Glenn Kefford wins prize at the 2012 APSA Conference

A PhD Student from the Centre for Governance and Public Policy was presented with an award at the 2012 Australian Political Studies Assocation (APSA) Conference held in Hobart from September 24 to 26.

The award for best postgraduate paper at the Conference went to Glenn Kefford for his paper entitled Are Leaders Becoming More Powerful? Kevin Rudd and the Presidentialization Thesis Re-examined.  The paper examined whether Australian politics is becoming presidentialized.  Specifically, it examined  Kevin Rudd’s leadership of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and found the evidence for presidentialization in the Australian system is mixed. It argued the most compelling evidence in support of presidentialization is reflected in how leaders interact with their parties rather than in how they govern.