Politics | Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
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Politics

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Core faculty

Jenna Bednar

Professor of Political Science and Public Policy
Bednar's research combines positive political theory and systems theory to analyze how institutions remain effective in complex environments. She has contributed to the scholarly inquiry of the design of federalism; theoretical and experimental work on cultural evolution and institutional performance; and applied realms such as campaign contributions, transboundary water systems, and environmental sustainability.
Core faculty

Kamissa Camara

Professor of practice
Camara is the former Foreign Minister of Mali and the youngest person to have ever held the position in Mali’s history. She brings 15 years of experience with foreign policy and socio-political and security in Sub-Saharan Africa. Camara most recently served as Chief of Staff to the President of Mali. Camara also spent time as the Minister of Digital Economy and Planning for Mali and Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to the President of Mali.
Core faculty

Elisabeth R. Gerber

Jack L. Walker, Jr. Collegiate Professor of Public Policy
Gerber’s research focuses on regionalism and intergovernmental cooperation, sustainable development, urban climate adaptation, transportation policy, community and economic development, local fiscal capacity, and local political accountability.
Core faculty

Jonathan K. Hanson

MPP/MPA Program Director; Lecturer in Public Policy
Hanson is a specialist in comparative political economy and political development. He examines the ways that political institutions affect economic performance and development. In his recent projects, he has explored how to measure state capacity, the roles of democracy and state capacity for improving human development, and why authoritarian regimes vary significantly in economic and social outcomes. A former congressional aide, he has been active in political campaigns.
Core faculty

Yazier Henry

Teaching Professor in Public Policy
Henry has written and published on the political economy of social voice, memory, trauma, identity, peace processes, Truth Commissions, international transitional justice and international humanitarian law. His research and writing projects focus on how structural and administrative violence come to be institutionalized during post-colonial transitions. His current work is on the discourse of human rights, structural violence and the politics of official voice.
Core faculty

Gerald J. Hills

Teaching Professor in Public Policy
To email Rusty, please use the following email address: [email protected] Rusty Hills is a lecturer in public policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. He has served in senior leadership roles in the M...
Core faculty

Devin Judge-Lord

Assistant professor
Judge-Lord is a political scientist who studies interactions among interest groups, legislators, and bureaucracies. His current work focuses on how public pressure campaigns affect agency rulemaking, especially climate and environmental justice campaigns. His other research projects address legislator behavior and capacity, money in politics, lobbying, and private governance.
Core faculty

Valenta Kabo

Lecturer III
Valenta Kabo is a lecturer at the Ford School. Her fields of interest are comparative law, law and economics, and property rights and development. She earned her PhD in political science and public policy from the University of Michigan. She also has...
Core faculty

Ann Chih Lin

Associate Professor of Public Policy; Director, Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies
Lin, a political scientist, studies how people experience policy implementation. Her current work examines racial and ethnic difference in the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic; bias reduction against Muslims; national security scapegoating of immigrant groups; conservatism among immigrants; and subnational labor migration policy.
Core faculty

Yusuf Neggers

Assistant Professor of Public Policy
Yusuf Neggers is an economist whose research examines questions at the intersection of development and political economy, with a focus on state capacity and the delivery of public services.
Core faculty

Kaitlin T. Raimi

Associate Professor of Public Policy; Faculty Associate in Psychology; Faculty Associate in Research Center for Group Dynamics, Institute for Social Research
Raimi is a social psychologist focused on climate change beliefs and policy support. She studies how people compare themselves to others, how adopting one pro-environmental behavior affects later action, and how communication affects understanding and support for climate policy and technology.
Core faculty

Megan A. Stewart

Associate Professor of Public Policy
Megan A. Stewart is an associate professor of public policy at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. Her research interests focus on explaining variation in how changes to social, economic, and political hierarchies—esp...
Core faculty

Justin Wolfers

Professor of Public Policy and Economics (on sabbatical leave)
Wolfers is an economist with broad policy-related interests and experience. He is also affiliated with the NBER, Brookings and the Peterson Institute for International Economics. He is a contributing columnist for the New York Times and host of the “Think Like An Economist” podcast. He is a popular teacher and author of a leading economics textbook.
Core faculty

Alton Worthington

Lecturer in Public Policy
Alton Worthington is a lecturer in public policy at the Ford School, where he teaches on statistical computing and data visualization. His core research is on topics of international political economy, with a focus on the intersection of global capit...
Faculty by courtesy

Charles R. Shipan

J. Ira and Nicki Harris Professor of Social Sciences
Shipan teaches and conducts research on political institutions and policy. Current projects include whether elections lead politicians to avoid passing good policies and whether institutions constrain policymaking in autocracies. His most recent book is Why Bad Policies Spread (and Good Ones Don’t).
Research faculty

Mara Ostfeld

Research Associate Professor, Public Policy, Gerald R Ford School of Public Policy and Faculty Associate, Center for Political Studies, Institute for Social Research
Dr. Mara Cecilia Ostfeld is the research director at the Center for Racial Justice and a research associate professor at the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. She also serves as a faculty lead of the Detroit Metro Area Commu...

Faculty expertise

Shape your future alongside dedicated mentors and world-class scholars who are redefining public policy.At the Ford School, you’ll connect with extraordinary faculty who do more than teach—they challenge, inspire, and champion the next generation of ...

Ford50

Fifty years ago, in 1974, at a time of great division and turbulence in the U.S., Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as the 38th president of the United States. President Ford's legacy is very much alive here at the Ford School of Public Policy, and we are ...

Ford School votes

Vote early or on election day In our community dedicated to the public good, we believe that participating in democracy is an irreplaceable way to strengthen it. We welcome everyone in our community into that work, and we strongly encourage all el...

Policymakers in residence

A diverse array of policy leaders join our faculty to teach and mentor students through the Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence, and Weiser International Policymaker in Residence programs, and more. These visiting pro...
State & Hill

Samuel Bagenstos: Can scholarship shape democracy?

May 7, 2026
From arguing cases for the Justice Department to investigating why expanded social benefits were rolled back, Samuel Bagenstos explores the intersection of law, policy, and public service
State & Hill

Policy under autocracy

May 7, 2026
A refreshed Ford School course equips students with tools to 
analyze authoritarian practices and political structures worldwide
Policy Matters

How do we reduce firearm injuries?

Apr 14, 2026
Lior Cooper (BA ‘26) and Isaac Davis (BA ‘26) recount their experience at a peer-led dinner with Dr. Cynthia Ewell-Foster and how candid conversation has changed how they think about firearm policy.