Kenneth Scheve

I.A. O’Shaughnessy Dean, College of Arts and Letters

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Kenneth Scheve, professor of political science, was appointed the I.A. O’Shaughnessy Dean of the College of Arts Letters in 2025.

He is a political economist who studies the domestic and international governance of modern capitalism. His research focuses on the politics of globalization, inequality, and redistribution; the social and political consequences of long-run economic change; and climate politics. Scheve's work regularly appears in the leading political science journals, including the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, and Journal of Politics. He is the author, with David Stasavage, of Taxing the Rich: A History of Fiscal Fairness in the United States and Europe, which examines the role of fairness concerns in the politics of progressive taxation from the early 19th century through contemporary debates. He is also the author, with Matthew Slaughter, of Globalization and the Perceptions of American Workers, examining American public opinion about the liberalization of trade, immigration, and foreign direct investment policies.

Scheve received a B.A. with highest honors in economics from the University of Notre Dame and a Ph.D. from Harvard University. He is a recipient of the David A. Lake Award, Michael Wallerstein Award, the Franklin L. Burdette/Pi Sigma Alpha Award, Robert O. Keohane Award, the International Studies Association’s Society for Women in International Political Economy Mentor Award, and the American Political Science Association’s International Collaboration Section Distinguished Mentor Award. He previously held tenured appointments at the University of Michigan, Stanford University, and Yale University, where he most recently was the Dean Acheson Professor of Political Science and Global Affairs and the Dean of Social Science. He is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and currently serves as the chair of the International Political Economy Society.

As dean of the College of Arts & Letters, Kenneth is responsible for the overall vision and strategy of the College and oversees both its academic core and support structure. In cooperation with faculty leaders and senior staff, the dean seeks to advance Arts & Letters while integrating the various aspects of Notre Dame’s identity as a residential liberal arts college, a dynamic research university, and a Catholic institution of international standing. The dean oversees the University’s programs in the arts, humanities, and social sciences; appoints and oversees associate deans and the chairpersons of 19 departments as well as selected directors and support staff; and supports and evaluates the teaching and research of faculty members.