The Culverhouse College of Business welcomes John A. List, Kenneth C. Griffin Distinguished Service Professor in Economics at the University of Chicago and chief economic adviser at Lyft HQ, for a talk Oct. 12 as part of the College’s Lowder Lecture Series.
“Using Field Experiments to Enhance Business Success” will take place at 10 a.m. in the College’s Mary Hewell Alston Hall Parlor. Seating is limited to 100 and registration is required. Register for this lecture here.
List is globally recognized for his innovative use of field experiments in economics and business. His ideas and methods have uncovered solutions for big questions in business and social policy.
“We welcome members of the public and University of Alabama campus community to visit us for a very special talk given by one of the most respected economists in America,” said Emma Bliss, associate director for alumni and corporate relations at Culverhouse.
In 2010, List was named as one of the Top 7 “New” Economists in the world by Forbes. He was elected a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2011 and received the Yrjo Jahnsson Lecture Prize in 2012. Ten of the 19 recipients of the prize have gone on to win the Nobel Prize in economics. List was named a Top 50 Innovator in the Nonprofit Times in 2015 and 2016 and received the 2017 Hartsook Growing Philanthropy Award for his pioneering work using field experiments to explore the motivations behind charitable giving and the social preferences that shape philanthropic acts.
List uses field experiments as a way to better understand the behavioral principles that shape choices across a variety of domains. His pioneering approach is to use large-scale field experiments to observe people in the factories, schools and offices where they work and live without them being aware that they are observed. The results of these experiments have revealed ways to correctly price products and services, enhance the productivity of workers, close the gap between rich and poor students, and increase the amount of money donated to charitable organizations.
List received his bachelor’s degree in economics at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and his doctorate in economics at the University of Wyoming. From May 2002-July 2003 he served in the White House on the Council of Economic Advisors and prior to joining Lyft, he was the chief economist at Uber. List has also worked closely with behavioral insights teams in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.