BOZEMAN – Montana State University political science professor and Associate Vice President for Research Development Elizabeth Shanahan has been named a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.

Founded in 1967 by James E. Webb, then administrator of NASA, the National Academy of Public Administration was chartered by Congress to provide independent, nonpartisan and neutral advice to government leaders and agencies at all levels of government, similar to the National Academy of Sciences. Fellows are chosen by the membership based on their distinguished and continuing achievements in and contributions to public administration and public policy.

“This is awesome, fantastic news,” said MSU professor David Parker, head of MSU’s Department of Political Science in the College of Letters and Science. “Not only is this confirmation that Liz’s scholarship is deemed important but it’s important in a realm where she is going to be called on to help make policy and decisions on a national level. This is an honor befitting the work she has done.”

Shanahan is an expert in narrative risk communication and co-architect of the Narrative Policy Framework, which she spent her career developing and testing after arriving at MSU in 2005. The framework is a hypothesis-driven approach to the study of policy making, whose central question queries the power of narrative or stories to gain public attention, motivate behavior and shape policy outcomes. Her framework is now used internationally, having “made a pretty big splash in the policy world” when it was introduced, Shanahan said.

“The typical approach to risk and hazard mitigation is through the technical or engineering approach,” Shanahan said. “I’m bringing social sciences to bear in response to risk and natural hazards, as you must have community buy-in for technical approaches to be successful. People need to see policy as relevant to their lives, and scientific information communicated in narrative form can help.”

She believes her expertise in narrative risk communication is a primary reason she was selected as a NAPA fellow, as it positions her well to help governments—especially those with responsibilities in the American West—to prepare for and respond to natural hazards, including fires and floods, the spread of infectious disease similar to COVID-19 and cybersecurity threats.

“My nominators worked hard to make the case for geographic diversity,” she said, noting that a large percentage of current NAPA fellows are employed in policy positions in the White House and elsewhere in Washington, D.C.

Mere weeks before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, an interdisciplinary MSU research team led by Shanahan published a paper on its research showing that delivering public information about potential hazards through narrative is significantly more effective at engaging people in risk reduction behaviors than science statements alone. During the pandemic, Shanahan led a group of social scientists on COVID-19 vaccine narrative communication, publishing on the use of visual narratives to increase vaccine uptake. Her team made risk communication recommendations to the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.

Shanahan said she continues to research effective ways to communicate evidence-based information during natural disasters while ensuring that the persuasive power of narrative isn’t misused. As a NAPA fellow, she said she looks forward to working on challenges related to the environment, pandemics and climate change, particularly with an eye on preventing problems.

“How do we get policymakers to think ahead and, for example, stop pandemics before they happen?” she said.

Parker called Shanahan the “top scholar in our department,” and praised the caliber and volume of her published research.

Yves Idzerda, dean of the College of Letters and Science, noted that Shanahan is committed to helping faculty find practical applications for their research.

“Liz is an outstanding scientist whose commitment to moving research into practice truly embodies the land-grant mission,” Idzerda said. “Her research has led to the development of policies to help mitigate the effects of natural disasters, and she similarly works to help other MSU faculty develop programs for important research that may lead to important industrial, medical and societal innovations.”

Alison Harmon, MSU’s vice president for research and economic development, praised Shanahan’s research, as well as her work in the Office of Research and Economic Development.

“In this role, she represents the interests of faculty in seeking out the best ways for us to support researchers as they create their own agendas, seek funding and other resources, and translate their work into relevant outcomes,” Harmon said. “She will be an excellent adviser for policymakers.”

Shanahan will be the third current fellow with connections to Montana State University and the only one still serving as a member of the university faculty, according to a NAPA spokeswoman. The others are Sian Mooney, former assistant research professor in MSU’s Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics, and Mark Emmert, a former MSU provost and vice president for academic affairs.

The 2023 class joins nearly 1,000 academy fellows, including former cabinet officers, members of Congress, governors, mayors and state legislators, as well as prominent scholars, business executives, and public administrators. 

Shanahan is one of six MSU faculty members to be appointed to a national academy. The others are Dana Longcope, professor in the Department of Physics, National Academy of Sciences; professor Joan Broderick, head of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; retired Regents Professor Cathy Whitlock, Department of Earth Sciences, National Academy of Sciences; Alexandra Adams, faculty member in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and director of the Center for American Indian and Rural Health Equity, National Academy of Medicine; and Peter Buerhaus, retired professor in the Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing, who sits on the Committee on the Future of Nursing 2020-2030 of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

Shanahan said that as a member of the academy, it will be a privilege to represent the American West, where she has found her permanent home in Montana and MSU.

“I wouldn’t be where I am without the support from the provosts, deans, department heads and, of course, the students. I owe a lot to this university,” she said.