معرفی
Justin de Benedictis-Kessner is an Associate Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. His research focuses on local government policy, including housing, transportation, policing, and economic development. He examines how citizens hold officials accountable, how representation translates public interests into policy, and the formation of policy opinions. He teaches courses on politics, ethics, and urban policy, including an experiential field lab partnering students with municipalities to address real-world challenges.
Education: PhD in Political Science from MIT (2016), BA in Government and Psychology from College of William & Mary (2010). Prior roles include Assistant Professor at Boston University and postdoctoral researcher at Boston Area Research Initiative. Research funding sources include MIT Election Data Lab, TESS, and Boston Area Research Initiative.
Research highlights include the 'American Local Government Elections Database' (2023), analyzing over 57,000 local election contests, and studies on car ownership's impact on voter turnout (2023) and the limited effects of YouTube algorithmic recommendations on polarization (2025). Awards include the APSA’s Clarence Stone and Norton Long Young Scholar Awards.
He is affiliated with multiple Kennedy School centers: Ash Center, Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy, Shorenstein Center, and Taubman Center. His work bridges academic research with practical policy solutions, emphasizing equitable urban governance and participatory democracy.
