AEC Memorial: Peter H. Rossi

Peter H. Rossi University of Massachusetts (1922 - 2006) see also nytimes article

Peter H. Rossi was Stuart A. Rice Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Director Emeritus of the Social and Demographic Research Institute, at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.  He had previously been on the faculties of Harvard University, the University of Chicago, and Johns Hopkins University and was Director, 1960 to 1967 of the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. He was formerly president (1980) of the American Sociological Association and was the 1985 recipient of the Common Wealth Award for lifetime contributions to sociology.  He received awards from the Evaluation Research Society, the Eastern Evaluation Research Society and the Policy Studies Association for his contributions to evaluation research methodology.  His recent books include Evaluation: A Systematic Approach (7th Edition 2004:  with Mark Lipsey and Howard Freeman), a best selling evaluation text since it first appeared in 1979,  Of Human Bonding (1990: with Alice S. Rossi) Down and Out in America (1989), Just Punishments (1997: with R. A. Berk) and Feeding The Poor (1998). Professor Rossi was Principal Investigator on the large scale randomized evaluation of the Department of Labor TARP pilot program using modest unemployment payments to recently released felons to ease transition back to civilian status thereby lowering recidivism. The experiment involved 4,000 felons released from the prisons of Georgia and Texas who were randomly assigned to treatment or control groups and interviewed repeatedly and/or followed through administrative data for a year beyond release.  A full account of the methods and findings are reported in Money, Work, and Crime (with R.A. Berk, and K. J. Lenihan) Academic Press, 1980. Rossi served as editor of the American Journal of Sociology and Social Science Research. He has been elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and  the Academy of Experimental Criminology.  In 2005 the American Association for Policy Analysis and Management established an annual Peter H. Rossi Award for outstanding contributions to evaluation theory and/or practice.

 

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