Overview
Lisa A. Keister is professor of sociology and public policy at Duke University and an affiliate of the Duke Network Analysis Center and the Duke Population Research Initiative. Her current research focuses on organization strategy, elite households, the processes that explain extremes in wealth and income inequality, and on group differences in the intergenerational transfer of assets. She has been focusing on the causes and consequences of net worth poverty recently with colleagues from the Sanford school and is currently completing two books: one on America’s wealthiest families, the one percent, and one on net worth poverty.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Professor of Sociology
·
2006 - Present
Sociology,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy
·
2018 - Present
Sanford School of Public Policy
Faculty Research Scholar of DuPRI's Population Research Center
·
2010 - Present
Duke Population Research Center,
Duke Population Research Institute
Affiliate of the Center for Child and Family Policy
·
2023 - Present
Center for Child and Family Policy,
Sanford School of Public Policy
Bass Fellow
·
2018 - Present
Sociology,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Recent Publications
Generation X and the Restructuring of Retirement: Cohort, Institutional Context, and Social Class in U.S. Wealth Inequality
Journal Article Social Sciences · March 10, 2026 Retirement wealth is a core indicator of financial security, autonomy, and inequality in later life. This paper examines how cohort, institutional context, and social class interact to shape retirement wealth, focusing on Generation X. Gen X occupi ... Full text CiteRethinking Financial Status: A Comprehensive Case-Based Approach
Journal Article Social Currents · January 1, 2026 Financial status—the configuration of a household’s income, assets, and debts—shapes economic security, social position, influence, and opportunities for intergenerational transmission of well-being. Yet prior research typically relies on single, summed in ... Full text CiteReligion in the one percent: A study of American elites
Journal Article Sociological Forum · September 1, 2025 American elites—those in the top one percent of the income and wealth distributions—have enormous economic, political, and social influence. It was once taken for granted that affluent Americans were Mainline Protestants (MPs). However, shifting religious ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
Focused Training in Social Networks and Health
Inst. Training Prgm or CMECo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2015 - 2026Net Worth Poverty and Children's Development
ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2022 - 2025Economic security and health disparity in COVID-19: A computational modeling approach.
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2021 - 2024View All Grants
Education
Cornell University ·
1997
Ph.D.
Cornell University ·
1995
M.A.
University of Oklahoma ·
1991
M.A.