Kathleen Thelen

Kathleen Thelen is Ford Professor of Political Science at MIT, specializing in comparative political economy with focus on institutional evolution in advanced democracies. Her work examines American capitalism's distinct features, including retail market concentration and platform economy impacts. She holds permanent affiliation with Germany's Max Planck Institute.

Honors include the Friedrich Schiedel Award, Wildavsky Enduring Contribution Prize, and election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her research analyzes antitrust law's role in market consolidation and labor precarity.

Publications demonstrate consistent focus on regulatory frameworks and inequality. Recent books explore retail capitalism's political foundations and the platform economy's transformation of labor relations.

• Awards: Aaron Wildavsky Prize, Barrington Moore Book Prize, Max Planck Research Award