Schonhardt-Bailey is from
Idaho in the western United States and obtained a bachelor of arts degree in political science from
Boise State University. She earned both a master of arts and doctorate of philosophy degrees in political science from the
University of California, Los Angeles. She has published books and articles on British trade policy in the nineteenth century, such as
From the Corn Laws to Free Trade: Interests, Ideas, and Institutions in Historical Perspective. Her articles have appeared in the
American Political Science Review,
World Politics, the
British Journal of Political Science,
Political Analysis, PS: Political Science and Politics, and
Parliamentary History. Her current research interests include the quantification and spatial analysis of textual data in the form of political deliberation, particularly in monetary policy making settings (e.g., the
United States Congress, the
Federal Open Market Committee). She also writes about the speeches of prominent politicians including
George W. Bush,
Margaret Thatcher and
Ronald Reagan. She was elected a
fellow of the
British Academy in 2015. == Personal life ==