2025 Grawemeyer world order award goes to John M. Owen IV for The Ecology of Nations
Summary
"Political scientists have tended to analyze democratic longevity and crises in domestic terms," said University of Louisville Professor of Political Science and University Scholar Charles E. Ziegler, the director of the Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. "They generally look at internal economic structure, income levels, and a societys cultural traits. Owens exposition of the role of the international ecosystem marks a major contribution to our understanding of world order." Professor Owen appreciates the influence of a number of past Grawemeyer Award winners, particularly 1989 winner Robert Keohane, whose "After Hegemony: Cooperation and Discord in the World Political Economy" inspired Professor Owen, then a Keohane advisee, to investigate the way international institutions work. The work of Margaret Keck and Kathryn Sikkink, winners in 2000 for "Activists beyond Borders," showed Owen how transnational groups carry ideas and practices across national boundaries.