Richard Zeckhauser Photo
Frank Plumpton Ramsey Professor of Political Economy
Contact:
617-495-1174
Assistant: Wendy Wyatt
617-495-1175

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 330 articles and 14 books and edited books. His recent coauthored books are The Patron's Payoff: Conspicuous Commissions in Italian Renaissance Art (2008), Collaborative Governance: Private Roles for Public Goals (2011), and The Dragon, the Eagle, and the Private Sector: Public-Private Collaboration in China and the United States (2021). 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.

Academic Journal/Scholarly Articles

Books

HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series

Research Papers/Reports

Transparent Engagement 

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Outside Professional Activities For Richard Zeckhauser

Organization Relationship
Equity Resource Investments Fiduciary board membership

Contact

Phone: 617-495-1174
Assistant: Wendy Wyatt

Expertise

Public Finance
Environment & Energy
Business & Regulation
Decision Making & Negotiation

Mailing Address

Harvard Kennedy School
79 John F. Kennedy Street
Cambridge, MA 02138