Michael Hartney

Michael Hartney is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Boston College. His research and teaching focus on American politics and public policy, particularly state and local governments, interest groups, and education policy. He is a research affiliate at Harvard University’s Program on Education Policy and Governance and was a national fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution during 2020-21.

• B.A., Vanderbilt University
• Ph.D., University of Notre Dame

Hartney’s research explores how political institutions and interest groups shape education policy, with a focus on teachers’ unions and their influence. His work has appeared in leading journals such as the American Journal of Political Science and American Political Science Review, as well as popular outlets like the New York Times and Boston Globe.

He has been recognized with the American Political Science Association’s prize for the best book on education politics and policy for his monograph How Policies Make Interest Groups: Governments, Unions, and American Education (University of Chicago Press, 2022). His recent articles examine topics such as teachers’ union endorsements, pandemic-related learning loss, and election timing in municipal governance.

Scientific Awards

• American Political Science Association’s prize for the best book on education politics and policy (2022)

Hartney previously worked as a policy analyst for the National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices, advising on school reform issues including teacher quality and high school redesign. He teaches courses on education politics, public policy, interest groups, and U.S. state and local politics at Boston College.