Economics DepartmentMicroeconomic theory develops mathematical models for understanding the behavior of individuals, small groups, and firms in allocating scarce resources and, if necessary, regulation of this behavior to the benefit of society. Our theory faculty has diverse research interests that include the following sub-fields:
- Altruism, Reciprocity, and Public Good Provision: Modeling why people give to others and charity.
- Behavioral Economics and Decision Theory: Analyzing individual decision-making in various environments by incorporating behavioral biases and other psychological factors.
- Competitive Strategy and Industrial Organization: Studying firms’ strategies in monopolistic and oligopolistic markets and identifying their anti-competitive consequences.
- Game Theory: Developing mathematical tools to analyze strategic decision-making and interactions in a wide array of contexts.
- Information Economics: Examining how the production, allocation, transmission, and manipulation of information impacts economic decisions and activities.
- Mechanism and Market Design: Designing real-world markets and institutions to efficiently allocate scarce resources via auctions and matching algorithms.
- Networks and Informal Economies: Studying social interactions and communication using the tools of network science.
- Voting and Collective Choice: Analyzing voter behavior in elections and committees.
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Atila Abdulkadiroglu, Garonzik Family Distinguished Professor Atila’s research focuses on mechanism design, market design and economics of education. His research has led to the design and implementation of better admissions policies in school choice programs in the US, including Boston and New York City. |
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Attila Ambrus, Professor of Economics Professor Ambrus’ research focuses on a broad range of subjects including game theory, experimental economics, microeconomic theory, industrial organization, political economics, development economics and economic history. |
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Rachel Kranton, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Economics Professor Kranton studies how institutions and the social setting affect economic outcomes. |
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David McAdams, Professor of Business Administration Professor McAdams' primary research interests are microeconomic theory and game theory, with a special focus on strategic interactions between buyers and sellers, including auctions, pricing, negotiations, and relationships. |
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Philipp Sadowski, Associate Professor of Economics Professor Sadowski's work focuses on microeconomic theory, decision theory and behavioral economics. |
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Todd Sarver, Professor of Economics Professor Sarver’s research focuses on microeconomic theory, decision theory, and behavioral economics. |
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Curtis Taylor, Professor of Economics Professor Taylor's primary research interest is microeconomic theory with emphasis on the areas of Industrial Organization, Political Economy, and the Theory of Contracts. |
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Huseyin Yildirim, Professor of Economics Professor Yildirim's recent research concerns charitable giving, sequencing of bilateral negotiations, and the value of (non-)blind review. |
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