The Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science () was established in 1995 by the Johan Skytte Foundation at Uppsala University. The foundation itself goes back to the donation in 1622 from Johan Skytte (1577–1645), politician and chancellor of the university, which established the Skyttean professorship of Eloquence and Government.
The prize, 500,000 Swedish kronor (approximately $52,000) is to be given "to the scholar who in the view of the Foundation has made the most valuable contribution to political science". Since its creation in 1995, the Johan Skytte Prize has garnered a prestigious reputation within the social science community, earning the nickname "the Nobel Prize for Political Science." According to reputation surveys conducted in 2013–2014 and 2018, it is the most prestigious international academic award in political science.
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Recipients of the Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science
{| class="wikitable sortable" align="center"
!width="5%" |Year
!colspan=2 width="15%" |Recipient
!width="15%" |Country
!width="50%" |Rationale
!width="15%" |Affiliation
|-
|1995
|100x100px
|Robert A. Dahl<br>(1915–2014)
|
|"for his penetrating analysis of democratic theory, characterized by deep learning and breadth of mind, combined with epochal empirical studies of the actual functioning of representative government".
|Professor emeritus, Yale University
|-
|1996
|100x100px
|Juan José Linz<br>(1926–2013)
|<br><br>
|"for his global investigation of the fragility of democracy in the face of the authoritarian threat, characterized by methodological versatility and historical and sociological breadth".
|Professor, University of Michigan
|-
|100x100px
|Pippa Norris<br>(b. 1953)
|<br>
|Professor, Harvard University
|-
|2012
|100x100px
|Carole Pateman<br>(b. 1940)
|<br>
|"for in a thought-provoking way challenging established ideas about participation, sex and equality."
|Professor emeritus, University of California, Los Angeles
|-
|2013
|100x100px
|Robert Axelrod<br>(b. 1943)
|
|"for profoundly having changed our presumptions about the preconditions for human cooperation.”
|University Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, George Washington University
|-
|100x100px
|Alexander Wendt<br>(b. 1958)
|
|Mershon Professor of International Security and Professor of Political Science, Ohio State University
|-
|2024
|left|118x118px|frameless
|Jürgen Habermas<br>(1929–2026)
|
|"for having constantly reminded us, theoretically and empirically, that the very lifeblood of democracy depends on human capacity and willingness to respect others by means of communicative action and on that basis to engage in critical argumentation and discourse.”
|Professor emeritus, University of Frankfurt am Main
|-
|2025
|100x100px
|Herbert Kitschelt<br>(b. 1955)
|<br>
|for “having increased knowledge of the functioning of democratic party systems with exquisite theoretical acuity and impressive empirical breadth and depth.”
|George V. Allen Distinguished Professor of International Relations, Duke University
|-
|2026
|100x100px
|Seyla Benhabib<br>(b. 1950)
|<br>
|for “examining how justice is possible in a world of constant human mobility, with deep respect for the rights of both individuals and states.”
|Eugene Meyer Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Philosophy, Yale University
|}
References
External links
- The Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science, official website