Maskin has worked in diverse areas of economic theory, such as game theory, the economics of incentives, and contract theory. He is particularly well known for his papers on mechanism design/implementation theory and dynamic games. His current research projects include comparing different electoral rules, examining the causes of inequality, and studying coalition formation. He is a Fellow of the "American Academy of Arts and Sciences", "Econometric Society", and the "European Economic Association", and a Corresponding Fellow of the "British Academy". He was president of the "Econometric Society" in 2003.