Explore Academic Positions at Harvard Pre-Doctoral Fellowship in Behavioral-Economic Theory Bookmark this Posting Print Preview | Apply for this Job Position Details Title Pre-Doctoral Fellowship in Behavioral-Economic Theory School Faculty of Arts and Sciences Department/Area Position Description Professor Matthew Rabin seeks full-time, pre-doctoral research fellows. The position is ideal for candidates interested
in pursuing PhD studies in Economics, particularly those with an interest in psychologically-grounded economic theory. Fellows will aid Professor Rabin and others in formally drawing out the implications of theoretical models in both “behavioral” and “classical” economic theory. Particular emphasis will be put in psychologically-grounded models that attempt to rigorously improve the psychological realism of economic
theory. Examples of such improvements include incorporating limited rationality (e.g., errors in statistical reasoning, errors in interpreting others’ behavior), time-inconsistent preferences (self-control problems, utility misprediction), and more general utility functions (e.g., dependent on expectations, self-image, and other beliefs) into our models.* This research agenda maintains the conventional mathematical
tools and formalism of economic theory, and is outlined in Rabin’s 2013 AER and JEL papers. The goal is to develop and evaluate models that can broadly improve economics, rather than over-stating the successes or failures of theories by cherry picking examples, or ignoring the cases where the new theories make worse predictions than classical economics or competing new general formulations. The research assistance
needed will reflect this goal: participants will be asked to rigorously work out both realistic and unrealistic implications of models in areas such as game theory, choice under uncertainty, belief updating, social learning, etc. Per the list of key responsibilities and qualifications below, please pay attention to the nature of this position. There are a great many pre-doctoral positions geared towards lab
experiments, field experiments, and other empirical methods, with fantastic PI’s, and naturally fitting in the category of “behavioral economics”, where you will be able to leverage and build skills in such research. This is not such a position. Key Responsibilities: • Analyze the implications of psychologically-founded theoretical models in concert with Professor Rabin and other research assistants, students, and
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