Lisa D. Cook is an Associate Professor (with tenure) in the Department of Economics and in International Relations (James Madison College) at Michigan State University. She was the first Marshall Scholar from Spelman College and received a second B.A. in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Oxford University. She earned a PhD in economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

Among her current research interests are eco- nomic history, innovation, and financial institutions and markets. Dr. Cook is the author of a number of published articles, book chapters, and working papers. With former colleague and co-author Jeffrey Sachs, she advised the governments of Nigeria and Rwanda, and, as a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow, she was Senior Adviser on Finance and Development at the Treasury Department from 2000 to 2001. During the 2011-2012 academic year, she was on leave at the President’s Council of Economic Advisers and worked on the euro zone, financial instruments, entrepreneurship, and innovation. She is a guest columnist for the Detroit Free Press and a regular contributor on MSNBC.

By this expert

Is Innovation a Good Thing? The Innovation Gap in Pink and Black

Paper Conference paper | | Apr 2014

Innovation, the commercialization of invention, is both desirable and necessary for growth and higher living standards in modern economies. Innovation’s contribution to the economy is being measured increasingly more precisely, and its contribution has been assessed aseconomically important and growing.

Featuring this expert

Racist Violence and Economic Activity

Video | Jan 5, 2017

Riots, lynchings and other forms of violence dramatically disproportionate impact on the lives and prospects of African inventors. That’s just one indicator, says Professor Lisa Cook, of the profound impact of racial violence on the economic structure

Tomorrow’s Detroits & Detroit’s Tomorrows

Event Conference Race & Economics | Nov 11–12, 2016

Economics has a race problem.

Cook: Race-blind economics distorts data

Article | Oct 27, 2016

Scholar sees Institute for New Economic Thinking conference as an important opportunity to discuss issues of race and economics, and of Detroit’s past and future 

Who Wins and Loses From Innovation?

Video | Jul 1, 2014

Improved access to education is often touted as the key to addressing racial inequality in the economy, but Lisa Cook’s research into the innovation economy shows that women and African-Americans are underrepresented despite their educational qualifications.