golden pencil

This highly pretigious and much-coveted award, and accompanying plaque, is bestowed annually upon the editorial board member who, in the opinion of the managing editor, has contributed the most to the Review of Radical Political Economics above and beyond the normal activities associated with his/her editorial tasks.

Current Recipient

2010: Marlene Kim
Says the managing editor: “It is my pleasure to announce that Marlene Kim is the winner of the 2009 Golden Pencil award. The Golden Pencil goes to the editorial board member who, in the opinion of the managing editor, has contributed the most to the RRPE, above and beyond the normal duties of a board member. Marlene produced our first Podcast, interviewing David Kotz. (Listen to the podcast.) She was a great help in arranging the January 2009 San Francisco reality tour of Chinatown during the Allied Social Science Association annual meeting. She is an enthusiastic and thorough reviewer. And, in our editorial board meetings, Marlene’s experience in working in other organizations helps guide our deliberations. Thanks to Marlene for a job well done.”

Previous Recipients

2008: The managing editor did not grant a Golden Pencil Award for 2008. Instead, she again granted two Friends of the RRPE awards, one to Fred Moseley for his work on ASSA panels that lead us to publish the proceedings issue, and his many contributions in terms of serving as an outside reviewer; and one to Peter Dorman who serves as editor of the pedagogy section of the journal. Fred and Peter received a letter from the managing editor and a free one-year subscription to the journal.

2007: The managing editor did not grant a Golden Pencil Award for 2007. Instead, she granted two Friends of the RRPE awards, one to Paul Altesman for his work on the book store project, and one to Lane Vanderslice for his efforts in organizing the 40th RRPE/URPE anniversary panel in New Orleans. Each awardee received a letter from the managing editor and a free one-year subscription to the journal.

2006: Enid Arvidson
Says the managing editor: “It is with great pleasure that I announce the recipient of the 2006 Golden Pencil Award: Enid Arvidson. Enid volunteered to serve as Web master for the RRPE section of the URPE Web site. She has fulfilled that job admirably. She also has spent considerable time and energy working with a Web site designer to improve our presence on the Web. We hope to have the new design up and running in soon. Thank you, Enid.”

2005: Don Goldstein
“This highly coveted award was presented to Don Goldstein at the April 2006 editorial board meeting in New York City to much fanfare. Don has been on the board since 1988 with one brief hiatus. During his 17 years as a board member Don has exhibited wise counsel, subtle leadership, and diplomacy. He is that rare individual who uses intelligence, reasoned thinking, and kindness to help guide the journal. He is a true asset to the RRPE and URPE. Our heartfelt thanks to Don Goldstein.”

2004: John Willoughby
“I am pleased to announce the recipient of the “prestigious” 2004 Golden Pencil Award: John Willoughby of American University. John has served a total of 10 years on the board (and 3 on the steering committee). A seemingly mild mannered Clark Kent sort of person, he is among the first to respond to a call for help. His real contribution in recent history is as an ambassador of peace while serving on two special issue collectives: Iran and globalization. Both collectives had rather strong personalities (reviewers as well as authors), and on more than one occasion John managed to calm volatile situations. One reason John rejoined the editorial board was to promote articles dealing with the Middle East and Africa, and to this end he has been successful. Our thanks to ‘our man in Washington,’ John Willoughby.”

2003: Bruce Pietrykowski
“The recipient of the seventh annual Golden Pencil award is Bruce Pietrykowski. Bruce has served on the editorial board for eight years. He has taken the lead on two special issue collectives. His most recent contribution has been to convince the archival librarian at Cornell University to maintain the records of papers that have been rejected in the review process so that future historians can more fully understand phases in radical political economics. (Cornell University houses the URPE/RRPE archives, established here by Howard Wachtel.) Our collective thanks, Bruce, for a job well done.”

2002: Brigitte Bechtold
“It is my distinct pleasure to announce that Brigitte Bechtold is the 2002 recipient of the coveted RRPE Golden Pencil Award. Brigitte began her academic career as an economist and sequed into sociology, making her areas of expertise extraordinarily broad. She is a feminist and a labor advocate. When I do not have a full review panel for a submission, Brigitte invariably volunteers. This is a reflection of both the breadth of her knowledge and her enthusiasm as an editorial board member. That enthusiasm has led her to be an organizer for the special issue on the political economy of art and a possible special issue on freedom. She is the first woman to be awarded the prestigious Golden Pencil. Our thanks to Brigitte Bechtold.”

2001: David Barkin
“It is my pleasure to announce that the recipient of the Review of Radical Political Economics 2001 Golden Pencil Award is David Barkin. David has served on the board for a total of 17 years. He is continuing his tenure as Book Review Editor; in that capacity he has increased the yearly number of book review submissions by a wide margin. David brings his expertise on Latin American and environmental issues to the journal. We are grateful.”

2000: Christopher Gunn
“The fifth annual Golden Pencil Award went this year to Christopher Gunn. Christopher has served on the editorial board for 12 years, was book review editor for 5 years, and is currently serving a 2-year term on the URPE steering committee. His invaluable personal support and wise counsel have enabled the managing editor to maintain the equilibrium needed to cope with [our recent crisis]. The coveted plaque was presented to Christopher at the April editorial board meeting to much applause.”

1999: John McDermott
“The 1999 recipient of the Golden Pencil Award is John McDermott. John took up the issue of equal compensation with the national office coordinator for the managing editor. In the course of his long, but now successful, journey, he raised budgetary questions that will positively impact URPE in the future. John is a steadfast, long-term member of the editorial board, who finds time to work closely with authors to refine submissions. It would be fair to say that without John's gentle but insistent tutelage, quite a few articles would not have been published in our journal. Congratulations to a friend of URPE and the RRPE.”

1998: Gary Mongiovi
“The 1998 Golden Pencil Award was presented to Gary Mongiovi at the April editorial board meeting. Gary acted as liaison between myself and his lawyer colleague in our efforts to improve conditions with JAI Press. He represented the editorial board’s point of view in the steering committee’s decisions on pay raises for URPE personnel. He has been an advisor in his capacity as fellow editor of an economics journal (Review of Political Economy or ROPE). He is a steadfast friend and comrade to the RRPE and URPE. Congratulations, Gary Mongiovi.”

1997: Gil Skillman
“At the annual Review of Radical Political Economics Editorial Board meeting held in New York City on April 12 and 13, the first annual Golden Pencil Award was presented to Gil Skillman of Wesleyan University. Gil's crucial role in the negotiations with Blackwell Publishers and JAI Press resulted in a contract highly beneficial to URPE. Gil was able to empirically test game theory while working to attain the coveted Golden Pencil.”