Tulane political science professor Mirya Holman is getting national recognition for her research about gender in urban politics. She was recently awarded the Clarence Stone Scholar Award by the urban politics section of the American Political Science Association, a leading international association of political scientists.
The award recognizes young scholars who are making a significant contribution to the study of urban politics. Holman, an associate professor of political science in the Tulane University School of Liberal Arts, studies women and politics, local politics, research methods and environmental politics. Her 2014 book, Women in Politics in the American City, was one of the first comprehensive evaluations of the influence of gender on the behavior of mayors and city council members in the United States.
Holman was thrilled to be singled out for expanding the conversation about gender in politics, especially during a time when so many more women are running for elected office in the U.S.
“It’s really exciting to get recognition for having something to say in urban politics,” Holman said. “I also think it's really exciting that my research is being recognized now because, for a long time, we haven't really thought about gender in urban politics.”
Holman’s book considers the effects of gender in local, urban politics and analyzes how a leader's gender does and does not influence policy preferences, processes, behavior and outcomes. She has also published research about the 2016 presidential election, perceptions of voter fraud, how campaign attack ads affect women candidates and about women in New Orleans post-Katrina.
The American Political Science Association serves more than 12,000 members in more than 80 countries. With a range of programs and services for individuals, departments and institutions, APSA brings together political scientists from all fields of inquiry, regions and occupational endeavors within and outside academe to deepen our understanding of politics, democracy and citizenship throughout the world.