Abigail York

Tempe

Abigail York, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Public Policy and Governance at Arizona State University, where she directs the Environmental Social Science PhD Program. She has a PhD in public policy from Indiana University chaired by Elinor Ostrom. York’s work examines the dynamics of collective action and institutional change within social-ecological systems. She works on diverse empirical projects in historical and contemporary contexts, in the U.S. and internationally, to better understand impacts and drivers of institutional change. Throughout her career, York has focused on how institutions affect and are affected by urbanization and environmental change, while more recently she has begun to examine theoretical questions surrounding power, equity and environmental justice in the provisioning of public services and goods. Current National Science Foundation-funded research projects include work examining invasive species and community forestry in Chitwan Nepal, governance of urban social-ecological systems, and public service provisioning in premodern cities.