Michael Hankinson

I am an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the George Washington University. I study American politics, with a focus on political behavior, representation, and local politics. I use original data to show how federalism shapes political behavior and collective outcomes in infrastructure — from housing to clean energy.

Methodologically, I leverage geocodable observational data as well as original survey and experimental approaches. My research has been published in peer-reviewed journals including the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, and Political Behavior, among others. I have also received the Clarence Stone Scholar Award and the Susan Clarke Young Scholar Award from the American Political Science Association for making significant contributions to the study of urban and local politics. My research has received external funding from organizations including the Russell Sage Foundation and Time-sharing Experiments for the Social Sciences (TESS).

Prior to joining the George Washington University, I was an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at Baruch College, City University of New York and prior to that I was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Politics at Oberlin College. I received my Ph.D. in Government and Social Policy from Harvard University and my B.A. in Political Science and Environmental Thought & Practice from the University of Virginia.