George Jones Prize
Local Government Studies awards two prizes every year, the John Stewart Prize for Best Article and the George Jones Prize (Early Stage Career Researcher).
The names of the two prizes were chosen to remind today's local government scholars of two of the subject's pioneers: Professor John Stewart of the University of Birmingham and Professor George Jones of the London School of Economics and Political Science.
The John Stewart Prize and George Jones Prize are awarded annually following a rigorous process of review by members of the Local Government Studies editorial board.
Judges' comments on the latest George Prize winning paper by S. N. Blok, H. J. M. Fenger and M. W. van Buuren:
"Using crowding theory and a qualitative field approach, the authors examine how local governments aim to support and to incentivize local public investments by citizens. Notably, the paper found that financial incentives neither 'crowded in' nor 'crowded out' local initiatives; instead, respect and support from local officials were more likely to motivate citizens than (solely) financial subsidies. The study has important implications for how governments aim to manufacture and foster civil society."