University of Illinois Springfield Associate Professor Sibel Oktay’s book, “Governing Abroad: Coalition Politics and Foreign Policy in Europe,” has been awarded the International Studies Association’s 2022 Foreign Policy Analysis Best Book Award. Oktay teaches in the UIS School of Politics and International Affairs.
“Governing Abroad” investigates the role of multi-party governments in post-Cold War European foreign policy by bringing together large-scale statistical analyses and in-depth case studies from the Netherlands, Denmark and Finland. The book was published by the University of Michigan Press in July 2022 and is available in open access courtesy of the Press.
The selection committee noted that they were "extremely impressed by Governing Abroad," seeing it "as a major contribution to the field of foreign policy analysis." "This is a true career high for me," said Oktay. "When I began writing this book, my goal was to be considered for this award. That I've received it is nothing short of absolute joy."
An expert on international affairs, Oktay was named a nonresident senior fellow of public opinion and foreign policy at The Chicago Council on Global Affairs in 2021. She has a doctorate in political science from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University. She has been recently awarded a Jefferson Science Fellowship and spending the 2023-2024 academic year as a Foreign Affairs Officer at the U.S. Department of State.
Oktay will receive the award during the International Studies Association’s 2024 annual convention in San Francisco in April.