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John A. List

@johnlist.bsky.social

4.9K followers 5.7K following 130 posts

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!

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John A. List @johnlist.bsky.social · Mar 25

I finally have a publication date for my new Experimental Economics textbook: December 12. Equally as important, I am proud to have negotiated a low price for the book: $38.10...for a nearly 800 page book!
You can find the book here: www.amazon.com/Experimental...

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John A. List @johnlist.bsky.social · 19h

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?

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John A. List @johnlist.bsky.social · 1d

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...

Do women supply more public goods than men? Preliminary expe

No abstract is available for this item.

ideas.repec.org

John A. List @johnlist.bsky.social · 2d

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!

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John A. List @johnlist.bsky.social · 2d

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.

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Reposted by John A. List

koenfucius @koenfucius.bsky.social · 8d

(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

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John A. List @johnlist.bsky.social · 11d

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

Why Don’t Struggling Students Do Their Homework? Disentangling Motivation and Study Productivity as Drivers of Human Capital Formation

Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...

www.nber.org

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John A. List @johnlist.bsky.social · 13d

"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...

Experimental Economics: Theory and Practice

Experimental Economics: Theory and Practice: 9780226820675: Economics Books @ Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

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John A. List @johnlist.bsky.social · 13d

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..

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John A. List @johnlist.bsky.social · 15d

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...

Why Don't Struggling Students Do Their Homework? Disentangli

Using field-experimental data (study-time tracking and randomized incentives), we identify a structural model of learning. Student effort is influenced by external costs/benefits and unobserved hetero

ideas.repec.org

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John A. List @johnlist.bsky.social · 15d

Great stuff @singhabhi.bsky.social!

Abhijeet Singh @singhabhi.bsky.social · Sep 5

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"

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Reposted by John A. List

Becker Friedman Institute for Economics @beckerfriedman.bsky.social · 29d

Tipping 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...

Season 15, Episode 1 - Freakonomics

freakonomics.com

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Reposted by John A. List

ECONtribute @econtribute.bsky.social · 26d

Today 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

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John A. List @johnlist.bsky.social · Aug 31

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...

Five Facts About the First-Generation Excellence Gap

Parents are crucial to children's educational success, but the role of parental education in fostering academic excellence remains underexplored. Using longitudinal administrative data covering all No

ideas.repec.org

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John A. List @johnlist.bsky.social · Aug 31

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…. .

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Reposted by John A. List

Becker Friedman Institute for Economics @beckerfriedman.bsky.social · Aug 26

🎙️ 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

John List: Inspiring Student Curiosity through Real-World Economics

In this episode, University of Chicago professor John List shares his unique approach to teaching economics.

ow.ly

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Reposted by John A. List

NBER @nber.org · Aug 19

Providing the first large-scale analysis of College Saving Accounts participation and effectiveness, from Guglielmo Briscese, John A. List, and Sabrina Liu https://www.nber.org/papers/w34126

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John A. List @johnlist.bsky.social · Aug 13

Especially appreciate Liverpool fans signing up!

Robert Metcalfe @rmetcalfe.bsky.social · Aug 11

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

Fantasy Premier League, Official Fantasy Football Game of the Premier League

Official Fantasy Premier League 2025/26. Free to play fantasy football game, set up your fantasy football team at the Official Premier League site.

fantasy.premierleague.com

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John A. List @johnlist.bsky.social · Aug 9

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...

Navigating the College Affordability Crisis: Insights from C

With higher education costs consistently outpacing inflation and public funding declining, college affordability has become a critical barrier to economic mobility for middle- and low-income families.

ideas.repec.org

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John A. List @johnlist.bsky.social · Aug 9

**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.

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Reposted by John A. List

koenfucius @koenfucius.bsky.social · Aug 7

Is 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

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John A. List @johnlist.bsky.social · Aug 5

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...

Call for Papers: Special Issue on the Science of Scaling

We are excited to announce a special issue dedicated to the â€œScience of Scalingâ€ in the Journal of Political Economy: Microeconomics. This special issue aims to advance rigorous, interdisciplinary

ideas.repec.org

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John A. List @johnlist.bsky.social · Aug 5

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!

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John A. List @johnlist.bsky.social · Aug 4

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.

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John A. List @johnlist.bsky.social · Aug 1

Few things can make a father prouder than his daughter changing the world....by teaching about field experiments at the World Youth Economic Forum!

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Reposted by John A. List

jeeanews.bsky.social @jeeanews.bsky.social · Jul 18

Forthcoming 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...

Reservation Wages and Workers’ Valuation of Job Flexibility: Evidence from a Natural Field Experiment

Abstract. We quantify how labor supply elasticities and reservation wages vary between people and over time, and infer workers’ valuation of flexibility in

doi.org

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