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Benjamin Franklin Medal

Awarded to an American who reflects the values of inquiry, civic empowerment, and a desire to improve society
Bronze medallion featuring a portrait of Benjamin Franklin on the left, with the inscription "Benjamin Franklin, 1706 – 1790, Member of the Society of Arts." Right side shows allegorical figures and "Arts and Commerce Promoted.

The Benjamin Franklin Medal is one of the RSA’s highest honours awarded to contemporary individuals whose work reflects the values of inquiry, civic empowerment, and a desire to improve society.

Notable recipients have included Herbie Hancock, Wendy Kopp, Chris Anderson, and Walter Isaacson.

2024 Benjamin Franklin Medal

Economist Raj Chetty was awarded the 2024 Benjamin Franklin Medal by RSA US for his groundbreaking research at Opportunity Insights. His work has advanced our collective understanding of the drivers of economic mobility including new studies showing the importance of social connections.

The 2024 Benjamin Franklin Medal event, held in New York City brought together practitioners leveraging social connections to strengthen economic opportunity, wellbeing and resilience, and kicked off a programme to build the social capital field.

Social capital is the strongest predictor of economic mobility identified to date. Providing social capital in the form of connections, financial resources, and education can greatly amplify the effectiveness of policies to increase upward income mobility.

Raj Chetty
Economist and Director, Opportunity Insights

Design for Life

Read about our mission to enable people, places and the planet to flourish in harmony.

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What is RSA Fellowship?

The RSA has been at the forefront of significant social impact since 1754. We invite you to be part of this change.

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