Chris Howard

Background

Chris Howard has worked at William & Mary since 1993. His expertise is in American politics and public policy, especially social policy.  

Recent Courses

Building the American Welfare State
Future of U. S. Social Policy
Research Methods 
The War on Poverty
Policy History 

Books and Edited Volumes

	Christopher Howard, Who Cares: The Social Safety Net in America (Oxford University Press, 2023).
	Christopher Howard, Thinking Like a Political Scientist: A Practical Guide to Research Methods (University of Chicago Press, 2017).
	Daniel Béland, Christopher Howard, and Kimberly J. Morgan (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of U.S. Social Policy (Oxford University Press, 2015).
	Christopher Howard, The Welfare State Nobody Knows: Debunking Myths about U.S. Social Policy (Princeton University Press, 2007).
	Christopher Howard, The Hidden Welfare State: Tax Expenditures and Social Policy in the United States (Princeton University Press, 1997).

Public Engagement

“Selective demolition of health insurance will hurt Virginia,” Richmond Times-Dispatch (October 18, 2025)

"Republican budget has a few big winners, many losers," The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press (June 19, 2025)

"There is fraud and abuse in Medicaid, but it won't cover $700 billion," Richmond Times-Dispatch (May 30, 2025)

"How the Republican Budget Would Hurt Virginia," Basic Facts Brief, Scholars Strategy Network (May 2025)

"Tax Expenditures: A Brief Introduction," Basic Fact Brief, Scholars Strategy Network (January 2025)

"Presidential candidates hesitate to single out the poor for special help," op-ed, The Hill (August 22, 2024)

"The Shallow Bipartisanship of the Child Tax Credit," Basic Facts Brief, Scholars Strategy Network (July 2023)

"The overlooked problem with raising the retirement age for Social Security" op-ed, CNN.com (April 12, 2023)

"Is There a Democratic and Republican Way to Fight Poverty?" Interview with NPR radio station WNYC in New York (November 2, 2022)

“Democrats aren’t saying much about reducing poverty and unemployment. Why?” Washington Post (October 27, 2022)

"Why charity will never be enough to address poverty," Interview with NPR Dallas radio station KERA (October 24, 2022)

“Reducing child poverty shows promising trends,” op-ed, The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press (September 27, 2022)

"Falling Through the Social Safety Net," Interview with No Jargon podcast (September 6, 2022) 

Current Service

Director of Undergraduate Studies, Public Policy
Academic advisor for new students, Government majors, and Public Policy majors
WMSURE program, faculty mentor
W&M Undergraduate Research Committee 
College of Arts & Sciences, Rhodes Scholarship and Truman Scholarship review committees
Government Department Scholarships Committee
James City County Social Services Advisory Board

Honors and Awards

Outstanding Faculty Award, state of Virginia
Plumeri Award for Faculty Excellence, W&M
Excellence in teaching award, W&M Society of the Alumni 
Elected member, National Academy of Social Insurance 
Research Fellowship, American Council of Learned Societies 
Research Fellowship, National Endowment for the Humanities
Phi Beta Kappa

Education

Ph.D. in Political Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 
M.S. in Political Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 
B.A. in History, Duke University, summa cum laude