Todd Tucker

Director, Industrial Policy and Trade

As director of the Industrial Policy and Trade program at Roosevelt Forward, Todd, a political scientist, leads work on the role of governance and institutions (both national and international) in facilitating economic transformation.


Todd N. Tucker is a political scientist and director of the Industrial Policy and Trade program at Roosevelt Forward, where he leads research on global governance, democracy, and the administrative state.

A recognized expert on trade and political economy, Todd has testified before legislatures and expert committees around the world. His writing has been featured in Politico, Time Magazine, Democracy Journal, the Financial Times, and the Washington Post.

He is author of Judge Knot: Politics and Development in International Investment Law (Anthem Press, 2018), along with other academic research published by Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, and other publishers. Prior to his doctoral work, he led research on international issues for a number of DC think tanks and research organizations. He has authored over 70 major reports, including penning the foreword of two recent essay collections: Industrial Policy 2025: Bringing the State Back In (Again) and Industrial Policy Synergies: Reflections from Biden Administration Alumni.

A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Todd received his BA from the George Washington University and his PhD and MPhil from the University of Cambridge, where he was a Gates Scholar. He has taught at Johns Hopkins University and the University of New Hampshire. He lives in Washington, DC.