Congratulations to Dr. Michael Neblo, professor in the Department of Political Science and director of the Institute for Democratic Engagement and Accountability (IDEA), for being named a member of the 2020 class of Andrew Carnegie Fellows by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Each of this year’s 27 fellows will receive $200,000 in philanthropic support for high-caliber scholarly research across the humanities and social sciences that addresses important and enduring issues confronting our society.

Neblo will use his fellowship to examine how a new form of constituent engagement with members of Congress can help shape public policy. These “Deliberative Town Halls,”conducted online between members and a representative sample of their constituents, provide a productive and civil forum for two-way communication and feedback around a single issue or topic. Recently, Neblo and his colleagues have leveraged the town hall format to enable elected officials to engage with their constituents about issues and impacts around the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are so proud of Dr. Neblo and his accomplishments!