​Hi! Welcome to my website!

​My name is Brian An, and I am Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Administration in the Department of Political Science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

I received my PhD in Public Policy and Management from the Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California (USC) in 2019. 

My research examines how urban and local governance can address inequalities in local public goods across cities and neighborhoods. My dissertation, “Governing Public Goods: How Representation and Political Power in Local and Regional Institutions Shape Inequalities,” investigates how the choice and design of institutional arrangements determine the allocation of government investment at the local and regional level and its impact on communities.

For public policy analysis, ​I am interested in urban policies for housing and community development, land use, transportation, and natural resources management. My articles have appeared in Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Urban Affairs Review, and American Politics Research.

My paper "It’s Not Just Welfare: Racial Inequality and the Local Provision of Public Goods in the United States," was selected as the Urban Affairs Review Best Paper  and 2018 Best Paper in Urban and Local Politics presented at the 2017 American Political Science Association Meeting.

Also, my doctoral dissertation was selected as the recipient of Henry Reining Award in 2019, which is given to the best dissertation written in public policy and management by the USC Price School of Public Policy.