معرفی
Rachel Kranton is the James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Economics at Duke University’s Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. She has held this position since 2013, following her appointment as Professor of Economics in 2007. Her affiliations include the Duke Population Research Center (since 2010) and she served as Dean of Social Sciences at Trinity College from 2018-2022. Kranton earned her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley (1993) and a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania (1984).
Her research focuses on how institutions, identity, and social networks shape economic outcomes. Key areas include identity economics (co-developed with George Akerlof), analyzing social norms and identity, and studying networks in contexts like altruism, status-seeking, and information markets. She has explored topics ranging from cover-ups in organizations to the psychological underpinnings of group bias.
Recent publications emphasize interconnected themes: social status effects on emotion perception (Scientific Reports, 2025), altruism-driven economic relations (Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 2024), and cover-up strategies in corporate governance (Journal of Law and Economics, 2024). Earlier work includes studies on pandemic mental health (Lancet Regional Health, 2021) and deconstructing social biases (PNAS, 2020).
- Awards: National Academy of Sciences member (2021), American Academy of Arts & Sciences member (2020), Econometric Society Fellow (2012), Chaire Blaise Pascal (2010).
- Grants: Led NSF-funded projects on networks and public goods (2011-2015), co-PI for studies on financial decision-making (2014-2019).
Kranton co-founded the ERINN research network (Economics of Identity, Norms, and Narratives) to advance interdisciplinary work. Her teaching includes intermediate microeconomics (ECON 205D). She has held fellowships at the Russell Sage Foundation and the Institute for Advanced Study.
