Elisabeth Anderson

Elisabeth Anderson completed her PhD in Sociology at Northwestern University in 2013. Her areas of specialization are historical and comparative sociology, political sociology, and social theory. Her research analyzes the political and social processes that drive social policy change, paying particular attention to the influence of middle-class reformers on regulatory welfare state development.

Her book, Agents of Reform: Child Labor and the Origins of the Welfare State, was published by Princeton University Press in 2021. Her articles have appeared in the American Sociological Review, Theory and Society, and Social Science History, among other outlets.

Anderson's work has been honored by the American Sociological Association, including the Comparative-Historical Sociology Section's Charles Tilly Best Article Award (2013) and the Political Sociology Section's Distinguished Article Award (2019).

Research Areas: Historical and comparative sociology; Political sociology; Social theory

Education

• PhD Sociology, Northwestern University: September 2013.
• MA Social Service Administration, University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration: 2001.
• BA Sociology (with honors) and Germanic Studies (with honors), University of Chicago: 1999.

Courses Taught

• SOCSC-UH 1310 Foundations of Modern Social Thought
• SRPP-UH 2618 Welfare States in Comparative Perspective