Biography

Karthick Ramakrishnan is professor of public policy and political science at the University of California, Riverside, and founding director of its Center for Social Innovation. He has published many articles and 7 books, including most recently, Citizenship Reimagined (Cambridge, 2020) and Framing Immigrants (Russell Sage, 2016). He has written dozens of opeds and has appeared in over 1,000 news stories. Ramakrishnan was  named to the Frederick Douglass 200 and is currently working on projects related to racial equity in philanthropy and regional development. He holds a BA in international relations from Brown University and a PhD in politics from Princeton.

Ramakrishnan has received many grants from varied sources such as National Science Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, California Wellness Foundation, James Irvine Foundation, and Weingart Foundation, and has provided consultation to philanthropic leaders and public officials at the federal, state, and local levels.

Ramakrishnan serves on the Board of The California Endowment and the Association of Princeton Graduate Alumni, chairs the California Commission on APIA Affairs, and serves as director of the Inland Empire Census Complete Count Committee. Ramakrishnan directs the National Asian American Survey and is founder of AAPIData.com, which publishes demographic data and policy research on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Articles, Publications, and Appearances

Books

  • Citizenship Reimagined: A New Framework for State Rights in the United States

  • Framing Immigrants: News Coverage, Public Opinion, and Policy

  • The New Immigration Federalism

  • Asian American Political Participation: Emerging Constituents and Their Political Identities

  • Civic Hopes & Political Realities: Immigrants, Community Organizations, and Political Engagement

  • Transforming Politics, Transforming America: The Political and Civic Incorporation of Immigrants in the United States

  • Democracy in Immigrant America: Changing Demographics and Public Participation

Video Interviews

In the News