Daron Acemoglu is a preeminent economist whose scholarship has profoundly shaped modern understanding of economic growth and institutional development. He currently holds the distinguished position of Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the highest honor bestowed upon faculty members at MIT, and serves as Faculty Co-Director of the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Center on Inequality and Shaping the Future of Work. A Turkish-American economist of Armenian descent, he received his BA in economics from the University of York in 1989, followed by an M.Sc. in mathematical economics and econometrics from the London School of Economics in 1990, and completed his PhD in economics at the LSE in 1992. Since joining MIT in 1993, he has progressed through the academic ranks to become one of the most influential economists of his generation.
Professor Acemoglu's groundbreaking research has established the critical role of institutions in determining long-term economic prosperity, fundamentally altering how economists and policymakers understand the divergence in wealth between nations. His seminal work with James A. Robinson, particularly their influential book Why Nations Fail, demonstrates how inclusive political and economic institutions foster sustainable growth while extractive institutions perpetuate poverty and inequality. In 2024, he was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences alongside James A. Robinson and Simon Johnson for their comparative studies on prosperity between states and empires, recognizing decades of research that has redefined the field of political economy. His theoretical frameworks on institutional development have been widely adopted by scholars and policymakers worldwide, providing essential insights into the historical and contemporary factors that shape economic outcomes across different societies.
Beyond his academic contributions, Acemoglu is recognized as one of the most cited economists of the past decade and consistently ranks among the most influential scholars in the field, having been named the third most frequently cited author on college economics syllabi according to the Open Syllabus Project. He actively engages with contemporary economic challenges, recently co-authoring Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity which examines the relationship between technological advancement and economic distribution. As an elected fellow of prestigious institutions including the National Academy of Sciences, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Econometric Society, he continues to shape economic discourse through rigorous scholarship and public engagement. His current research focuses on the societal implications of artificial intelligence and automation, advocating for technological development that enhances broad-based prosperity rather than exacerbating inequality.
