Harold L. Wilensky

Professor Emeritus of Political Science University of California, Berkeley Research centers on two questions: (1) What is distinctly modern about modern society? (2) How do variations in social structure, culture, and politics shape the public policies of rich democracies with what effect on the wellbeing of their people? His publications include analysis of the politics of the welfare state and social policy; the interplay of knowledge and power; the ascendance of the mass media in politics and culture; and the fate of minority groups. Findings from his current project on the politics of taxing and spending in 19 countries are reported in Rich Democracies: Political Economy, Public Policy, and Performance (University of California Press, 2001).