For the former United States Secretary of Labor, see Robert Reich.
For the musician, see Rob Reich (musician).

Rob Reich
Reich at Stanford University CEMEX Auditorium on April 12, 2016.
Born
New Jersey, U.S.
Alma materYale University (BA)
Stanford University (PhD)
OccupationProfessor

Robert C. Reich[1] is an American political scientist and professor. He is the McGregor-Girand Professor of Social Ethics of Science and Technology at Stanford University.[2] He also served the director of Stanford's McCoy Center for Ethics in Society,[3] and the co-director of Stanford's Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (PACS).[4] Reich currently serves an associate director for Stanford's institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI).[5] A political theorist, Reich's work focuses primarily on applied ethics, educational inequality and the role of philanthropy in the public sector. Reich's recent work focuses on the governance of frontier science and technology alongside other topics in liberal democratic theory. In 2024-25, Reich served as a Senior Advisor to the United States AI Safety Institute.[6]

Academic career

Reich's research has explored a range of topics in political theory, including the role of philanthropy in democratic societies and the governance of frontier science and technology. Reich's scholarship on the charitable tax deduction, Teach for America, and non-profit status is frequently cited in the New York Times,[7] the Chronicle of Higher Education,[8] and the Chronicle of Philanthropy.[9] He is a contributor to the Boston Review, a magazine co-edited by former Stanford political science professor Joshua Cohen. Reich was the lead author of their 2013 forum on foundations and democracy, and wrote the essay titled, "What are Foundations For?".[10] In 2018, Princeton University Press published Reich's book, Just Giving: Why Philanthropy Is Failing Democracy and How It Can Do Better,[11] which purports to offer a political theory for philanthropy.

Reich has taught courses on justice, public service, philanthropy, practical ethics, and political theory at Stanford.[12] He has received numerous awards for his teaching, including the Walter J. Gores award (Stanford's highest teaching honor)[13] and the Phi Beta Kappa Undergraduate Teaching Prize.[14] He is also a Bass Fellow in Undergraduate Education for "extraordinary contributions to undergraduate education".[15]

In Fall 2016, Reich co-taught "Election 2016" at Stanford University. The course attempted to make sense of an election that defied historical precedent and to take stock of the health of American democracy. "Election 2016" hosted a number of guest speakers including David Plouffe and David Axelrod. It was the centerpiece of a campus-wide campaign of events around the 2016 presidential elections.[16]

Beginning in 2018, with Stanford Professors Mehran Sahami and Jeremy Weinstein, Reich teaches a large introductory course on technology, policy, and ethics, which has been featured in the New York Times[17] and The Nation.[18] The course grew out of the book System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong And How We Can Reboot, which was co-written with Sahami and Weinstein.

Since returning to Stanford from the U.S. AI Safety Institute in 2025, Reich has taught a course on AI governance with Nathaniel Persily, Sanmi Koyejo, and Anka Reuel.[19] The course combines the expertise of its instructors in political science, philosophy, computer science, and law.

Selected publications

Books

  • Bridging Liberalism and Multiculturalism in Education (2003)[20]
  • Toward a Humanist Justice: The Political Philosophy of Susan Moller Okin (2009), co-edited with Debra Satz[21]
  • Education, Justice, and Democracy (2013), co-edited with Danielle Allen,[22] won the 2013 PROSE Award for the best book in education.
  • Occupy the Future (2013), co-edited with David Grusky, Doug McAdam, and Debra Satz[23]
  • Philanthropy in Democratic Societies: History, Institutions, Values (2016) contributor and co-editor with Lucy Berholz and Chiara Cordelli.[24]
  • Just Giving: Why Philanthropy Is Failing Democracy and How It Can Do Better(2018).[25]
  • Digital Technology and Democratic Theory (2021) contributor and co-editor with Lucy Berholz and Hélène Landemore.[26]
  • System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong And How We Can Reboot (2021).[27]

Articles

  • “Repugnant to the Whole Idea of Democracy? On the Role of Foundations in Democratic Societies,” PS: Political Science and Politics, Vol. 49, July 2016.[28]
  • “Gift Giving and Philanthropy in Market Democracy,” in Critical Review, Vol. 26, Nos. 3-4.[29]
  • "Philanthropy and Caring for the Needs of Strangers," Social Research, Vol. 80, No. 2, Summer 2013.[30]
  • "Equality, Adequacy, and K-12 Education," in Education, Justice, and Democracy, Danielle Allen and Rob Reich, eds., University of Chicago Press.[31]
  • "Not Very Giving." New York Times, September 5, 2013.[32]
  • "Toward a Political Theory of Philanthropy," in Giving Well: The Ethics of Philanthropy, Patricia Illingworth, Thomas Pogge, Leif Wenar, eds., Oxford University Press.[33]

Service

In 2001, Reich and Debra Satz founded the non-profit Hope House Scholars Program to teach humanities to women in Hope House, a substance abuse treatment center for women in Redwood City, California.[34] The pair received the Roland Prize from Stanford for their work on the program.[35] He is also involved with several committees for evaluating undergraduate education, faculty diversity, admission and student life at Stanford.[12]

Reich has worked as a researcher and moderator at the Aspen Institute, and has served on various committees for the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.[12] He is a co-founder and advisor to the #GivingTuesday campaign, and is currently a board member for the Boston Review.[36] He was a board member for GiveWell, a nonprofit that evaluates charities for donors, between 2013 and March, 2019.[37]

Since 2023, Reich has served as a non-resident fellow for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace[38].

Personal life and education

Reich received his B.A. in philosophy from Yale University and his Ph.D. in philosophy of education from Stanford University.[39] His doctoral dissertation was titled Liberalism, multiculturalism, and education.[1]

He is often confused with Robert Reich, professor of political science at the University of California at Berkeley and former U.S. Secretary of Labor. They are not related.[40][41]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Reich, Robert C. (1998). Liberalism, multiculturalism, and education (Ph.D.). Stanford University.
  2. ^ "Rob Reich". Stanford University Department of Political Science. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  3. ^ "Center for Ethics in Society at Stanford: People". Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  4. ^ "Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society: People". Archived from the original on May 10, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  5. ^ "Leadership | Stanford HAI". July 18, 2020. Archived from the original on July 18, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  6. ^ "Rob Reich". Retrieved August 6, 2025.
  7. ^ Strom, Stephanie (September 6, 2007). "Big Gifts, Tax Breaks and a Debate on Charity". New York Times. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  8. ^ Katz, Stanley (January 6, 2010). "What Should We Make of Teach for America?". Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  9. ^ White, Doug (June 1, 2011). "Is Charity Status Becoming Irrelevant?". Chronicle of Philanthropy. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  10. ^ Reich, Rob. "What Are Foundations For?". Boston Review. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  11. ^ Reich, Rob (November 20, 2018). Just Giving. ISBN 978-0-691-18349-7.
  12. ^ a b c "Rob Reich | Teaching". philosophy.stanford.edu. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  13. ^ "Walter J Gores Award, Stanford Humanities and Sciences". Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  14. ^ "Phi Beta Kappa | Stanford Undergrad". undergrad.stanford.edu. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  15. ^ "The Bass University Fellows in Undergraduate Education Program, Stanford Teaching Commons". Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  16. ^ "Election 2016". continuingstudies.stanford.edu. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  17. ^ Singer, Natasha (February 12, 2018). "Tech's Ethical 'Dark Side': Harvard, Stanford and Others Want to Address It". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  18. ^ Wykstra, Stephanie (February 21, 2019). "Fixing Tech's Ethics Problem Starts in the Classroom". The Nation. ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  19. ^ School, Stanford Law. "Governing Artificial Intelligence: Law, Policy, and Institutions". Stanford Law School. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
  20. ^ Reich, Rob (2002). Bridging Liberalism and Multiculturalism in American Education. Chicago, United States: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0226707372.
  21. ^ Toward a Humanist Justice.
  22. ^ Reich, Rob (2013). Education, Justice, and Democracy. Chicago, United States: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0226012766.
  23. ^ Reich, Rob (2013). Occupy the Future. Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States: MIT Press.
  24. ^ Philanthropy in Democratic Societies.
  25. ^ Reich, Rob (2018). ust Giving: Why Philanthropy Is Failing Democracy and How It Can Do Better. Princeton University Press.
  26. ^ Digital Technology and Democratic Theory.
  27. ^ Reich, Rob (2021). System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong And How We Can Reboot. HarperCollins.
  28. ^ Reich, Rob (July 1, 2016). "Repugnant to the Whole Idea of Democracy? On the Role of Foundations in Democratic Societies". PS: Political Science & Politics. 49 (3): 466–472. doi:10.1017/S1049096516000718. ISSN 1537-5935.
  29. ^ Reich, Rob (October 2, 2014). "Gift Giving and Philanthropy in Market Democracy". Critical Review. 26 (3–4): 408–422. doi:10.1080/08913811.2014.969095. ISSN 0891-3811. S2CID 144884554.
  30. ^ Reich, Rob. "Philanthropy and Caring for the Needs of Strangers". Social Research: An International Quarterly. 80 (2). ISSN 1944-768X.
  31. ^ Allen, Danielle; Reich, Rob (2013). Equality, Adequacy, and K–12 Education - Chicago Scholarship. doi:10.7208/chicago/9780226012933.001.0001. ISBN 9780226012766.
  32. ^ Reich, Rob (September 4, 2013). "Not Very Giving". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  33. ^ Reich, Rob (2011). "Toward a Political Theory of Philanthropy". Giving Well. pp. 177–192. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199739073.003.0010. ISBN 9780199739073.
  34. ^ Kunzman, Hannah (September 30, 2021). ""Growth and Transformation": Twenty Years of the Hope House Scholars Program". ethicsinsociety.stanford.edu. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
  35. ^ Chesley, Kate (May 4, 2010). "Satz, Reich named Roland Prize winners; three programs get Community Partnership Awards". Stanford Report. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  36. ^ "Masthead". Boston Review. ISSN 0734-2306. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  37. ^ "Rob Reich Board Resignation Letter" (PDF). GiveWell. April 2, 2019.
  38. ^ "Rob Reich". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved April 14, 2026.
  39. ^ Cannon, John (October 31, 2007). "Teaching matters to Rob Reich, political scientist and philosopher of education". Stanford News Service. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  40. ^ Lieszkovszky, Ida. "Counting Ohio's Homeschoolers: "We Don't Know How Many"". NPR State Impact. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  41. ^ "Texas Ed Spectator".