[5] A political theorist, Reich's work focuses primarily on applied ethics, educational inequality and the role of philanthropy in the public sector, along with other topics in liberal democratic theory.

Reich teaches courses on justice, public service, philanthropy, practical ethics, and political theory at Stanford.

The course attempted, with the help of experts, to make sense of an election that defies all historical precedent and to take stock of the health of American democracy.

[10] Reich's research has explored a range of topics in political theory, with his most recent work focusing primarily on the role of philanthropy in democratic societies.

Beginning in 2018, with Stanford Professors Mehran Sahami and Jeremy Weinstein, Reich has begun teaching a large introductory course on technology, policy, and ethics, which has been featured in the New York Times[16] and The Nation.