Margaret M Weir

Margaret M. Weir is a Professor of Sociology and Political Science and holds the Avice M. Saint Chair in Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. She specializes in political sociology, welfare state analysis, and urban politics. Her research examines social policy, metropolitan inequalities, and coalition-building in regional governance. Weir has held roles including Director of the Institute of Industrial Relations at UC Berkeley and led the MacArthur Foundation Network on Building Resilient Regions (2005–2013). She has authored/co-authored seminal books such as *Politics and Jobs* (1992) and *The Social Divide* (1998), and her recent work focuses on poverty’s spatial distribution and regional policy resilience.

Education: PhD in Political Science (University of Chicago, 1986), MA in Sociology (Brandeis University, 1978), BA in Political Science (Antioch College, 1975).

Research interests span welfare state dynamics, urban poverty, and the evolving political strategies to address inequality. Her articles analyze topics like coalition politics, public-private welfare systems, and metropolitan governance. Notable awards include Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2007) and the Matina S. Horner Distinguished Visiting Professorship (2011–12).

Weir’s grants and fellowships include MacArthur Foundation funding for regional resilience studies and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation support for health policy research. She has advised on urban policy initiatives and serves on boards such as the Scholars Strategy Network.