Behavioral Economics

Insights from psychology about individual behavior – examples of which include limited rationality, low self-control, or a taste for fairness – predict several important types of observed market outcomes that fully-rational economic models do not.

Responses weighted by each expert's confidence

Participant University Vote Confidence Bio/Vote History
Aghion
Philippe Aghion
Harvard Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Allen
Franklin Allen
Imperial College London
Strongly Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
I think this is true in many markets. In financial markets it may be less true because of the money at stake but they matter there too.
Antras
Pol Antras
Harvard
Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
Still, models with fully rational agents provide a perfectly good approximation for explaining many market outcomes!
Besley
Timothy J. Besley
LSE Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Blanchard
Olivier Blanchard
Peterson Institute
Strongly Agree
10
Bio/Vote History
Bloom
Nicholas Bloom
Stanford
Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
Blundell
Richard William Blundell
University College London Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Bénassy-Quéré
Agnès Bénassy-Quéré
Paris School of Economics
Agree
5
Bio/Vote History
Carletti
Elena Carletti
Bocconi
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Danthine
Jean-Pierre Danthine
Paris School of Economics
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History
De Grauwe
Paul De Grauwe
LSE Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Eeckhout
Jan Eeckhout
UPF Barcelona
Agree
6
Bio/Vote History
Fehr
Ernst Fehr
Universität Zurich Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Freixas
Xavier Freixas
Barcelona GSE Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Fuchs-Schündeln
Nicola Fuchs-Schündeln
Goethe-Universität Frankfurt
Agree
9
Bio/Vote History
Galí
Jordi Galí
Barcelona GSE
Agree
6
Bio/Vote History
Garicano
Luis Garicano
LSE Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Giavazzi
Francesco Giavazzi
Bocconi Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Griffith
Rachel Griffith
University of Manchester Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Guerrieri
Veronica Guerrieri
Chicago Booth
Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
Guiso
Luigi Guiso
Einaudi Institute for Economics and Finance
Uncertain
8
Bio/Vote History
Hellwig
Martin Hellwig
Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Is "fully rational" about optimization or about expectations? Is "market outcomes" about anything in the real world or about markets?
Honohan
Patrick Honohan
Trinity College Dublin
Strongly Agree
9
Bio/Vote History
Kleven
Henrik Kleven
Princeton Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Krahnen
Jan Pieter Krahnen
Goethe University Frankfurt
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
while I see the impact of nudging on macro outcomes (e.g. pension fund participation), I am uncertain whether this is due to irrationality.
Krusell
Per Krusell
Stockholm University
Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
Kőszegi
Botond Kőszegi
Central European University
Strongly Agree
10
Bio/Vote History
La Ferrara
Eliana La Ferrara
Harvard Kennedy
Strongly Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
Leuz
Christian Leuz
Chicago Booth
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History
Tend to agree, but depends on setting & details. Often traditional models can be extended to explain as well. Point is not always to predict
Meghir
Costas Meghir
Yale Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Neary
Peter Neary
Oxford Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
O'Rourke
Kevin O'Rourke
Oxford
Strongly Agree
10
Bio/Vote History
Pagano
Marco Pagano
Università di Napoli Federico II
Agree
4
Bio/Vote History
Pastor
Lubos Pastor
Chicago Booth
Uncertain
7
Bio/Vote History
Psychology can be useful but most puzzling phenomena can also be explained by rational models. What you mean by rationality matters.
Persson
Torsten Persson
Stockholm University
Agree
9
Bio/Vote History
Pissarides
Christopher Pissarides
London School of Economics and Political Science Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Portes
Richard Portes
London Business School
Strongly Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
See many Thaler ‘anomalies’ columns over the years.
Prendergast
Canice Prendergast
Chicago Booth
Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
Reichlin
Lucrezia Reichlin
London Business School
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History
Repullo
Rafael Repullo
CEMFI
Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
Still, as forcefully argued by Steve Ross, fully-rational economic models can go a long way to explain many of these market outcomes.
Rey
Hélène Rey
London Business School Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Schoar
Antoinette Schoar
MIT
Strongly Agree
9
Bio/Vote History
Van Reenen
John Van Reenen
LSE
Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
Vickers
John Vickers
Oxford
Agree
5
Bio/Vote History
Voth
Hans-Joachim Voth
University of Zurich
Strongly Agree
9
Bio/Vote History
Weder di Mauro
Beatrice Weder di Mauro
The Graduate Institute, Geneva Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Whelan
Karl Whelan
University College Dublin Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Wyplosz
Charles Wyplosz
The Graduate Institute Geneva
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
I don't know enough
Zilibotti
Fabrizio Zilibotti
Yale University
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History