John A. List
I am an Economist leveraging the assignment mechanism in the field to test theory and help non-profits, govts, and anyone who will listen! My goal is to (hopefully!) change the world for the better. My picture is with my oldest son!
- I have received an unusual number of DMs on what's happening in the US. When I reflect on recent events, I am deeply saddened but find some comfort in thinking like an experimentalist. Why?
- Because every experiment starts with optimism. You have to believe something can be better before you will bother testing it. Pessimists do not run experiments. They have already decided on the answer.
- I'm sticking with the experimentalists. It's not denial or blind positivity; it's refusing to let sadness or outrage freeze us into inaction. There's work to do, and it starts and ends with being humane humans.
- Munich in September, great colleagues, and a field that matters. If you're working on economics of education, please join us at the CESifo Economics of Education conference! Rick and Ludger (woessmann.bsky.social) always put together a very stimulating conference.
- 📢 Call for papers: CESifo Area Conference on Economics of Education co-organized w/ Eric Hanushek (Stanford) 🏛️ 11-12 Sept 2026, Munich 🧑🏫 Keynote: John List (Chicago) @johnlist.bsky.social 👉 www.ifo.de/en/cesifo/ev... ⏰ Deadline: 11 May 2026 🖼️ Past programs: sites.google.com/view/woessma...
- Alright everyone I heard you! We have nearly 1000 applications to the CSEE and we are not even to the deadline! This means two very positive things: first, experimental economics is thriving (and more!). Second, we need to do more of these summer schools. Latin America, you're next—stay tuned!
- The deadline is here! Last call for applications to the Chicago School in Experimental Economics in Japan. This free summer school will take place June 22–26, 2026 at the University of Osaka. Apply here: voices.uchicago.edu/jlist/the-ch... Questions? Contact melissade4@uchicago.edu
- Economics is really for everyone and everypup! Here is @drdanasuskind.bsky.social asking John Nash if she wants to go to the Economics department today. If only my own students would get this excited about economics!
- Very kind, thanks so much @markgsheppard.com!
- This is peak John List, solo authored paper about education, that’s also about how to scale programs, and it’s in Chicago. This is a @johnlist.bsky.social trifecta. 10/10 no notes
- If that link does not work please try this one: ideas.repec.org/p/feb/natura...
- What hits home runs in the minors but strikes out in the majors? Most pilot programs. They dazzle in pilots and flop at scale. My new study (ideas.repec.org/p/feb/natura...) offers a model for designing interventions that anticipate scaling challenges early. Let's make scaling a scientific object!
- What hits home runs in the minors but strikes out in the majors? Most pilot programs. They dazzle in pilots and flop at scale. My new study (ideas.repec.org/p/feb/natura...) offers a model for designing interventions that anticipate scaling challenges early. Let's make scaling a scientific object!
- Reposted by John A. ListConsumer Demand and Market Competition with Time-Intensive Goods by Joseph Goodman, Lancelot Henry de Frahan, Justin Holz, @johnlist.bsky.social, Evan McKay, Niall McMenamin, Sally Sadoff & Hal Sider
- Reposted by John A. ListExcited to announce that this year's Advances with Field Experiments conference will take place at the University of Chicago on September 17-18, 2026. @johnlist.bsky.social and I will send out a call for abstracts early in the Spring. bfi.uchicago.edu/events/event... @katymilkman.bsky.social
- My FOMO has now been maximized...by a picture just sent! I had to miss this year, but the AEAs are always a favorite, largely because of the brilliant economists. Pictured below are two of them on the market: Haruka and Danielle. Good luck to you both, keep changing the world and making us proud!
- Reposted by John A. ListThe effect of the left-digit in ride-sharing apps is significant—research by @johnlist.bsky.social et al suggests as much as $160M in profit is left in the table by not using it: buff.ly/QaM34hn
- The holidays are a good time to step back from the research and remember what it's all for. Grateful for family, for colleagues who push my thinking, and for the chance to do work that might make a small difference. Wishing you and yours a restful break and a bright 2026!
- Excited to announce the 4th Chicago School in Experimental Economics is heading to Osaka, Japan! Join us in June 2026 for an intensive week on frontier experimental methods. We'll cover my textbook (lnkd.in/eT9Ci-YT) and you'll have the chance to present your research. Apply here: lnkd.in/grVg68Qn
- Wonderful conference! I urge all to mark their calendars.
- CHIBE was thrilled to host NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya and UChicago's Dr. John List as the keynote speakers for our Behavioral Science and Health Symposium. Read our recap here! @johnlist.bsky.social chibe.upenn.edu/blog/chibe-h...
- Happy 1-year anniversary to the most incredible couple I know—Francesca & Eli! You two are brilliant, kind, and absolutely unstoppable together. Here’s to many more years of love, laughter, and changing the world in your own beautiful way. Love you both!😍😍
- Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Sending all my love. Never forget that the best things at the table aren't on the plates. Today's data point: you matter deeply to someone. Let them know how much they matter to you. Wishing you a Thanksgiving full of exactly that.
- The first foreign translation contract for my new Experimental Economics textbook has just come in—from Greece! There's a certain poetic justice here: given how many Greek letters fill the equations, they're essentially translating it back to the original language.🇬🇷📚 www.amazon.com/Experimental...
- Reposted by John A. ListWe have 2 postdoc positions to work with @johnlist.bsky.social's Experimental Econ team: 1 to be involved with JILAEE (www.aeaweb.org/joe/listing....) based in Buenos Aires and Chicago & 1 based at UChicago (job-boards.greenhouse.io/universityof...) Apply if you want to work with us!
- Heading out to Philadelphia for the 15th Annual Behavioral Science and Health Symposium. This promises to be a really super event with great speakers. All are invited! You can find the agenda and register here: chibeevents.my.canva.site/2025symposium Hope to see you on Friday!
- It's job market season for PhD economists, and my inbox is filling up with requests for advice. Given the PhD job market this year, I understand why people are seeking guidance wherever they can find it. But let's be honest: I'm probably the last person you should ask—150 applications, 1 interview.
- Not exactly the success story you'd want to emulate! That said, that experience did cause me to collect data, and publish the results: ideas.repec.org/p/feb/natura... So while I can't offer personal success secrets, I can offer data. I usually like that better anyways!
- Our Best Chance to Make Real Change? Scalable Ideas with Private Partners That is the title of my discussion this afternoon with a group of University of Chicago students. Slides are here, which include a field experiment with airline pilots and scaling insights: ideas.repec.org/p/feb/natura...
- Reposted by John A. ListShout out to @johnlist.bsky.social, @gubri.bsky.social and Sabrina Liu on this work! I'm personally particularly pumped that @beckerfriedman.bsky.social will be helping build on these findings!
- Reposted by John A. ListIntroducing SPEAK—a scalable, computer-adaptive tool to measure knowledge of early human development. By Gaudreau, Levine, @johnlist.bsky.social & @drdanasuskind.bsky.social, it identifies knowledge gaps to guide targeted interventions and improve child outcomes. ow.ly/fzOk50XbjrG
- **NEW STUDY ALERT** Parents want to help their children succeed. But what if they don't know what they don't know? Yet we've lacked a comprehensive, scalable tool to quickly assess what parents and educators know—and where their knowledge gaps lie. We have one now: ideas.repec.org/p/feb/artefa...
- The econ PhD market will be difficult this year. The exact same thing happened when I went on the market years ago: I sent out 150 applications...and got 1 interview! Then I wrote a paper about it! ideas.repec.org/p/feb/natura... Both sides of the market responded. Is this happening now too?
- Last night's conversation about AI's strain on our energy grid led us to the classic tragedy of the commons problem. When asked what single change could help, my answer was immediate: "Put women in charge." And I have some field experimental evidence to back it up! ideas.repec.org/p/feb/artefa...
- Just chatted with some pre-docs heading to the grad school market. They all agreed: quant GRE matters for admissions, verbal doesn't. So they don't try on verbal. Here's what I learned doing admissions at UChicago (2007-12): verbal scores had the most predictive power for job market paper quality.
- Why? Everyone had near-perfect quant scores—no variance to predict anything. Verbal scores actually differentiated candidates, and writing ability turns out to matter for research. Please keep this between us because I want to maintain our competitive advantage and I want to avoid Campbells Law!
- Reposted by John A. List(How) should businesses apoligize when they screw up? Field experiment on Uber rides by Halperin et al suggests the best form of apology is to include a coupon for a future trip, while just apologies—especially repeated—may backfire: buff.ly/UvPPkc7 via @johnlist.bsky.social
- Just out in the NBER.....identification of a structural model of human capital skill formation amongst adolescents using a field experiment. www.nber.org/papers/w34274
- Quite happy to report that Blurb #2 is in for my new Experimental Economics textbook. From none other than the indomitable Ernst Fehr! "This advanced textbook offers a rigorous and comprehensive exploration of the methodological design..
- "of laboratory and field experiments. It provides a sophisticated roadmap for designing experiments that are both internally valid and externally meaningful—making it essential reading for graduate students and applied researchers alike." ~Ernst Fehr www.amazon.com/dp/022682067...
- Why Don't Struggling Students Do Their Homework? In a new study we use a field experiment to identify a structural model of learning. We find that low productivity, not low motivation, is the stronger predictor of academic struggles. Study is available here: ideas.repec.org/p/feb/framed...
- Great stuff @singhabhi.bsky.social!
- Big picture: `science of scaling’ matters enormously for welfare. Unlike medicine, social programs need iterative adaptation & testing beyond finding "what works" in small pilots. Without this, as @johnlist.bsky.social notes, “we are performing efficacy tests on steroids”. 16/16"
- Reposted by John A. ListTipping is a haphazard way to pay workers—yet it keeps expanding. With tax policy shifting pro-tip, Freakonomics revisits a 2019 episode with @johnlist.bsky.social on why tipping persists. 🎙 freakonomics.com/podcast/seas...
- Reposted by John A. ListToday is the last day of the Chicago School in Experimental Economics taking place in Bonn, organized by @econtribute.bsky.social, @iza.org and the University of Chicago. Thanks to everyone that participated! @luca-henkel.bsky.social @johnlist.bsky.social @dfg.de #EconSky
- New Paper Alert Given my first gen roots, this paper was especially satisfying to research and write, even though the results are a bit disheartening. We use administrative data covering all North Carolina public school students, to document five facts about first generation excellence gaps…. .
- We find large excellence gaps emerge by 3rd grade across all demographics and persist through high school. Paper is here: ideas.repec.org/p/feb/artefa...
- Reposted by John A. List🎙️ UChicago’s @johnlist.bsky.social joins St. Louis Fed’s Scott Wolla to discuss his innovative approach to teaching economics—sparking curiosity through real-world questions, field experiments, and behavioral insights. ow.ly/8E0W50WM85K
- Reposted by John A. ListProviding the first large-scale analysis of College Saving Accounts participation and effectiveness, from Guglielmo Briscese, John A. List, and Sabrina Liu nber.org/papers/w34126
- Especially appreciate Liverpool fans signing up!
- Any econs want to join our #econsky Fantasy Premier League season? Someone has to beat the two-time champion @proflivingston.bsky.social Signup here: fantasy.premierleague.com/leagues/auto... League Code: vl9rhl @hhsievertsen.bsky.social @danielepaserman.bsky.social @johnlist.bsky.social
- **NEW PAPER ALERT** When you have kids or believe that higher education is a critical tool for social mobility, college affordability is top of mind. College Savings Accounts offer a promising tool for financing higher education. We combine several data sources to explore key issues.
- We find that financial literacy emerges as a key barrier: 61% of parents who could save enough to cover half of college costs still perceive potential savings as fruitless. Overall, targeted financial literacy interventions can expand CSA effectiveness considerably. ideas.repec.org/p/feb/artefa...
- Reposted by John A. ListIs there a more effective and efficient way to curb workplace misbehaviour (under relative performance pay) than monitoring and punishment (which depress productivity and harm morale)? Yes, field research by Flory et al finds—bonuses: buff.ly/merEqSF HT @johnlist.bsky.social
- Today, scaling has evolved far beyond its origins as a mere objective. It now represents a rich domain for scientific inquiry, demanding contributions from economics and allied disciplines. As such, I am excited to announce a special issue on scaling at the JPE-Micro!
- Our special issue seeks to foster novel theoretical and empirical papers that treat scaling as an object of study in its own right—exploring its methodological foundations, economic incentives, institutional challenges, and pathways to impact. Please spread the word! ideas.repec.org/p/feb/artefa...
- Referees make the journal system work. They are selfless in volunteering their time to ensure that our science continues to progress. All of the great referees out there please know that editors recognize your hard work and tireless effort. We do not always say it, but we do! Thank you.
- Few things can make a father prouder than his daughter changing the world....by teaching about field experiments at the World Youth Economic Forum!
- Reposted by John A. ListForthcoming article by Kuan-Ming Chen, Ning Ding @johnlist.bsky.social and Magne Mogstad "Reservation Wages and Workers’ Valuation of Job Flexibility: Evidence from a Natural Field Experiment" @eeanews.bsky.social doi.org/10.1093/jeea...
- Reposted by John A. ListRelative to a white driver traveling the same speed, minorities are 24 -33% more likely to be stopped for speeding and to pay 23-34% more in fines. Research by Pradhi Aggarwal, Alec Brandon, Ariel Goldszmidt, Justin Holz, John A. List, Ian Muir, Gregory Sun, and Thomas Yu. ow.ly/hVgO50Qxk7t
- I just finished an interview on scaling and the interviewer challenged me to "put scaling in a sports analogy so our non-technical listeners can understand your research and its origins". My response?
- It’s like hitting a home run in the minors and striking out in the majors. I was pushed on whether my own ideas in early childhood scaled, by both policymakers and my wife! And, I saw many pilot programs that dazzled, only to flop when scaled up.
- That disconnect fascinated me—and scared me, honestly. So I studied it, and that led to ‘The Voltage Effect’. ideas.repec.org/p/feb/artefa...
- In meetings today at Walmart and an exec asked me: “How do economists define courage?” Caught off guard and lost for words, I channeled my inner John Wayne, and uttered: “courage is being scared witless to present at the University of Chicago, but saddling up anyway.” How would you have answered?
- Reposted by John A. Listnice new paper by the ever productive @johnlist.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- Reposted by John A. List🚨 Nonprofit & philanthropy leaders! Join the 2025 Science of Philanthropy Initiative (SPI) Conference to team up with top researchers on bold, data-driven giving solutions. Led by @johnlist.bsky.social & Amir Pasic. Apply 👉 ow.ly/htlX50Wf1To #SPI2025 #nonprofit #philanthropy
- Reposted by John A. ListStudy by Cook et al with 1M rideshare drivers finds a 7% gender earnings gap, which is fully explained by driver tastes and learning: •returns to experience •a pay premium for faster driving •preferences for where to drive buff.ly/5NbKXJ5 HT coauthor @johnlist.bsky.social
- I just happened upon a group of high school students aspiring to be Chicago Economists. They asked me how I judge my field of experimental economics is doing. My statement was a simple one:
- Ultimately, the merit of Economics lies in its capacity to illuminate the complexities of the world and to harness its insights for meaningful progress. By these measures, experimentalists are profoundly shaping a wiser, more impactful future.
- Gender pay gaps. I just sat through a lecture where the speaker said that "since women are averse to bargaining, once we take away negotiations the gap will disappear."
- My response: one must always take care because differences in preferences, beliefs, or constraints can cause gender pay gaps. Our recent paper shows this quite clearly ideas.repec.org/p/feb/natura...
