Abby K. Wood is Professor of Law, Political Science and Public Policy at the University of Southern California's Gould School of Law. She teaches administrative law, campaign finance, and analytical methods for lawyers, with previous teaching experience at the University of Chicago Law School. Her research sits at the intersection of law and politics, focusing on institutional changes and their effects on human behavior, particularly in campaign finance transparency and political governance. Wood earned her BA from Austin College, JD from Harvard Law School, MA in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, and PhD in Political Science from UC Berkeley. She clerked for Judge John T. Noonan of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals before beginning her academic career. Her primary research interests include campaign finance disclosure, political transparency, administrative law, and online political advertising. Wood uses quantitative analysis to examine how transparency affects voter behavior, donor decision-making, and congressional oversight. Her current projects analyze campaign finance disclosures, transparency effects on donor behavior, and congressional oversight patterns. She also investigates the Freedom of Information Act, agency politicization, and regulation of false political speech on social media. Wood's publications span top political science and law journals including American Journal of Political Science, NYU Law Review, Emory Law Journal, and Southern California Law Review. Her research has been featured in major media outlets like the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and New York Times. She has testified before Senate committees in Washington D.C. and Sacramento and currently serves as a Commissioner on the California Fair Political Practices Commission and its Digital Transparency Task Force. Wood previously served on the Federal Bipartisan Campaign Finance Task Force (2015-2017) and has consulted on good governance projects with USAID, World Bank, National Democratic Institute, and UNDP. Her scholarly work demonstrates a consistent focus on improving public governance through information provision and creating more accountable political systems.
