Dr. Abby Wood

Biography

Abby K. Wood's research lies at the intersection of law and politics. She utilizes quantitative analysis to examine the causal effects of institutional changes on human behavior. Current projects focus on how voters learn from campaign finance disclosures and how transparency impacts donor decision-making. Her recent works investigate the politicization of agencies under the Freedom of Information Act and the implications of regulating false political speech, specifically in the context of the Citizens United v. FEC case. Wood teaches courses on administrative law, campaign finance, and analytical methods for lawyers, and has also covered diverse subjects like international human rights law and constitutional law. In addition to her tenure at USC, she has taught at the University of Chicago Law School. Wood serves as a Commissioner on the California Fair Political Practices Commission and is part of its Digital Transparency Task Force. Previously, she was involved with the Federal Bipartisan Campaign Finance Task Force. Before joining USC Gould, she clerked for the Honorable John T. Noonan of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and has consulted on governance projects with organizations such as USAID and the World Bank. Wood holds a BA from Austin College, a JD from Harvard Law School, an MA in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, and a PhD in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.

Research Interests