Rachel Kranton, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor

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. In Identity Economics, Rachel Kranton and collaborator George Akerlof, introduce a general framework to study social norms and identity in economics. In the economics of networks, Rachel Kranton develops formal models of strategic interaction in different economic settings. Her work draws on empirical findings and integrates new mathematical tools to uncover how network structures influence economic outcomes. Rachel Kranton has a long-standing interest in development economics and institutions. She focuses on the costs and benefits of networks and informal exchange, which is economic activity mediated by social relationships rather than markets.

Contact Info:

Office Location:	219 Social Sciences, Box 90097, Durham, NC 27708
Email Address:
Web Page:	https://sites.duke.edu/rachelkranton/

Education:

Ph.D.	University of California, Berkeley	1993
MPA	Princeton University	1986
B.A.	University of Pennsylvania	1984

Specialties:

Microeconomics
Microeconomic Theory
Development Economics
Industrial Organization
Economic Growth and Technological Change
Economics of Networks

Research Interests:

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. In Identity Economics, Rachel Kranton and collaborator George Akerlof, introduce a general framework to study social norms and identity in economics. In the economics of networks, Rachel Kranton develops formal models of strategic interaction in different economic settings. Her work draws on empirical findings and integrates new mathematical tools to uncover how network structures influence economic outcomes. Rachel Kranton has a long-standing interest in development economics and institutions. She focuses on the costs and benefits of networks and informal exchange, which is economic activity mediated by social relationships rather than markets.

Keywords:

behavioral economics • Brain • Cognition • Conflict (Psychology) • Decision Making • development economics • economics of networks • Economics, Behavioral • Humans • identity economics • Interpersonal Relations • microeconomic theory • Microeconomics • Models, Economic • Motivation • Neurosciences • Psychology, Social • Reward • Socioeconomic Factors

Curriculum Vitae  Bio

Current Ph.D. Students  

• Justin S. Valasek  
• Salem M. Almaani  
• Alexander P. Groves  

Working Papers   (More Publications)

1. D. Minehart, Vertical Merger and Specific Investments: A Tale of the Second Best (September, 2004)
2. with G. Akerlof, Identity and the Economics of Organizations (September, 2003) (Includes modeling that does appear in the JEP version..)

Recent Publications   (More Publications)

1. Bramoullé, Y; Kranton, RE, Altruism networks and economic relations, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, vol. 226 (October, 2024) [doi]  [abs]
2. Bloch, F; Kranton, R, Cover-Ups, Journal of Law and Economics, vol. 67 no. 2 (May, 2024), pp. 337-369 [doi]  [abs]
3. Lee, VK; Kranton, RE; Conzo, P; Huettel, SA, The hidden cost of humanization: Individuating information reduces prosocial behavior toward in-group members, Journal of Economic Psychology, vol. 86 (October, 2021) [doi]  [abs]
4. Khaw, MW; Kranton, R; Huettel, S, Oversampling of minority categories drives misperceptions of group compositions., Cognition, vol. 214 (September, 2021), pp. 104756 [doi]  [abs]
5. Thomas, D; Lawton, R; Brown, T; Kranton, R, Prevalence, severity and distribution of depression and anxiety symptoms using observational data collected before and nine months into the COVID-19 pandemic., Lancet regional health. Americas, vol. 1 (September, 2021), pp. 100009 [doi]  [abs]