Darrick Hamilton

Darrick Hamilton is the Henry Cohen Professor of Economics and Urban Policy and a university professor at The New School. In addition, he is the founding director of The New School’s Institute for the Study of Race, Stratification and Political Economy.

Hamilton is a pioneer and internationally recognized scholar in the field of stratification economics, which fuses social science methods to examine the causes, consequences and remedies of racial, gender, ethnic, tribal, nativity, etc. inequality in education, economic, and health outcomes. This work involves crafting and implementing innovative routes and policies that break down social hierarchy, empower people, and move society towards greater equity, inclusion, and civic participation.

Hamilton was born and raised in the Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York, and now resides in the Short North section of Columbus, Ohio. He is a graduate of Oberlin College and earned a Ph.D. in economics from the University of North Carolina. Before joining The New School, he was the executive director of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at the Ohio State University. He is frequently cited in the media, consults with various public officials, and serves as an advisor to several nonprofit and think-tank organizations.