University of Iowa sociologist Michael Sauder's paper about the impact of law school rankings won the Philip D. Shelton Prize for Outstanding Legal Education Research, awarded by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC).

The award carries a $5,000 prize. Sauder and co-author Wendy Nelson Espeland, associate professor of sociology at Northwestern University, are invited to present their work in May during the LSAC annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas.

The professors interviewed 136 law school faculty and staff at 70 accredited law schools, monitored chat rooms dedicated to prospective law students, and interviewed students and admissions officials. They analyzed law schools' Web sites, promotional publications and press releases, and resulting news coverage.

They found that rankings in publications like U.S. News and World Report were behind decisions ranging from how money is spent to which students are admitted. While many administrators object to the growing influence of rankings, they often make decisions they hope will improve their own school's ranking.

The paper, "Rankings and Reactivity: How Public Measures Recreate Social Worlds," was published in the American Journal of Sociology.


Related Link: For more, see the press release