2025 Continuing Contribution Award

Professor Emeritus Michael Atkinson has had a long and prolific academic career. He has published seven books and dozens of articles in highly regarded journals of political science, public policy, and public administration. Michael has won many awards for his academic articles and received the Levine Prize for a co-authored book on industrial policy. He is a past-President of the Canadian Political Science Association and in 2012 was awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Gold Medal for his achievements in public administration. His research interests include fiscal policy, political ethics, and the broad topic of good governance.

Before retirement, while being a senior university administrator, Provost and Vice-President Academic and the inaugural Executive Director of the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, he maintained an active research agenda. His work included several SSHRC funded projects on topics such as executive compensation, education, and government budget management. Right before his retirement, he started a new SSHRC funded project, in collaboration with Dr. Haizhen Mou. Observing the challenges faced by governments during the COVID 19 pandemic, the authors wanted to understand what governments should do during a crisis. The authors interviewed more than 70 politicians, bureaucrats and economic elites and organized a national survey. Their findings are published in Fiscal Choices: Canada after the Pandemic, recently shortlisted for the 2024-25 Donner Prize, for the best book on public policy by a Canadian. In addition to being an active researcher, Michael continues to contribute to the academic community. Because of his years’ experience as a top scholar and respected university administrator, he has been a sought-after mentor, providing workshops to leaders of universities across Canada. Whenever a student, a faculty member, a dean or a university president asks for his advice, he always generously contributes his time. Michael’s dedication and impact to the community of USask, both before and after his retirement, is unmatchable. Thank you, Michael!