John Donahue

Biography

John D. Donahue is the Raymond Vernon Senior Lecturer in Public Policy.  Donahue's teaching, writing, and research largely address the allocation of public responsibilities across levels of government and sectors of the economy. His publications include fourteen books, most recently The Dragon, the Eagle, and the Private Sector (with Karen Eggleston and Richard J. Zeckhauser, 2021). He served in the first Clinton Administration as an Assistant Secretary and then as Counselor to the Secretary of Labor. Donahue has consulted for business and governmental organizations, including the National Economic Council, the World Bank, and the RAND Corporation, and serves as a trustee or advisor to several nonprofits. A native of Indiana, he holds a BA from Indiana University and an MPP and PhD from Harvard.  His leadership roles at HKS include helping to found the HKS-HBS joint degree program; launching the SLATE teaching and learning initiative; and chairing the MPP program from 2010 through 2021 and again in academic year 2023-24.