Peter Rich

I am an Assistant Professor of Policy Analysis and Management (PAM) and Sociology (by courtesy) at Cornell University. My research investigates the connection between structural inequalities and individual choices in the United States. How do selection processes reflect and reinforce racial and socioeconomic gaps in educational attainment, wealth accumulation, childhood health, and economic opportunity? How do micro decisions about neighborhoods and schools contribute to macro segregation and the persistence of inequality over time and between generations? And how are choices influenced not only by individual resources and preferences, but also by public policy and demographic context?

My work ultimately examines the promises and perils of market-oriented public policy, illuminating the conditions under which open choice expands opportunity for under-served populations, and when it exacerbates segregation and stratification.