In recognition for her extensive work on direct democracy, tax reform and statutory interpretation, USC Provost Elizabeth Garrett has been named a 2013 Harold Lasswell Fellow of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS).

Garrett will officially join the academy — one of the nation’s oldest learned societies — at a ceremony to be held on May 9 in Washington, D.C.

“The USC community is tremendously proud that Provost Garrett has been elected to the American Academy of Political and Social Science,” said President C. L. Max Nikias. “This exceptional honor reflects Provost Garrett’s numerous scholarly contributions as well as her long-standing dedication to improving public policy through rigorous research.”

Garrett’s fellowship is named after Harold Lasswell, an interdisciplinary scholar and leading American political scientist and communications theorist.

“It is a great honor to be selected for membership in this academy and, in particular, to join others who hold this fellowship that honors the legacy of Harold Lasswell, a scholar who exemplifies the interdisciplinary approach that has revolutionized the study of law in research universities,” said Garrett, the Frances R. and John J. Duggan Professor of Law, Political Science and Public Policy.

University Professor Geoffrey Cowan, former dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, will introduce Garrett at the ceremony. He was named the academy’s Walter Lippmann Fellow in 2008.

“Beth Garrett truly exemplifies the highest ideals of the academy by employing the rigor of social science and empirical research on questions that matter in the real world,” Cowan said. “The AAPSS is proud to name her as a Harold Lasswell Fellow.”

Garrett is one of four fellows selected this year for scholarly contributions to the social sciences and commitment to improving public policy with research.

“Beth Garrett is a leading expert on statutory interpretation, direct democracy, and the ways in which legislation shapes national budget and tax policy,” said Thomas Kecskemethy, executive director of the AAPSS. “Her scholarly career demonstrates how social science can advance the common good, and we’re thrilled that she’s joining the academy as a fellow.”

The other fellows are Norman Bradburn, a social psychologist at the University of Chicago; David Card, a labor economist at the University of California, Berkeley; and Robert Hauser, a sociologist and executive director of the National Research Council’s Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education.

Garrett specializes in the legislative process, direct democracy, the federal budget process, the study of democratic institutions, statutory interpretation and tax policy. She is an expert on state, national and presidential politics. She was legal counsel to Sen. David Boren (D-Okla.) and a member of former President George W. Bush’s Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform. She also served on the California Fair Political Practices Commission.

Garrett was appointed USC’s provost and senior vice president for academic affairs in 2010. As the university’s second-ranking officer, she oversees the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, the Keck School of Medicine of USC and 17 other professional schools in addition to the divisions of student affairs, libraries, information technology services, research, student religious life and enrollment services.

She also sits on the governing board of the USC hospitals. She holds a primary faculty appointment at the USC Gould School of Law and joint appointments at USC Dornsife and the USC Price School of Public Policy.

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