University–Newark. Her work on social equity, diversity, and representative bureaucracy has left an impressive mark on our scientific community, showcasing her dedication to advancing these crucial areas. Norma has been a steadfast supporter of IRSPM and has held important leadership roles in other academic associations, including the American Political Science Association and the Public Management Research Association.
Next to her outstanding, impactful scholarship, what truly stands out about Norma is her commitment to supporting and mentoring colleagues. Over the years, she has been a guiding force, emphasizing inclusivity and diversity within our discipline. Norma's mentorship has played a crucial role in nurturing emerging scholars. In conclusion, Norma Riccucci is an academic who excels not only in her research but also in her service to the community, including her support for IRSPM.
Professor Norma M. Riccucci is the 18th winner of the IRSPM Routledge Prize which recognizes an outstanding lifetime contribution to public management research. This prize was chaired by Ileana Steccolini, IRSPM president, with the support of Eva Thomann, IRSPM awards coordinator and voted by the IRSPM Board members.
The award ceremony will take place on Wednesday, 17 April during the Gala dinner at 19:00.
The IRSPM board congratulates the winners for their outstanding contributions to research in our field!
We are very much looking forward to seeing you all during 16 - 18 April in Tampere!
Sincerely,
IRSPM Board