Biography

Andy's research focuses on American Federalism, Constitutional Liberalism, and Citizenship Education. He is an Associate Professor in Political Science and History at Utah Valley University. He is also Associate Director of the Center for Constitutional Studies and the project Director of the Federalism Index Project. Andy's books include Montesquieu's Political Economy (Palgrave 2015) and Rival Visions: How Jefferson and His Contemporaries Defined the Early American Republic (University of Virginia Press 2021). He received his PhD from Michigan State University and was a postdoctoral fellow at the James Madison Program on American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton.

At UVU, Andy teaches classes in American Federalism, Modern and Classical Political Theory, Political Ideologies, and American Heritage. Andy has lectured in India, Uganda, France, and across the states on topics related to federalism and Constitutional thought. He publishes a monthly newsletter on American federalism policy.

Andy's current research focuses on the relationship between political depolarization and decentralization in the American federal system.

In connection to this work, Andy serves as the project lead for the Federalism Index Project at Utah Valley's Center for Constitutional Studies. The Federalism Index Project exists to help educators, state leaders, and ordinary citizens better understand the significance of American federalism in our everyday lives, and in the overall structure of the United States Constitution.
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