Sarah Anzia Appointed New Faculty Director for BIFYA

Associate Professor Sarah Anzia has been appointed the new faculty director of the Berkeley Institute for the Future of Young Americans (BIFYA).  

Professor Anzia is a political scientist who studies American politics with a focus on state and local government, elections, interest groups, political parties, and public policy. Her work on public pensions and on the political participation of young people is especially relevant to BIFYA.  In her pension work she has examined how pension obligations have affected local government services and employment--changes that disproportionately affect younger Americans.  In her work on political participation, she has looked at how the organization and political activity levels of different age groups affect public policy decisions at the local level. 

In addition to this work, her book, Timing and Turnout: How Off-Cycle Elections Favor Organized Groups, examines how the timing of elections can be manipulated to affect both voter turnout and the composition of the electorate, which, in turn, affects election outcomes and public policy.  Her book was the winner of numerous awards:  the American Political Science Association (APSA) Virginia Gray Award for the Best Book on State Politics and Policy; the APSA Dennis Judd Award for the Best Book on Urban Politics; and named a Choice Outstanding Academic Title by the American Library Association.

Professor Anzia also studies women in politics, public-sector unions, and the historical development of political institutions. Her work has been published in journals such as the American Political Science Review, the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, Legislative Studies Quarterly, and Perspectives on Politics. She has a PhD in political science from Stanford University and an MPP from the Harris School at the University of Chicago.

BIFYA draws upon the expertise of faculty from the Goldman School of Public Policy and the broader UC community, including faculty from Economics and Demography to study how public policy affects the well-being and future prospects for young people. Professor Anzia will work with current executive director Sarah Swanbeck to build upon the substantial work that has already been done by BIFYA in a number of important areas such as the lived experience of young adults (frequent moves and high levels of anxiety), budgeting for the next generation in the American states, work and social mobility of young adults, and young adults in poverty.