Professor Liz David-Barrett

Liz David-Barrett, Professor of Governance and Integrity (Politics), has been longlisted for the 2023 Ideas Prize. Established in 2019, the Ideas Prize is an award for the best debut trade non-fiction proposal from an academic, and the winner is offered a contract with Profile Books, who run the prize.

Liz has been longlisted for her proposal Power Grab: The Rise of State Capture. She has been at Sussex since 2014, and is the Director of the Centre for the Study of Corruption, leading the centre’s activities in research, teaching and policy impact.

Liz said: "I am absolutely thrilled that my proposal has been longlisted for this year's Ideas Prize, and now even more motivated to write the book! In this bumper election year when so much of the world has the opportunity to change its leaders, it’s important to think about how those who gain power use and abuse it – but also about what conditions make that possible. That’s what ‘Power Grab: The rise of state capture’ is all about.”

Izzy Everington, Editorial Director at Profile Books said: “We have seen an extraordinary range and breadth of submissions this year, and the quality has been astounding. Many thanks to all who applied, and a huge congratulations to our longlisted authors: each of your submissions was filled with ambition, creativity and panache.”

The shortlist for the prize will be announced towards the end of March.