Zachariah A. Levitan of Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, University at Albany, SUNY has been awarded the 2018 Lamb Prize, becoming the fourth undergraduate to win this coveted award.  The prize, worth $1,000, plus travel expenses and a one-year membership in the Western Social Science Association (WSSA) marks a career milestone for Mr. Levitan. The paper has been published by Negotiation Guidance Associates and may be found at “Levitan Paper.“

His winning article is entitled “The YouTube ‘Adpocalypse’ and ‘Adcquisition’: Proposing a Change in YouTube’s Political Content Monetization Methodology.” The paper describes how a private market problem can have implications in the public realm. Read the précis.

In announcing the 2018 Prize recipient Dr. Berton Lee Lamb, chair of the Lamb Prize Steering Committee, observed “The paper is an excellent example of a submission that presents a challenging problem and offers a potential solution.”

Prabha Unnithan (WSSA Past President), Barbara Bonnekessen (2018 WSSA President), Zachariah A. Levitan (2018 Lamb Prize Recipient) and Berton Lee Lamb (WSSA Past President & Chair, Lamb Prize Steering Committee)

The Selection Committee described Mr. Levitan’s paper as “innovative in nature.” The Committee said the winning submission  “…does a fine job explaining how a seemingly private market problem can have implications in the public realm.  The paper made a convincing case that the nuanced monetization system and Acquisition Algorithm should be tried. The committee was impressed with the author’s ability to explain the issues of Google’s demonetization-of-content policy in a manner that many (non-techie) individuals can grasp and understand.  Furthermore, the well-written paper covers the analysis of a problem with implications relevant to political science.”

Dr. Stephan Stohler, Faculty Sponsor for Mr. Levitan is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy, University at Albany, SUNY

The Prize will be formally presented by Dr. Donna Lybecker, during the Presidential Reception at the conclusion of the 2018 WSSA annual conference in San Antonio, TX. Dr. Lybecker is Chair of the independent Lamb Prize Selection Committee. Selection Committee members recuse themselves when students from their universities are under consideration.