William Franko

William Franko is an Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Political Science at West Virginia University (WVU), within the Eberly College of Arts & Sciences. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa (2012). His research focuses on political and economic inequality, class politics, and public policy in the U.S., particularly examining income inequality, redistribution, political participation biases, and class identity.

Franko’s work has been published in leading journals such as the Journal of Politics and Political Research Quarterly. His co-authored book The New Economic Populism: How States Respond to Economic Inequality (Oxford UP, 2017) won the 2018 Virginia Gray Best Book Award. He has also contributed to Digital Cities: The Internet and the Geography of Opportunity (Oxford UP, 2012), exploring technology access disparities.

His teaching includes courses on state and local government, political research methods, and the politics of economic policy. Franko’s research has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF), including collaborative projects on policy analysis and technology inequality.

• Education:
  • Ph.D. in Political Science, University of Iowa, 2012
  • M.A. in Political Science, Kent State University, 2007
  • B.A. in Political Science, Kent State University, 2004

Franko’s awards include the 2018 Virginia Gray Best Book Award and an Auburn Author Award. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Public Policy and has contributed to media outlets like The Charleston Gazette and The Conversation.