Karen Orren
Encyclopedia
Karen Orren is an American
political scientist, noted for her research on American political institutions and social movements, analyzed in historical perspective, and for helping to stimulate the study of American political development.
Orren graduated with a B.A.
from Stanford University
, majoring in anthropology
and political science
. She then attended graduate school
at the University of Chicago
, completing her M.A.
in political science
in 1965 and her PhD
degree in 1972. Her doctoral dissertation examined life insurance politics in Illinois
. Orren is presently a professor
of political science
at UCLA, where she has taught since 1969.
Orren’s research considers political questions in broader historical settings and in the context of institutional change. In her first book, Corporate Power and Social Change (1974), she studied corporate investment in housing
over a century to illuminate the range of possible authority relations between government
and business
and account for the prevailing form. In Belated Feudalism (1991), Orren overturned the Hartzian
proposition that American history is characterized by the "absence of feudalism
," through an investigation of the labor movement’s prolonged confrontation with ancient master-and-servant laws.
Orren has often collaborated with Stephen Skowronek
, including founding the academic journal
Studies in American Political Development
in 1986, and writing the book The Search for American Political Development (2004). Through their work, Orren and Skowronek have significantly fostered the growth of American political development (or APD) as a distinct subfield within the discipline of political science
.
In 1993, Belated Feudalism won the J. David Greenstone Prize for the best book in politics and history, awarded by the American Political Science Association
(APSA). In 1998, Orren won the Franklin L. Burdette Award for the best paper presented at the previous year's APSA annual meeting. Orren was president of the Politics and History Section of APSA for 1995–1996 and from 2007 to 2009 was a co-editor of the American Political Science Review
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
political scientist, noted for her research on American political institutions and social movements, analyzed in historical perspective, and for helping to stimulate the study of American political development.
Orren graduated with a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, majoring in anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
and political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
. She then attended graduate school
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, completing her M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
in 1965 and her PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
degree in 1972. Her doctoral dissertation examined life insurance politics in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. Orren is presently a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at UCLA, where she has taught since 1969.
Orren’s research considers political questions in broader historical settings and in the context of institutional change. In her first book, Corporate Power and Social Change (1974), she studied corporate investment in housing
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
over a century to illuminate the range of possible authority relations between government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
and business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
and account for the prevailing form. In Belated Feudalism (1991), Orren overturned the Hartzian
Louis Hartz
Louis Hartz was an American political scientist and influential liberal proponent of the idea of American exceptionalism....
proposition that American history is characterized by the "absence of feudalism
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
," through an investigation of the labor movement’s prolonged confrontation with ancient master-and-servant laws.
Orren has often collaborated with Stephen Skowronek
Stephen Skowronek
Stephen Skowronek is an American political scientist, noted for his research on American national institutions and the U.S. presidency, and for helping to stimulate the study of American political development....
, including founding the academic journal
Academic journal
An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...
Studies in American Political Development
Studies in American Political Development
Studies in American Political Development is a political science journal founded in 1986 and presently published by Cambridge University Press....
in 1986, and writing the book The Search for American Political Development (2004). Through their work, Orren and Skowronek have significantly fostered the growth of American political development (or APD) as a distinct subfield within the discipline of political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
.
In 1993, Belated Feudalism won the J. David Greenstone Prize for the best book in politics and history, awarded by the American Political Science Association
American Political Science Association
The American Political Science Association is a professional association of political science students and scholars in the United States. Founded in 1903, it publishes three academic journals...
(APSA). In 1998, Orren won the Franklin L. Burdette Award for the best paper presented at the previous year's APSA annual meeting. Orren was president of the Politics and History Section of APSA for 1995–1996 and from 2007 to 2009 was a co-editor of the American Political Science Review
American Political Science Review
The American Political Science Review is the flagship publication of the American Political Science Association and is the most prestigious journal in political science according to the ISI 2004 Journal Citation Report...
.
Select Publications
- Corporate Power And Social Change: The Politics Of The Life Insurance Industry. 1974. Johns Hopkins University PressJohns Hopkins University PressThe Johns Hopkins University Press is the publishing division of the Johns Hopkins University. It was founded in 1878 and holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously running university press in the United States. The Press publishes books, journals, and electronic databases...
. - "Standing to Sue: Interest Group Conflict in the Federal Courts." 1976. American Political Science ReviewAmerican Political Science ReviewThe American Political Science Review is the flagship publication of the American Political Science Association and is the most prestigious journal in political science according to the ISI 2004 Journal Citation Report...
70(3): 723–741. - Belated Feudalism : Labor, The Law, And Liberal Development In The United States. 1991. Cambridge University PressCambridge University PressCambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
. - "Beyond the Iconography of Order: Notes for a New Institutionalism" (with Stephen SkowronekStephen SkowronekStephen Skowronek is an American political scientist, noted for his research on American national institutions and the U.S. presidency, and for helping to stimulate the study of American political development....
). 1994. In The Dynamics of American Politics, eds. L. Dodd and C. Jillson. Westview PressWestview PressWestview Press is an American publishing house. It publishes textbooks and scholarly works for an academic audience.Westview was founded in 1975 in Boulder, Colorado by Fred Praeger. The press was sold in 1991 to SCS Communications. HarperCollins acquired the company in 1995. Since 1998, it has...
. - "Labor Regulation and Constitutional Theory in the United States and England." 1994. Political Theory 22(1): 98–123.
- "The Primacy of Labor in American Constitutional Development." 1995. American Political Science ReviewAmerican Political Science ReviewThe American Political Science Review is the flagship publication of the American Political Science Association and is the most prestigious journal in political science according to the ISI 2004 Journal Citation Report...
89(2): 377–388. - "Officers' Rights: Toward a Unified Field Theory of American Constitutional Development." 2000. Law and Society Review 34(4): 873–909.
- The Search for American Political Development. 2004. Cambridge University PressCambridge University PressCambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
(with Stephen SkowronekStephen SkowronekStephen Skowronek is an American political scientist, noted for his research on American national institutions and the U.S. presidency, and for helping to stimulate the study of American political development....
).