Erica Field

Erica Field is the James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Economics at Duke University, affiliated with Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. She also holds roles at the Duke Population Research Center, Sanford School of Public Policy, and the Duke Center for International Development. Her research focuses on development economics, labor economics, economic demography, and health, with particular attention to topics like property rights, global health, and finance. Field has received grants from NSF, NIH, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and others. She earned her Ph.D. in Economics from Princeton University in 2003.

Her research interests span marriage and family dynamics, property rights, maternal health, and entrepreneurship in developing countries. Notable projects include studies on intimate partner violence during the pandemic, microenterprise impacts on education, and interventions to delay child marriage in Bangladesh.

• Awards: Elaine Bennett Research Prize (2010), Sloan Research Fellowship (2009), Albert Rees Prize (2007).
• Grants: NSF-funded studies on female inheritance rights, breastfeeding support via mobile technology, and gendered job search behaviors.

Field directs DevLab@Duke, a research initiative focused on development economics. Her work bridges academic rigor with policy relevance, addressing issues such as health equity, financial inclusion, and social norms in low-income settings.