Fred Warren Riggs

Fred W. Riggs (3 July 1917—9 February 2008) was an American political scientist and pioneer of Comparative Public Administration, especially his Riggsian Model.

Early life and education

Riggs was born on July 3, 1917, in Mount Lu, China. He attended the University of Nanking, China (1934-35). He then earned his B.A. from the University of Illinois in 1938 and his M.A. from Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Medford, Massachusetts in 1941. In 1948, he received his Ph.D. from Columbia University, New York.

Career

After completing his education, Riggs was a Research Associate at the Foreign Policy Association, New York (1948-1951). In the following 4 years, he was Assistant to the Director, at Public Administration Clearing House, New York.

After that, he was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Yale University (1955-56).

From 1956-1967, he was an Arthur F. Bentley Professor of Government at Indiana University. In 1958-59, he was also a Visiting Professor at the University of the Philippines in Quezon City, Philippines.

In 1967, Riggs became a Professor of Political Science at the University of Hawaii. From 1987 onwards, he was a Professor Emeritus at that university.

Awards

• Dwight Waldo award for lifetime achievements in Public Administration, American Society for Public Administration, April 1991.
• Order of White Elephant, conferred by the King of Thailand, in Bangkok, 1986.
• First non-Asian to be honored by Eastern Regional Organization for Public Administration, EROPA Conference, Seoul, Korea, 1983.
• Fellow, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, 1966–67.
• Senior Specialist, East-West Center, University of Hawaii, 1962–1963.
• Fellow, Committee on Comparative Politics of the Social Science Research Institute, for field research in Thailand, 1957–58.

Death

Riggs died on February 9, 2008, in Moanalua, Honolulu, Hawaii. He was 90.