Dr. Anthony Chen

Biography

Anthony S. Chen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Northwestern University. His research interests center on American political development, particularly the intersections of politics, public policy, and social change. He has a special focus on the New Deal and its enduring impacts on contemporary American politics, including social policy, civil rights, health care, and economic regulation. In addition to his role in the Department of Political Science, Chen holds a joint appointment as a Faculty Fellow at the Institute for Policy Research, where he engages in interdisciplinary research. His scholarly contributions include the award-winning book 'Fifth Freedom: Jobs, Politics, Civil Rights in the United States, 1941-1972,' which received multiple accolades such as the Gladys M. Kammerer Award and the President's Book Award from the Social Science History Association. More recently, he is completing a book on the origins and development of race-based affirmative action in college admissions. He is also investigating the links between political and legal mobilization of organized business and the transformation of the regulatory state in the context of rising economic inequality since the 1970s. His research has been published in various esteemed journals including the American Journal of Sociology, the Journal of American History, and Studies in American Political Development.

Research Interests

Courses