Behavioral Camp 2020 has been cancelled - click for more information

In light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, we have decided to cancel the 2020 RSF Summer Camp in Behavioral Economics. Given what we now know, it is unlikely that such a gathering (in June) would be consistent with public-health best practices, and even less likely that we'll be confident enough this spring to ask participants to plan for such an event. The RSF Camp is an event we look forward to and it is with great disappointment that we have come to this decision. As more clarity about the world situation comes, we will be thinking about possibilities of alternative timing and structure, and announce on the RSF site and both our home pages any substitute we arrange.

To those who have already applied via Fluxx for camp: We will hold on to all applications for now. They will continue to be confidential, but please let us know if you object to us doing so, and we will remove them. And may we ask each of you to write to your two recommenders to tell them of the cancellation, so that they can avoid submitting references if they have not yet done so--and to tell them that if they have already submitted a letter we will hold on to it unless you or they say that it is deleted. Should we decide on an alternative program, we will inform all who have applied this time, and open applications back up for all.

-- David Laibson and Matthew Rabin - March 18, 2020

SUMMER INSTITUTE IN BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS 
June 28 to July 9, 2020 
Sponsored by the Russell Sage Foundation 


From the evening of Sunday June 28 to the morning of Thursday July 9, 2020, the Russell Sage Foundation will sponsor the fourteenth Summer Institute in Behavioral Economics, to be held in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire. The purpose of this workshop is to introduce graduate students and beginning faculty in economics and related disciplines to the findings and methods of behavioral economics—the application of psychological theory and research to economics. The program will include topics on psychological foundations such as decision-making under risk and uncertainty, intertemporal choice, biases in judgment, mental accounting, and social preferences, as well as the implications of these foundations for savings behavior, labor markets, development economics, finance, public policy, and other economic topics.

The co-organizers and principal faculty of the Summer Institute are David Laibson and Matthew Rabin, who will be in attendance for the full program. Visiting faculty include Raj Chetty, Rebecca Dizon-Ross, George Loewenstein, Ulrike Malmendier, Heather Schofield, Richard Thaler, and Lise Vesterlund. The schedule will include sessions outlining evidence, principles, and formal models of psychological foundations of different economic topics as well as sessions presenting recent research.  It will also provide opportunities for students to discuss their ideas and research with the organizers, visiting faculty, and other participants. 

Participation is (sorry, no exceptions) restricted to Ph.D. students who by July 2020 will have completed at least one year of their graduate program or to faculty who have completed their Ph.D. program since April 2019. Candidates in related disciplines (e.g., psychology, business, political science and law) who have a strong interest and advanced training in formal economics are also eligible. Most participant costs during the workshop, including housing and most meals, will be covered, and a capped travel stipend (covering most but not all of anticipated travel costs) will also be provided. About twenty-five participants will be invited. Participants will be required to complete some assigned readings in advance, and to fully attend all sessions of the program.  

There is no program information beyond this announcement. (For interested students, schedules of the previous seven summer institutes can be found at Summer Institute in Behavioral Economics http://scholar.harvard.edu/laibson/node/31619.) Applications must be submitted via the RSF online application portal, Fluxx. Instructions: 1.) Create an account or log in to your existing account. (Allow 1 business day for a new account to be approved; please register by March 9, 2020.) 2.) Start a new “Summer Institute” application and select “Behavioral Economics”. 3.) Submit the following documents: (i) a curriculum vitae, (ii) a statement (maximum three pages) describing both any current research, and your interest in behavioral economics, (iii) an (unofficial) course/grade transcript, and (iv) two letters of recommendation from faculty advisors. Letters of recommendation should be as informative as possible about your standing in the program (i.e., approximate rank in your doctoral class), general ability, research potential, and (if applicable) special interest in behavioral economics. We anticipate a large pool of highly qualified applicants and to make final decisions quickly, so applications and letters must be received by the deadline. Complete applications, including letters of recommendation, must be submitted by Friday, March 13. We will notify applicants by Monday, April 6, and will ask participants to confirm their participation very soon thereafter. Inquiries can be sent to RSF.Summer.School@gmail.com. Technical questions about the application portal (Fluxx) can be sent to grantsmgt@rsage.org.


The Summer Institute is an initiative of the Russell Sage Foundation.  For more information about RSF’s Behavioral Economics program, see: http://www.russellsage.org/research/behavioral-economics.  

2020 RSF Behavioral Camp Information110 KB