David Laibson, Harvard University, Robert I. Goldman Professor of Economics
Professor Laibson’s own research focuses on the topic of behavioral economics, a field that looks at how psychological and economic factors jointly influence human decision-making. Much of Laibson’s work focuses on the gap between forward-looking good intentions and subsequent behavior which often fails to live up to the plans that we have made for ourselves. Whether it is in retirement saving, nutrition, exercise, or creating Enterprise Value before capturing it someday, people face similar gaps between good intentions and follow-through.
Laibson’s address to Bigelow Connectors attendees is expected to include comments on the most common cognitive biases that can negatively affect good decision making when building and capturing Enterprise Value. These include anchoring, loss aversion and the endowment effect, over-confidence, the “winner’s curse,” and present bias.