William Arthur Galston (/ˈɡɔːlstən/; born January 17, 1946) is an American author, academic, and political advisor,[4] who holds the Ezra K. Zilkha Chair in Governance Studies and is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

[5][6] Formerly the Saul Stern Professor and Dean at the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland and a professor of political science at the University of Texas, Austin,[7] Galston specializes in issues of U.S. public philosophy and political institutions, having joined the Brookings Institution on January 1, 2006.

[5][7] Galston founded, with support from The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.

[7] His most recent book is Public Matters: Politics, Policy, and Religion in the 21st Century (Rowman & Littlefield, 2005).

[5] Galston is also a co-author of Democracy at Risk: How Political Choices Undermine Citizen Participation and What We Can Do About It, published by the Brookings Press.