R. Douglas Arnold has been awarded the William G. Bowen Award by the Industrial Relations Section for his book, Fixing Social Security: The Politics of Reform in a Polarized Age (Princeton University Press 2022).

The Bowen Award is presented to the book making the most important contribution toward understanding public policy related to labor markets.

Fixing Social Security previously won the Gladys M. Kammerer Award—selected by a committee of political scientists. The Bowen Award is selected by a committee of economists.

The book analyzes the politics of Social Security from 1935 to 2021, and explores the political challenges to fixing the program before the trust fund empties out in 2034.

Arnold is the William Church Osborn Professor of Public Affairs, Emeritus. Before retiring in 2019, he was an active member of the Department’s and School’s faculty for 42 years.