Daniel J. Benjamin

Assistant Professor, Cornell University, 2007-present
Faculty Research Fellow, NBER, 2009-present
Research Fellow, Institute for Social Research, 2006-present

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Cornell University
Economics Department
Uris Hall 480
Phone: (607) 255-2355
Email: db468@cornell.edu
Ph.D., Economics, Harvard University

M.Sc., Mathematical Economics, London School of Economics

A.M., Statistics, Harvard University

A.B., Economics, Harvard University
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Dr. Benjamin does research in "psychological economics," incorporating ideas and methods from psychology into economic analysis. Current work includes an empirical analysis of the importance of politicians' "charisma" (as measured by laboratory subjects) in determining election outcomes, and a theoretical analysis of how individuals' concern for fairness affects the efficiency of economic exchange. Ongoing work addresses how economic preferences are influenced by psychological/biological factors such as cognitive ability, social identity (ethnicity, race, and gender), and specific genes.j

Publications and Forthcoming Papers


Benjamin, Daniel J., James J. Choi, and A. Joshua Strickland (2009). “Social identity and preferences.” Forthcoming, American Economic Review.
Web appendix here

Benjamin, Daniel J., and Jesse M. Shapiro (2009). “Thin-slice forecasts of gubernatorial elections.” Review of Economics and Statistics, 91(3), 523-536.

Benjamin, Daniel J., Christopher F. Chabris, Edward L. Glaeser, Vilmundur Gudnason, Tamara B. Harris, David I. Laibson, Lenore Launer, and Shaun Purcell (2008). "Genoecomonics." In Weinstein, Maxine, James W. Vaupel, and Kenneth W. Wachter (eds.), Biosocial Surveys. Committee on Population, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press.

Benjamin, Daniel J. (2003). “Do 401(k)s Increase Saving? Evidence From Propensity Score Subclassification,” Journal of Public Economics 87(5-6), 1259-90.

Rind, B., and Benjamin, D. (1994). “Effects of Public Image Concerns and Self-Image on Compliance,” Journal of Social Psychology 134(1), 19-25.

Conference Papers

Benjamin, Daniel J., and Laibson, David I. (2003). “Good Policies for Bad Governments: Behavioral Political Economy.” Presented at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s Conference on How Humans Behave: Implications for Economics and Economic Policy, Cape Cod, 10 June 2003.

Chabris, C., Benjamin, D., and Simons, D. (1998). “How well do chess masters remember famous chess positions? Implications for theories of spatial expertise.” Presented at the Workshop on Object Perception and Memory, Dallas, 19 November 1998.

Research Papers in Progress

Benjamin, Daniel J., James J. Choi, and Geoffrey Fisher (2009). "Religious identity and economic behavior." Cornell University mimeo, November.

Benjamin, Daniel J. (2008). "Social Preferences and the Efficiency of Bilateral Exchange." Cornell University and Institute for Social Research mimeo, November.

Benjamin, Daniel J., Sebastian A. Brown, and Jesse M. Shapiro (2006). “Who is ‘Behavioral’? Cognitive ability and anomalous preferences.” Harvard University mimeo, May.

 

2009-2012 ISS Theme Project: Judgment, Decision Making, and Social Behavior