Steven Samford is Assistant Professor of Organizational Studies at the University of Michigan. He studies organizations and the political economy of development, focusing on how the interactions between state bureaucracies (such as innovation agencies or regulators) and businesses and business organizations affect technology development and diffusion.

His research has appeared in the American Journal of Sociology, Review of International Political Economy, Social Forces, Politics & Society, Studies in Comparative International Development, Business & Politics, and Regulation & Governance. He has also worked on policy projects for the Government of Jalisco (Mexico) and the Inter-American Development Bank.