John A. List

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This page is about the economist John A. List, not the mass murderer John List.

John August List is a Professor in Economics and the College at the University of Chicago. He received his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and his Ph.D. from the University of Wyoming in 1996. List had his first teaching position at the University of Central Florida, and he then moved to the University of Arizona and the University of Maryland, College Park, where he still holds an adjunct position, before moving to Chicago. List also spends time at Tilburg University, where he is a distinguished visiting scholar and Resources for the Future, where he is a University Distinguished Scholar. From May 2002 to July 2003 he served as Senior Economist, President’s Council of Economic Advisors for Environmental and Resource Economics, where he worked on multi-national market institutions to address climate change, the Clear Skies Act, the OMB benefit cost guidelines, and the softwood lumber trade dispute between the US and Canada.

Within academia, List is known particularly for his innovative use of field experiments in economics, which he uses to study such areas as charitable giving and discrimination. His pioneering use of field experimental methods has led to interesting insights in several other areas of research as well, such as social preferences, prospect theory, environmental economics, marketplace effects on corporate and government policy decisions, and multi-unit auctions. Many of these seminal studies were produced while List was a faculty member at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Some of his more recent field experimental work on charitable fundraising is highlighted in the 3-9-2008 New York Times article http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/ma...l?ref=magazine In the article, List is recognized as the father of modern field experimental methods, and is broadly recognized for his work using the approach to test theories within the economics of philanthropy, the economics of discrimination, and microeconomics more generally.

The University of Chicago economist and author Steven Levitt has referred to Dr. List as the young economist most likely to win a Nobel Prize in Economics. (See the New York Times article referred to below.) This is due to List's work on pioneering field experimental methods, which is also discussed in Science, The Economist, and other national media outlets.

Blogs have also picked up on List's accomplishments. The Freakonomics blog noted that List was the Clark medal runner-up in 2007: http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/04/20/susan-athey-wins-clark-medal/

The Marginal Revolution calls List "one of the most important young economists:" http://www.marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2006/03/experimental_ec.html

Greg Mankiw, of Harvard Fame, also tabs List as a top mind: http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/search?q=john+list

List is known to enjoy nicknaming his students, TA's, and coauthors in class.

List currently resides with his wife and five children (Annika, Eli, Noah, Greta, and Mason) in Hyde Park, IL.

[edit] References

• John List's Home Page
• Faculty Profile: John List at the University of Maryland, College Park
• Twelve Scholars Join Faculty at the University of Chicago
• Field Experiment Bibliography by John List at the University of Maryland, College Park
• New York Times article about John List's research into charitable giving.