Dennis Thompson

Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University, Dennis Thompson is also Alfred North Whitehead Professor of Political Philosophy in the Government Department in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. He was founding Director of the university-wide Edmond J. Safra Foundation Center for Ethics from 1986 to 2007. He received his BA in philosophy summa cum laude from the College of William and Mary, took first-class honors in philosophy, politics, and economics at Balliol College, Oxford, and holds a PhD in political science from Harvard.

His books include: Just Elections: Creating a Fair Electoral Process in the United States; Restoring Responsibility: Ethics in Government, Business and Healthcare; Political Ethics and Public Office; and Ethics in Congress: From Individual to Institutional Corruption. He is also the author (jointly with Amy Gutmann) of Why Deliberative Democracy? and Democracy & Disagreement.

Thompson has served as a consultant to the Joint Ethics Committee of the South African Parliament, the American Medical Association, the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, and the Department of Health and Human Services.