LDI Research Seminar with Richard Zeckhauser, PhD and Nils Wernerfelt

“Vitamin D in Utero and Asthma: Evidence from Sunlight During Pregnancy”

8:00a.m. – 9:30a.m. May 2, 2014

Colonial Penn Center Auditorium, 3641 Locust Walk

Richard Zeckhauser, PhD
Frank P. Ramsey Professor of Political Economy, Kennedy School, Harvard University

Richard Zeckhauser is the Frank P. Ramsey Professor of Political Economy at Harvard University. Zeckhauser pioneered the field of policy analysis. His seminal contributions in decision theory and behavioral economics include the concepts of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), status quo bias, and ignorance 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. His most recent coauthored books are “Targeting in Social Programs: Avoiding Bad Bets, Removing Bad Apples”; “Collaborative Governance: Private Roles for Public Goals”; and “The Patron’s Payoff: Conspicuous Commissions in Italian Renaissance Art.” He has written or coauthored a dozen books and 280 articles, and is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Econometric Society, and the Institute of Medicine (National Academy of Sciences). Zeckhauser’s current major research projects include collaborative governance in China and the United States, biases in group decision making, appropriate structures for health insurance, and effective decision making for national intelligence. He holds an A.B. (summa cum laude) and a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University.

Nils Wernerfelt
PhD Student, Economics, MIT

Nils Wernerfelt is a PhD student in economics at MIT. He has published both empirical and theoretical work, and his research interests span a range of topics including networks, habit formation, behavioral economics, and contracts. He is supported by an NSF Graduate Fellowship, and prior to joining MIT, he was a Fulbright Scholar in France and received his BA in Math from Harvard.


This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Sponsored by the Charles C. Leighton, MD Memorial Lecture Fund