- Office Address
- Littauer-312
- Mailing Address
-
John F. Kennedy School of Government
Mailbox 41
79 JFK Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Profile
Richard Zeckhauser is the Frank P. Ramsey
Professor of Political Economy, Kennedy School, Harvard University. He graduated from
Harvard College (summa cum laude) and received his Ph.D. there. He
is an elected fellow of the Econometric Society, the Institute of
Medicine (National Academy of Sciences), and the American Academy
of Arts and Sciences. In 2014, he was named a Distinguished Fellow
of the American Economic Association. His contributions to decision
theory and behavioral economics include the concepts of
quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), status quo bias, betrayal
aversion, and ignorance (states of the world unknown) as a
complement to the categories of risk and uncertainty. 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. Zeckhauser has published over 280 articles. His recent
coauthored books are The Patron's Payoff: Conspicuous
Commissions in Italian Renaissance Art (2008), and
Collaborative Governance: Private Roles for Public Goals
(2011). Apart from academics, Zeckhauser is a Senior Principal at
Equity Resource Investments, a real estate private equity firm. He
has won multiple national championships in contract bridge.
Courses
Fall
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 HKS Faculty Research Connection.
Selected Publication Citations:
- Academic Journal/Scholarly Articles
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Zeckhauser, Richard. "Mancur Olson and the Tragedy of the
Unbalanced Commons." Decisions 24 (December 2015).
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Avery, Christopher N., Judith A. Chevalier, and Richard J.
Zeckhauser. "The “CAPS” Prediction System and Stock Market
Returns." Review of Finance (September 2015): 1-19.
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Viscusi, W. Kip, and Richard J. Zeckhauser. "Regulating Ambiguous
Risks: The Less than Rational Regulation of Pharmaceuticals."
Journal of Legal Studies 44.S2 (June 2015): S387-S422.
- Book Chapters
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Devjani, Roy, and Richard Zeckhauser. "The Anatomy of Ignorance:
Diagnoses from Literature." Routledge International Handbook of
Ignorance Studies. Ed. Matthias Gross and Linsey McGoey.
Routledge, 2015, 61-73.
- Books
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Donahue, John D. and Richard J. Zeckhauser. Collaborative
Governance: Private Roles for Public Goals in Turbulent Times.
Princeton University Press, 2011.
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Zeckhauser, Richard, and Jonathan K. Nelson. The Patron's
Payoff: Conspicuous Commissions in Italian Renaissance Art.
Princeton University Press, 2008.
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Schuck, Peter H., and Richard Zeckhauser. Targeting in Social
Programs: Avoiding Bad Bets, Removing Bad Apples. Brookings
Institution, 2006.
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Avery, Christopher, Andrew Fairbanks, and Richard Zeckhauser.
The Early Admissions Game: Joining the Elite. Harvard
University Press, 2003.
- HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series
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Sinaiko, Anna, and Richard Zeckhauser. "Enrollee Choices After
Their Health Plans Are Terminated: Default Effects Versus
Persistent Preferences." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series
RWP16-055, December 2016.
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Robinson, Lisa A., W. Kip Viscusi, and Richard Zeckhauser.
"Efficient Warnings, Not “Wolf or Puppy” Warnings." HKS Faculty
Research Working Paper Series RWP16-033, September 2016: Revised
November 2016.
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Tran, Ngoc-Khanh, Thao Vuong, and Richard Zeckhauser. "Loss
Sequencing in Banking Networks: Threatened Banks as Strategic
Dominoes." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP16-030,
August 2106.
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Horton, John J., and Richard J. Zeckhauser. "The Causes of Peer
Effects in Production: Evidence from a Series of Field
Experiments." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP16-027,
June 2016.
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Wagner, Gernot, and Richard J. Zeckhauser. "Confronting Deep and
Persistent Climate Uncertainty." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper
Series RWP16-025, August 2016.
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Chen, Cuicui, and Richard Zeckhauser. "Collective Action in an
Asymmetric World." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series
RWP16-019, April 2016.
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Friedman, Jeffrey A., Jennifer S. Lerner, and Richard Zeckhauser.
"How Quantifying Probability Assessments Influences Analysis and
Decision Making: Experimental Evidence from National Security
Professionals." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series
RWP16-016, April 2016.
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Horton, John J., and Richard J. Zeckhauser. "Owning, Using and
Renting: Some Simple Economics of the "Sharing Economy"." HKS
Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP16-007, February 2016.
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Druz, Marina, Alexander F. Wagner, and Richard J. Zeckhauser.
"Reading Managerial Tone: How Analysts and the Market Respond to
Conference Calls." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series
RWP16-004, January 2016.
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Viscusi, W. Kip, and Richard J. Zeckhauser. "Recollection Bias and
Its Underpinnings: Lessons from Terrorism-Risk Assessments." HKS
Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP16-003, January 2016.