Michael A. Neblo, PhD, professor in the College of Arts and Sciences Department of Political Science, has earned The Ohio State University 2025 Distinguished Scholar Award. Senior leadership in the Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge (ERIK) recently surprised Neblo with the honor.
Michael Neblo receives 2025 Distinguished Scholar Award
Neblo’s research focuses on deliberative democracy and political psychology.
“Everyone does their best research in community. I’ve been blessed to work in the best research community of colleagues, students, staff, and administrators anyone could hope for.,”
“Your impact at the university is immense, including your co-founding of entities such as the Center for Ethics and Human Values and the Institute for Democratic Engagement and Accountability,” said Loren Wold, interim senior associate vice president in ERIK. “You also break the mold when it comes to community engagement and impact, through your direct work with members of Congress on ways to make our democracy function better.”
David Horn, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, added, “I am grateful to you for embodying the mission of a global land-grant university—advancing deliberative democracy not only in the State of Ohio, but also around the world.”
“I think of your work as being brilliant theoretically, but it's also very sophisticated methodologically…there's also a clear translational aspect to your work,” said Ryan King, divisional dean of social and behavioral sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences. “I love that your work is punctuated with a bit of optimism, but also clear-eyed realism and pragmatism.”
Neblo is the founding director of Ohio State’s Institute for Democratic Engagement and Accountability (IDEA) and its signature innovation, Deliberative Town Halls (DTHs). He developed the theory behind DTHs and reported on the first wave of forums in his book, Politics with the People: Building a Directly Representative Democracy. Neblo has convened over 100 DTHs beginning with the US Congress, where he has testified three times on democratic reform. He has gone on to run forums in Chile, Australia, Nigeria, and the UK with pending projects in the EU, Malawi, S. Korea, Germany, Indonesia, and beyond.
His first book, Deliberative Democracy between Theory and Practice, develops the concept of a deliberative political system to make democratic theory more flexible and to structure an empirical research agenda to advance the resulting vision. Neblo’s work has appeared in an unusually wide range of academic journals, including Science, Nature-Communication, Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences, Daedalus, The American Political Science Review, The American Journal of Political Science, The Journal of Political Philosophy, Political Analysis, Social Forces, Human Development, Political Communication, Social Science&Medicine, and Public Opinion Quarterly.
Neblo has been the recipient of awards and fellowships for his research, teaching, advising and service from the Carnegie Corporation, the Democracy Fund, the Kettering Foundation, the Department of Education, the Mellon Foundation, the American Political Science Association, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Veterans Administration, the Evans Scholars Foundation, the International Society for Political Psychology, and the National Science Foundation. He earned his bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and mathematical methods in the social sciences (MMSS) from Northwestern University and his doctorate in political science from the University of Chicago.
The Distinguished Scholar Award is among the highest annual honors awarded at Ohio State. The university-level award annually honors six faculty members who demonstrate scholarly activity, conduct research or creative works that represent exceptional achievements in their fields and garner distinction for the university. Award recipients are nominated by their departments and chosen by a committee of senior faculty, including past award recipients. Distinguished Scholars receive an honorarium and a research grant to be used over the next three years.
Quotes from Neblo’s nomination:
"Very rarely does one encounter a scholar with this kind of breadth, and this flexibility makes Professor Neblo truly unique and “distinguished.” In sum, I cannot imagine a more deserving scholar to receive the honor of Distinguished Scholar. To make the point clear – if there were a Nobel prize in political science, I am certain that Professor Neblo would at some point receive it." James N. Druckman, University of Rochester.
"Professor Neblo is truly a rare breed in Political Science, and across the entire academy. Many political scientists study democratic theory; many others do empirical research into democratic attitudes; a few design “real world” interventions to promote democracy. If he did any one of these three things as well as he does, I would gladly say he qualifies as a Distinguished Scholar. Professor Neblo does all three. The fact that he does them all—with the highest standards—makes him a singular figure in Political Science." David Campbell, University of Notre Dame.
"Dr. Neblo stands out for his unique ability to bridge empirical research and normative democratic theory at the highest levels while simultaneously advancing practical democratic reforms. His work demonstrates an extraordinary combination of theoretical sophistication, methodological rigor, and practical applicability." David M. J. Lazer, Northeastern University.
"Neblo is the most interesting and productive scholar in the field of deliberative democracy, which is now central to democratic theory. He is also better, in my view, at the combination of empirical research and normative democratic theory than any currently active political scientist. Moreover, his basic research promises to help the actual practice of democracy in the U.S. and abroad." Jane Mansbridge, Harvard University.