Professor Chris Anderson receives 2026 George H. Hallett Award from the American Political Science Association

Congratulations to Professor Chris Anderson, Ralf Dahrendorf Professor of European Politics and Society at the European Institute, for receiving the 2026 George H. Hallett Award from the American Political Science Association along with his co-authors.

The George H. Hallett Award, which is part of the "Representation and Electoral Systems Section" of the APSA Organised Section Awards, is presented annually to the author of a book published at least ten years ago that has made a lasting contribution to the literature on representation and electoral systems.

Professor Chris Anderson and his co-authors - Professor André Blais ( University of Montreal), Professor Shaun Bowler (University of California, Riverside), Professor Todd Donovan (Western Washington University), Professor Ola Listhaug (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) - were recognised for their book, Losers’ Consent: Elections and Democratic Legitimacy (Oxford University Press, 2005), which examines the consequences of the unequal outcomes of democratic elections for the legitimacy of democratic political institutions and systems.

Reacting to the award, Professor Chris Anderson commented:

“I am absolutely delighted and deeply honoured to receive the George H. Hallett Award, especially because it recognises the lasting contribution of a book published some time ago. The ideas behind Losers’ Consent go back even further, to research I began in the 1990s on how winning and losing elections shapes people's attitudes toward democracy.

André, Shaun, Todd, Ola, and I subsequently developed those ideas into a broader investigation of one of democracy’s fundamental questions: why people who lose elections nevertheless accept the outcome and continue to support the political system. That question seems at least as important today as it did when we began our research. It is wonderful to see the book continue to resonate with scholars and grateful for this recognition of a collaboration I remember with great affection.”

A student of political behaviour, Professor Anderson's research has centred on the micro-foundations of markets and democracy and he teaches on our MSc in European and International Politics and Policy programme. Past research projects have investigated the popularity of governments, the dynamics of public opinion about European integration, and people’s satisfaction with democracy. In other streams of research, he has investigated the connection between welfare states and citizen behaviour and the political attitudes and behaviours of immigrants in Europe.