John A. List

John A. List
Name	John A. List
Birth date	1968
Birth place	Madison, Wisconsin
Nationality	American
Occupation	Economist, Professor
Alma mater	University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Wyoming
Known for	Field experiments in economics, application of randomized controlled trials

John A. List John A. List is an American economist noted for pioneering the use of large-scale field experiments to study human behavior in markets and public policy. He has held faculty positions at University of Chicago, University of Maryland, and University of Pennsylvania, and served as director of the Becker Friedman Institute for Research in Economics and the Kellogg School of Management's economics initiatives. His work bridges academic research and practical applications involving organizations such as the National Science Foundation, Russell Sage Foundation, and US Treasury Department.

Early life and education

Born in Madison, Wisconsin, List completed undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison before earning graduate degrees at the University of Wyoming and returning to University of Wisconsin–Madison for his Ph.D. His doctoral training exposed him to scholars from institutions including Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stanford University, influencing his empirical orientation. During his formative years he engaged with applied projects tied to the American Economic Association and regional initiatives in the Midwest.

Academic career

List has held appointments at several leading institutions: early faculty positions at University of Central Florida and University of Maryland, College Park preceded a long tenure at University of Chicago where he was a professor at both the Booth School of Business and the Department of Economics. He later joined the University of Chicago's leadership as director at the Becker Friedman Institute for Research in Economics before moving to the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and subsequent roles at University of Pennsylvania and the Kellogg School of Management. He has taught courses drawing students from National Bureau of Economic Research affiliates, American Economic Association meetings, and executive programs associated with organizations like Google and Microsoft.

Research contributions and key findings

List is widely recognized for applying randomized controlled trials to questions traditionally addressed with observational data, influencing debates within econometrics, behavioral economics, and labor economics. His research produced empirical findings on topics such as charitable giving (interacting with work from Elinor Ostrom, Amartya Sen approaches), discrimination in markets (in dialogue with studies by Roland Fryer and Patrick Bayer), and auction behavior (extending classical results linked to William Vickrey and Paul Milgrom). Key conclusions include evidence on preference persistence, the impact of market context on reciprocity, and the external validity of laboratory results relative to field settings, engaging literatures involving Daniel Kahneman, Richard Thaler, and Angus Deaton.

Field experiments and methodological innovations

A hallmark of List's scholarship is large-scale field experiments conducted with partners such as the United States Department of Agriculture, National Science Foundation, Russell Sage Foundation, and private firms. He pioneered techniques for measuring treatment effects in naturalistic environments, combining identification strategies from instrumental variables traditions with randomized assignment akin to trials funded by National Institutes of Health-style proposals. Innovations include scalable market experiments, sequential testing protocols used in collaborations with eBay and Microsoft Research, and designs addressing attrition and spillovers relevant to work from Joshua Angrist and Guido Imbens. His methodological contributions influenced practice at policy institutions including the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Honors, awards, and memberships

List's accolades include fellowships and prizes from organizations such as the American Economic Association, the Econometric Society, and awards tied to field-experimental research from the Russell Sage Foundation. He has been elected to professional bodies including the National Academy of Sciences and has received recognition at conferences like the Allied Social Science Associations annual meeting. His advisory roles have extended to panels convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and policy consultations for agencies including the US Treasury Department and National Science Foundation.

Personal life and public engagement

Outside academia, List has engaged in public outreach through media appearances on programs produced by outlets such as NPR and commentary in publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Economist. He has participated in speaking engagements at venues like the TED Conference, the World Economic Forum, and corporate seminars for Goldman Sachs and McKinsey & Company. His personal interests include mentorship of junior scholars connected with the Institute for Advanced Study networks and involvement in philanthropic initiatives that mirror his research on charitable behavior.

Category:American economists Category:Behavioral economists Category:Experimental economists