Comparative Study of Election Surveys (CSES)
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Awards

The GESIS Klingemann Prize for Best CSES Scholarship

About the Prize

Each year, the CSES awards the GESIS Klingemann Prize for the Best CSES Scholarship (paper, book, dissertation, or other scholarly work). The award is sponsored by GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences and is named in honor of Professor Dr. Hans-Dieter Klingemann, co-founder of the CSES, and an internationally renowned sociologist and political scientist who made significant contributions to cross-national electoral research. The prize was first awarded in 2011.

Nomination Process & Selection

Nominated works must make extensive use of CSES data and have a publication date in the calendar year before the award, either in print or online. Anyone is allowed to nominate or self-nominate a scholarly work for consideration.

A new Selection Committee is convened each year to decide the winner. It comprises:

  • One scholar who is a member of the CSES Planning Committee
  • A scholar nominated by the prize sponsor, GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences
  • A leading scholar in the field of comparative electoral behavior and public opinion

Roll of Honor: Winners of the GESIS Klingemann Prize

2025: Luana Russo and Paula Schulze Brock

  • Article Title: “Mainstream partisans’ affective response to (non) cooperation with populist radical right parties”
  • Citation: Russo, Luana; Schulze Brock, Paula (2025). Mainstream partisans’ affective response to (non) cooperation with populist radical right parties. West European Politics, 48(6), 1389–1427.
  • DOI: 10.1080/01402382.2024.2336436
  • Selection Committee: Andres Reiljan (University of Tartu, Estonia), Laura Stephenson (Western University, Canada), and Armin Seimel (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany).

2024: Andres Reiljan, Diego Garzia, Frederico Ferreira Da Silva, and Alexander H. Trechsel

  • Article Title: “Patterns of Affective Polarization toward Parties and Leaders across the Democratic World”
  • Citation: Reiljan, Andres; Garzia, Diego; Ferreira Da Silva, Frederico; and Trechsel, Alexander H. (2024). Patterns of Affective Polarization toward Parties and Leaders across the Democratic World. American Political Science Review, Volume 118, Issue 2, pp. 654–670.
  • DOI: 10.1017/S0003055423000485
  • Selection Committee: Noam Gidron (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel), Rosario Queirolo (Universidad Católica del Uruguay, Uruguay), and Jan-Lucas Schanze (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany).

2023: James Adams, David Bracken, Noam Gidron, Will Horne, Diana Z. O’Brien, and Kaitlin Senk

  • Article Title: “Can’t We All Just Get Along? How Women MPs Can Ameliorate Affective Polarization in Western Publics”
  • Citation: Adams, J., Bracken, D., Gidron, N., Horne, W., O’Brien, D. Z., and Senk, K. (2022). “Can’t We All Just Get Along? How Women MPs Can Ameliorate Affective Polarization in Western Publics”. American Political Science Review, 117(1), pp. 318–324.
  • DOI: 10.1017/S0003055422000491
  • Selection Committee: Christina Eder (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany), Irfan Nooruddin (Georgetown University, United States), and Vicente Valentim (University of Oxford, England).

2022: Vicente Valentim

  • Article Title: “Parliamentary representation and the normalization of radical right support”
  • Citation: Valentim, V. (2021). “Parliamentary representation and the normalization of radical right support”. Comparative Political Studies, 54(14), pp. 2475–2511.
  • DOI: 10.1177/0010414021997159
  • Selection Committee: Axel Burger (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany), Orit Kedar (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel), and Enrique Hernández (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain).

2021: Enrique Hernández, Eva Anduiza, and Guillem Rico

  • Article Title: “Affective polarization and the salience of elections”
  • Citation: Hernández, E., Anduiza, E., and Rico, G. (2021). “Affective polarization and the salience of elections”. Electoral Studies, 69(1), pp. 1–9.
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.electstud.2020.102203
  • Selection Committee: Jill Sheppard (The Australian National University, Australia), Christina Eder (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany), and Eelco Harteveld (University of Amsterdam, Netherlands).

2020: Eelco Harteveld, Stefan Dahlberg, Andrej Kokkonen, and Wouter Van Der Brug

  • Article Title: “Gender differences in vote choice: Social cues and social harmony as heuristics”
  • Citation: Harteveld, E., Dahlberg, S., Kokkonen, A., & Van Der Brug, W. (2019). “Gender differences in vote choice: Social cues and social harmony as heuristics”. British Journal of Political Science, 49(3), pp. 1141–1161.
  • DOI: 10.1017/S0007123417000138
  • Selection Committee: Eva Anduiza (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain), Ruth Dassonneville (Université de Montréal, Canada), and Keith Smith (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany).

2019: Ruth Dassonneville and Ian McAllister

  • Article Title: “Gender, Political Knowledge, and Descriptive Representation: The Impact of Long-Term Socialization”
  • Citation: Dassonneville, R. & McAllister, I. (2018). “Gender, Political Knowledge, and Descriptive Representation: The Impact of Long-Term Socialization”. American Journal of Political Science, 62(2), pp. 249–265.
  • DOI: 10.1111/ajps.12353
  • Selection Committee: Henrik Oscarsson (University of Gothenburg, Sweden), Christina Eder (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany), and Kimuli Kasara (Columbia University, USA).

2018: André Blais, Eric Guntermann, and Marc Bodet

  • Article Title: “Linking Party Preferences and the Composition of Government: A New Standard for Evaluating the Performance of Electoral Democracy”
  • Citation: Blais, A., Guntermann, E., & Bodet, M. (2017). “Linking Party Preferences and the Composition of Government: A New Standard for Evaluating the Performance of Electoral Democracy”. Political Science Research and Methods, 5(2), 315–331.
  • DOI: 10.1017/psrm.2015.78
  • Selection Committee: Rachel Meneguello (Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil), Christina Eder (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany), and Georg Lutz (University of Lausanne, Switzerland).

2017: Dani Marinova

  • Book Title: Coping with Complexity: How Voters Adapt to Unstable Parties
  • Citation: Marinova, D. (2016). Coping with Complexity: How Voters Adapt to Unstable Parties. ECPR Press.
  • Selection Committee: Aida Just (Bilkent University, Turkey), Stephen Quinlan (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany), and Carlos Shenga (Centre for Research on Governance and Development, Mozambique).

2016: Kimuli Kasara and Pavithra Suryanarayan

  • Article Title: “When Do the Rich Vote Less Than the Poor and Why? Explaining Turnout Inequality across the World”
  • Citation: Kasara, K., & Suryanarayan, P. (2015). “When Do the Rich Vote Less Than the Poor and Why? Explaining Turnout Inequality across the World”. American Journal of Political Science, 59(3), 613–627.
  • DOI: 10.1111/ajps.12134
  • Selection Committee: Orit Kedar (Hebrew University, Israel), Stephen Quinlan (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany), and Masahiro Yamada (Kwansei Gakuin University, Japan).

2015: Noam Lupu

  • Article Title: “Party Polarization and Mass Partisanship: A Comparative Perspective”
  • Citation: Lupu, N. (2015). “Party Polarization and Mass Partisanship: A Comparative Perspective”. Political Behavior, 37(2), 331–356.
  • DOI: 10.1007/s11109-014-9279-z
  • Selection Committee: Rachel Meneguello (Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil), Markus Quandt (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany), and Zeynep Somer-Topcu (Vanderbilt University, USA).

2014: Richard R. Lau, Parina Patel, Dalia F. Fahmy, and Robert R. Kaufman

  • Article Title: “Correct Voting Across Thirty-Three Democracies: A Preliminary Analysis”
  • Citation: Lau, R. R., Patel, P., Fahmy, D. F., & Kaufman, R. R. (2014). “Correct Voting Across Thirty-Three Democracies: A Preliminary Analysis”. British Journal of Political Science, 44(2), 239–259.
  • DOI: 10.1017/S0007123412000610
  • Selection Committee: Russell J. Dalton (UC Irvine, USA), Markus Quandt (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany), and Rachel Gibson (University of Manchester, United Kingdom).

2013: Mark A. Kayser and Michael Peress

  • Article Title: “Benchmarking across Borders: Electoral Accountability and the Necessity of Comparison”
  • Citation: Kayser, M. A., & Peress, M. (2012). “Benchmarking across Borders: Electoral Accountability and the Necessity of Comparison”. American Political Science Review, 106(3), 661–684.
  • DOI: 10.1017/S0003055412000275
  • Selection Committee: Catherine de Vries (University of Geneva, Switzerland), Markus Quandt (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany), and Nicolas Sauger (Sciences Po, France).

2012: Russell J. Dalton, David M. Farrell, and Ian McAllister

  • Book Title: Political Parties and Democratic Linkage: How Parties Organize Democracy
  • Citation: Dalton, R. J., Farrell, D. M., & McAllister, I. (2011). Political Parties and Democratic Linkage: How Parties Organize Democracy. Oxford University Press.
  • DOI: 10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199599356.001.0001
  • Selection Committee: Sara Hobolt (London School of Economics, United Kingdom), Markus Quandt (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany), and Jeffrey Karp (University of Exeter, United Kingdom).

2011: Matt Golder and Jacek Stramski

  • Article Title: “Ideological Congruence and Electoral Institutions”
  • Citation: Golder, M., & Stramski, J. (2011). “Ideological Congruence and Electoral Institutions”. American Journal of Political Science, 54(1), 90–106.
  • DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-5907.2009.00420.x
  • Selection Committee: John Aldrich (Duke University, USA), Markus Quandt (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany), and Ian McAllister (Australian National University, Australia).
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