Richard Zeckhauser

Frank Plumpton Ramsey Professor of Political Economy
Harvard Kennedy School
Office Address
Littauer-312
Mailing Address
John F. Kennedy School of Government
Mailbox 41
79 JFK Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Contact
Phone: 617-495-1174
Fax: 617-384-9340
Email: richard_zeckhauser@Harvard.Edu
Assistant
Wendy Wyatt (617-495-1175)
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Profile

Richard Zeckhauser is the Frank P. Ramsey Professor of Political Economy. Much of his conceptual research examines possibilities for democratic, decentralized allocation procedures. Many of his policy investigations explore ways to promote the health of human beings, to help markets work more effectively, and to foster informed and appropriate choices by individuals and government agencies. He teaches an advanced course in analytic methods, the Ph.D. writing seminar, and chairs the annual executive program on Investment Decisions and Behavioral Finance. He has been elected as a fellow of the Econometric Society and the American Academy of Sciences and as a member of the Institute of Medicine (National Academy of Sciences). He has come first (Mixed Pairs, 2007), second (Mixed Teams, 2003), and third (Open Pairs, 2004) in recent national contract bridge championships. He serves as a Trustee for The Commonwealth School and as a member of NBER, the Russell Sage Roundtable in Behavioral Economics, the Academic Advisory Committee, American Enterprise Institute, and the OECD High Level Advisory Board on Large-Scale Catastrophes. His most recent co-authored books are: Targeting in Social Programs: Avoiding Bad Bets and Removing Bad Apples (with Peter Schuck), The Patron's Payoff: Conspicuous Commissions in Italian Renaissance Art (with Jonathan Nelson), and Collaborative Governance: Private Roles for Public Goals in Turbulent Times (With John Donahue).  He holds a BA (summa cum laude) and a PhD in economics from Harvard University.

Courses

Fall

  • API-302 Analytic Frameworks for Policy
  • API-902 Doctoral Research Seminar

Media Expertise

Richard Zeckhauser welcomes media inquiries on the following subjects:

Additional experts may be found by clicking on each subject listed. You may contact faculty directly or if you need assistance contact the Communications Office at 617-495-1115.

Research

For a complete list of faculty citations from 2001 - present, please visit the Harvard Kennedy School Research Report Online.

Selected Publication Citations:

  • Academic Journal/Scholarly Articles
    • Trautmann, Stefan T., and Richard J. Zeckhauser. "Shunning Uncertainty: The Neglect of Learning Opportunities." Games and Economic Behavior 79 (May 2013): 44–55.
    • Friedman, Jeffrey A., and Richard Zeckhauser. "Assessing Uncertainty in Intelligence." Intelligence and National Security 27.6 (October 2012): 824-847.
    • Tran, Anh, and Richard Zeckhauser. "Rank as an Inherent Incentive: Evidence from a Field Experiment." Journal of Public Economics 96.9-10 (October 2012): 645–650.
    • Han, Seunghee, Jennifer S. Lerner, Richard Zeckhauser. "The Disgust-Promotes-Disposal Effect." Journal of Risk and Uncertainty 44.2 (April 2012): 101-113.
    • W. Kip Viscusi, and Richard J. Zeckhauser. "Deterring and Compensating Oil-Spill Catastrophes: The Need for Strict and Two-Tier Liability." Vanderbilt Law Review 64.6 (2011): 1717-1765.
    • Fang, Hai, Nolan H. Miller, John Rizzo, and Richard Zeckhauser. "Demanding Customers: Consumerist Patients and Quality of Care." BE Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy 11.1 (2011).
    • Dreber, Anna, David G. Rand, Nils Wernerfelt, Justin R. Garcia, Miguel G. Vilar, J. Koji Lum, and Richard Zeckhauser. "Dopamine and Risk Choices in Different Domains: Findings Among Serious Tournament Bridge Players." Journal of Risk and Uncertainty 43.1 (2011): 19-38.
    • Sunstein, Cass R., and Richard Zeckhauser. "Overreaction to Fearsome Risks." Environmental and Resource Economics 48.3 (2011): 435-449.
    • Eggleston, Karen, Ruifang Zhang, and Richard Zeckhauser. "The Global Challenge of Antimicrobial Resistance: Insights from Economic Analysis." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 7 (2010): 3141-3149.
  • Book Chapters
    • Viscusi, W. Kip, and Richard Zeckhauser,. "Addressing Catastrophic Risks: Disparate Anatomies Require Tailored Therapies." Regulatory Breakdown: The Crisis of Confidence in U.S. Regulation. Ed. Cary Coglianese. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012, 21-48.
    • Donahue, John D., and Richard Zeckhauser. "The Tummler’s Task: A Collaborative Conception of Port Protection." Ports in a Storm: Public Management in a Turbulent World. Ed. John D. Donahue and Mark H. Moore. Brookings Institution Press, 2012, 116-132.
    • Bohnet, Iris, Benedikt Herrmann, Mohamad Al-Ississ, Andrea Robbett, Khalid Al-Yahia, and Richard Zeckhauser. "The Elasticity of Trust: How to Promote Trust in the Arab Middle East and the United States." Restoring Trust in Organizations and Leaders: Enduring Challenges and Emerging Answers. Ed. Roderick M. Kramer and Todd L. Pittinsky. Oxford University Press, 2012, 151-169.
    • Schauer, Frederick, and Richard Zeckhauser. "The Trouble with Cases." Regulation versus Litigation: Perspectives from Economics and Law. Ed. Daniel P. Kessler. National Bureau of Economic Research, 2011, 45-70.
    • Wernerfelt, Nils, and Richard Zeckhauser. "Denying the Temptation to GRAB." The Natural Resources Trap: Private Investment without Public Commitment. Ed. William Hogan and Federico Sturzenegger. MIT Press, 2010, 197-226.
    • Berger, Alan, Case Brown, Carolyn Kousky, and Richard Zeckhauser. "The Five Neglects: Risks Gone Amiss." Learning from Catastrophes: Strategies for Reaction and Response. Ed. Howard Kunreuther and Michael Useem. Wharton School Publishing, 2010, 83-99.
  • Books
    • Donahue, John D. and Richard J. Zeckhauser. Collaborative Governance: Private Roles for Public Goals in Turbulent Times. Princeton University Press, 2011.
    • Zeckhauser, Richard, and Jonathan K. Nelson. The Patron's Payoff: Conspicuous Commissions in Italian Renaissance Art. Princeton University Press, 2008.
    • Schuck, Peter H., and Richard Zeckhauser. Targeting in Social Programs: Avoiding Bad Bets, Removing Bad Apples. Brookings Institution, 2006.
    • Avery, Christopher, Andrew Fairbanks, and Richard Zeckhauser. The Early Admissions Game: Joining the Elite. Harvard University Press, 2003.
  • HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series
    • Dreber, Anna, David Rand, Nils Wernerfelt, Peter Worrell, and Richard Zeckhauser. "The Decisions of Entrepreneurs and Their Agents: Revealed Levels of Risk Aversion and Betrayal Aversion." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP13-016, May 2013.
    • Trautmann, Stefan T., Gijs van de Kuilen, and Richard J. Zeckhauser. "Social Class and (Un)ethical Behavior: A Framework, with Evidence from a Large Population Sample." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP13-004, March 2013.
    • Miller, Nolan, Alexander F. Wagner, and Richard J. Zeckhauser. "Solomonic Separation: Risk Decisions as Productivity Indicators." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP12-057, November 2012.
    • Fang, Hai, Karen N. Eggleston, John A. Rizzo, and Richard J. Zeckhauser. "Jobs and Kids: Female Employment and Fertility in China." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP12-054, November 2012.
    • Aperjis, Christina, Yali Miao, and Richard J. Zeckhauser. "Variable Temptations and Black Mark Reputations." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP12-055, November 2012.
    • Friedman, Jeffrey A., and Richard Zeckhauser. "Assessing Uncertainty in Intelligence." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP12-027, June 2012.
    • Trautmann, Stefan T., Gijs van de Kuilen, and Richard Zeckhauser. "Social Class and (Un)ethical Behavior: Evidence from a Large Population Sample." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP12-019, May 2012.
  • Magazine and Newspaper Articles
    • Fang, Hai, Karen N. Eggleston, John A. Rizzo, and Richard Zeckhauser. "Jobs and Kids: Female Employment and Fertility in Rural China." Vox. June 5, 2010.