Boston University Law Professors Woodrow Hartzog and Richard Ainsworth Ranked in SSRN Scholarly Impact
Boston University School of Law is proud to announce that two of its faculty members, Professor Richard Ainsworth and Professor Woodrow Hartzog, have been recognized in the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) author rankings.
Professor Richard Ainsworth has secured the #19 spot in the Top 25 US Tax Professors ranking for all-time SSRN downloads through February 1, 2025, with 41,286. Professor Ainsworth has taught in BU Law’s tax program since 2005, publishing over 100 articles on several tax topics. Notably, he writes frequently about missing trader intra-community fraud (MTIC).
Much of the analysis and terminology in anti-Zapper legislation originates in Professor Ainsworth’s writing. Moreover, he is credited for the adoption of anti-Zapper legislation in at least 25 States. His contributions to tax law and policy, particularly in the areas of VAT, digital taxation, and compliance, highlight his influence on conversations surrounding modern tax law.
Professor Woodrow Hartzog was ranked #10 among the SSRN Top 3,000 Law Authors by total new downloads in the last twelve months as of March 1, 2025. His research, which focuses on privacy, technology, and digital governance, garnered widespread attention through 15,300 new downloads.
Professor Hartzog has published his work in several publications, including the Yale Law Journal, Columbia Law Review, University of Chicago Law Review, California Law Review, Notre Dame Law Review, and Michigan Law Review. He has also been published by national publications including The Guardian, Wired, BBC, CNN, Bloomberg, New Scientist, Slate, The Atlantic, and The Nation. He has authored two books: Privacy’s Blueprint: The Battle to Control the Design of New Technologies (2018) and Breached! Why Data Security Law Fails and How to Improve It (2022).
“SSRN rankings are about interest from other scholars and researchers, and, so, impact rankings from peers are significant and strongly suggests your work is being read,” says Professor Jessica Silbey, associate dean for intellectual life at Boston University School of Law. “SSRN counts downloads and access to abstracts, so impact rankings are about those two metrics related to all others on the platform. It’s a huge platform and so being notable for being high on impact suggests you’re garnering a lot of interest and eyeballs. It’s not a replacement for peer review, but it’s the first step and it’s significant.”
SSRN rankings, updated monthly, evaluate over 750 American and international law school faculties and 3,000 law professors based on paper downloads from the SSRN database. SSRN’s rankings serve as a key measure of scholarly impact, assessing faculty contributions to legal research and their influence on the broader academic and professional community. Author rankings highlight the depth and breadth of research excellence at BU Law and reflect the school’s ongoing commitment to advancing legal scholarship.
For more information on the SSRN rankings, visit: SSRN Law Rankings and SSRN Tax Professor Rankings.