[1] She was born in the United Kingdom to a Finnish mother and American father, and spent fifteen years of her childhood in Tanzania.

in political science from the University of Chicago, earning an MA in Middle East studies form the same institution in 1985.

Her first, Changing the Rules: The Politics of Liberalization and the Urban Informal Economy in Tanzania, was published in 1997, and was based on her PhD dissertation at Northwestern University.

[1] Tripp has held several professional and service positions for major research organisations and journals.

[7] Tripp has received research awards and fellowships from bodies such as the American Academy in Berlin, Fulbright, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Social Science Research Council, American Association of University Women, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the American Council of Learned Societies.