Rachel Kranton studies how institutions and the social setting affect economic outcomes.  She develops theories of networks and has introduced identity into economic thinking.  Her research contributes to many fields including microeconomics, economic development, and industrial organization.

Rachel Kranton earned her Ph.D. in Economics at the University California, Berkeley in 1993.  She has been awarded fellowships at the Russell Sage Foundation in New York and the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.  She joined Duke’s faculty in 2007. Rachel Kranton was awarded a Chaire Blaise Pascal in 2010.