Brint Milward Receives Award for Career Contributions to the Field of Public Management

H. Brinton Milward, the director of the University of Arizona School of Government and Public Policy, is the recipient of the prestigious H. George Frederickson Lifetime Achievement Award. Milward also holds the Melody S. Robidoux Foundation Fund Chair in Collaborative Governance.

The award, given by the Public Management Research Association, honors a senior scholar for career contributions to the field of public management. The award was given to Milward for his scholarly and professional contributions to the field.

Milward's research revolves around networks and collaboration, including how to effectively manage networks of nonprofit and for-profit organizations that jointly produce public services. In addition, since 9/11 Milward has studied illegal and covert networks that pursue grievances or greed. This work on “dark networks” has led to his participation in federal research grants worth over $10 million since 2009.

“As one of the most cited scholars in public administration, Brint’s orbit is large,” the award committee wrote. “However, Brint is not just known in public management, but also has gravitas and standing in other disciplines. His interdisciplinary efforts – which bridge and merge ideas from political science, sociology, organizations and management, and history among others – has pushed the boundaries of public management research and encouraged us to think in new ways about old problems.”

The committee also noted Milward’s outstanding professional capital contributions to the field. Milward is a past President of the Public Management Research Association and the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration, and has served (or serves) on the editorial boards for a range of public administration journals.

“He has been an exceptional mentor to a wide range of students as well as junior scholars, many of whom are now leading the field and making both intellectual and practical contributions in their own right,” the committee wrote. “Brint also is a successful academic entrepreneur and has provided leadership instrumental to the success of the University of Arizona and its programs.”