Douglas Harris, professor and chair of economics at Tulane University School of Liberal Arts, has been named the 2025 recipient of the Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management’s (APPAM) Policy Field Distinguished Contribution Award, recognizing sustained, field-shaping contributions to public policy analysis and management.
APPAM will honor Harris at its 47th Annual Fall Research Conference, Nov. 13–15, 2025, in Seattle.
APPAM is the premier professional association for the public policy research community. Its 3,400 individual members include academics, practitioners, and students, while its 100 institutional members represent leading graduate and undergraduate schools of public policy and management, as well as top research organizations and think tanks. Established in 2021, the Policy Field Distinguished Contribution Award honors individuals whose research, policymaking influence, or service to APPAM and the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management (JPAM) have significantly advanced the field over many years.
Harris is the Schlieder Foundation Chair in Public Education and directs the Education Research Alliance for New Orleans (ERA-New Orleans) and the National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice (REACH). He is also a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and directs Tulane’s State of the Nation Project and the AEFP Live Handbook.
His work has shaped national debates on school choice, teacher evaluation and accountability, and college access.