» ESI Lecture Series

Friday lectures are open to anyone that would like to attend and will be from 3-4:30 p.m. in Wilkinson Hall, room 116, except when otherwise noted below. Thank you to the International Foundation for Research in Experimental Economics (IFREE) for previously sponsoring the lectures.

For a full listing of all events happening at the Economic Science Institute, view the Events Calendar.


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2023-2024 Lecture Guests

October 6, 2023, Chad Kendall - Casual Narratives

Chad headshotAbstract: We study causal narratives – narratives which describe a (potentially incorrect) causal relationship between variables. In a series of controlled experiments across a range of data-generating processes, we show that exogenously generated causal narratives manipulate the beliefs and actions of subjects in ways generally consistent with theory, but with important exceptions, including when subjects face multiple narratives that give different recommendations. To understand the generation and social transmission of narratives, we show that causal narratives arise endogenously when subjects who observe a dataset provide advice to future subjects. Homegrown causal narratives are perceived to be helpful, but mislead both the sender and receiver.

Bio: Chad is an assistant professor in the Finance and Business Economics Department of USC Marshall and a member of the NBER. He is an applied microeconomist that specializes in political economy and behavioral economics. He is particularly interested in institutions such as financial markets and voting, and in the roles that information and bounded rationality play in the functioning of these institutions. His work has been published in top economics journals including Econometrica and the American Economic Review.

Need disability Services?

Disability services will be provided upon request. If you require specific accommodations for attending a lecture, your request must be submitted no later than seven days prior to the lecture date.

Please submit requests or questions to: Cyndi Dumas at (714) 516-4513 or dumas@chapman.edu.