Shilpa Viswanath
Professor Shilpa Viswanath Receives Riccucci-O’Leary Award

Dr. Shilpa Viswanath, Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Management, and co-author Dr. Aritree Samanta from San Francisco State University received the 2023 Riccucci-O’Leary Award for Best Article on Diversity from the Public Management Research Association (PMRA) for their work “Gender Ramifications of a Weberian Bureaucracy: A Feminist Appraisal of the US Department of Agriculture” [link] published in Perspectives on Public Management and Governance. 

The award committee wrote the following about the article:

"The article generated knowledge that is both practically and theoretically relevant for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) research in the field of public administration. By critically examining the gender ramifications of Weberian bureaucracy, specifically within the context of the United States Department of Agriculture, the authors shed light on an important aspect of DEI in the public sector. The article's strength also lies in its logical, concise, and clear writing style. The arguments and findings were effectively communicated, making it accessible to a wide range of readers. Furthermore, the article not only deepened our understanding of gender dynamics within Weberian bureaucracy but also provided insights into new avenues to advance DEI in the public sector and public management. By intermeshing critical perspectives, feminist phenomenology, and feminist standpoint theory, the authors crafted a feminist model for appraising the agricultural bureaucracy. This innovative approach opens doors for further research and exploration in the field of DEI."

Viswanath and her co-author will be recognized at the 2023 Public Management Research Conference at the University of Utrecht, Netherlands on June 30.

Additionally, Viswanath's work with co-author Dr. Lauren Bock Mullins from CUNY's College of Staten Island, titled  "Gender Responsive Budgeting and the COVID-19 Pandemic Response: A Feminist Standpoint," received an Outstanding Dialogue Contribution from Administrative Theory and Praxis in 2021.