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)
No Image

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 latest book, with Peter Schuck, is Targeting in Social Programs: Avoiding Bad Bets and Removing Bad Apples. His forthcoming book, with Jonathan Nelson, is The Patron's Payoff: Conspicuous Commissions in Renaissance Italy. 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
    • Wagner, Gernot, and Richard Zeckhauser. "Climate Policy: Hard Problem, Soft Thinking." Climatic Change 110.3/4 (February 2012): 507-521.
    • Robert, Christopher, and Richard Zeckhauser. "The Methodology of Normative Policy Analysis." Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 30.3 (Summer 2011): 613-643.
    • Zeckhauser, Richard. "The Online Laboratory: Conducting Experiments in a Real Labor Market." Experimental Economics 14.3 (2011): 399-425.
  • Books
    • 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.
  • Commentary
    • Kousky, Caroline, and Richard Zeckhauser. "The Economics of Flooding." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 16, 2011.
    • Donahue, John D., and Richard Zeckhauser. "Beyond Big or Small Government." National Journal, May 17, 2011.
  • HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series
    • Viscusi, W. Kip, and Richard Zeckhauser. "Addressing Catastrophic Risks: Disparate Anatomies Require Tailored Therapies." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP11-045, November 2011.
    • Trautmann, Stefan T., and Richard Zeckhauser. "Shunning Uncertainty: The Neglect of Learning Opportunities." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP11-044, November 2011.
    • Dreber, Anna, David G. Rand, Nils Wernerfelt, Justin R. Garcia, J. Koji Lum, and Richard Zeckhauser. "The Dopamine Receptor D4 Gene (DRD4) and Self-Reported Risk Taking in the Economic Domain." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP11-042, November 2011.
    • Avery, Christopher, Judith Chevalier,and Richard Zeckhauser. "The "CAPS" Prediction System and Stock Market Returns." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP11-028, July 2011.
    • Viscusi, W. Kip, and Richard Zeckhauser. "Deterring and Compensating Oil Spill Catastrophes: The Need for Strict and Two-Tier Liability." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP11-025, July 2011.
    • Tran, Ngoc-Khanh, and Richard Zeckhauser. "The Behavior of Savings and Asset Prices When Preferences and Beliefs are Heterogeneous." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP11-026, July 2011.
    • Aperjis, Christina, Yali Miao, and Richard Zeckhauser. "Variable Temptations and Black Mark Reputations." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP11-020, May 2011.