Robert D. Metcalfe
Professor of Economics
Department of Economics
University of Southern California
Co-Editor: Journal of Public Economics
Associate Editor: Journal of Political Economy: Microeconomics
Research Associate: National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
Affiliate: Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)
Chief Economist: Centre for Net Zero, Octopus Energy Group
Curriculum Vitae | Google Scholar | RePEc | Twitter | LinkedIn
Fields: Applied microeconomics; environmental & energy economics; behavioral & experimental economics; labor/personnel economics; public economics.
Working Papers:
Brandon, A., Ferraro, P., List, J., Metcalfe, R., Price, M., Rundhammer, F. Revise and resubmit, Review of Economic Studies
Smart Meters: Do Their Prices Matter to Their Adoption and Do They Save Energy?
List, J., Metcalfe, R., Price, M. Revise and resubmit, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management
Larson, F., List, J., Metcalfe, R. Reject and resubmit, Econometrica
Expecting Climate Change: Evidence from a Nationwide Field Experiment in the Housing Market
Fairweather, D., Kahn, M., Metcalfe, R., Sandoval-Olascoaga, S.
The Value of Time in the United States: Estimates from Nationwide Natural Field Experiments
Goldszmidt, A., List, J., Metcalfe, R., Muir, I., Smith, K., Wang, J. Under review.
The Human Perils of Scaling Smart Technologies: Evidence from Field Experiments
Brandon, A., Clapp, C., List, J., Metcalfe, R., Price, M. Under review.
Welfare Estimates of Shifting Peak Travel
Hahn, R., Metcalfe, R., Tam, E.
Management and Productivity in Retail
Metcalfe, R., Sollaci, A., Syverson, C.
The Impact of Demand Response on Energy Consumption and Economic Welfare
Jacob, M., Jenkinson, R., Lopez Garcia, D., Metcalfe, R., Schein, A., Simpson, C., Yu, L.
Akesson, J., Hahn, R., Kochhar, R., Metcalfe, R. Under review.
The Impact of Fake Reviews on Demand and Welfare
Akesson, J., Hahn, R., Metcalfe, R., Monti-Nussbaum, M. Under review.
Race and Redistribution in the United States: An Experimental Analysis
Akesson, J., Hahn, R., Metcalfe, R., Rasooly, I. Under review.
Using Big Data to Estimate Consumer Surplus: The Case of Uber
Cohen, P., Hahn, R., Hall, J., Metcalfe, R., Levitt, S. Under review.
Harnessing Policy Complementarities to Conserve Energy: Evidence from a Natural Field Experiment
List, J., Metcalfe, R., Price, M., Rundhammer, F.
Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications:
Nudging Timely Wage Reporting: Field Experimental Evidence from the U.S. SSI Program
Zhang, C.Y., Hemmeter, J., Kessler, J.B., Metcalfe, R., Weathers, R. (2023) Management Science
The Making of Homo Honoratus: From Omission to Commission
Hallsworth, M., List, J., Metcalfe, R., Vlaev, I. (2023) Journal of Consumer Psychology.
Measuring the Welfare Effects of Shame and Pride
Butera, L., Morrison, W., Metcalfe, R., Taubinsky, D. (2022) American Economic Review
[Ungated PDF] [Slides] [Click for Charity user interface] [Download QSF files for Prolific version]
Fatalism, Beliefs, and Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Akesson, J., Ashworth-Hayes, S., Hahn, R., Metcalfe R., Rasooly, I. (2022) Journal of Risk and Uncertainty
Efficiency and Equity Impacts of Energy Subsidies.
Hahn, R., Metcalfe, R. (2021) American Economic Review
[Ungated PDF] [Slides]
Burgess, S., Metcalfe, R., Sadoff, S. (2021) Economics of Education Review
Gosnell. G., List, J., Metcalfe, R. (2020) Journal of Political Economy Lead article
[Harvard Business Review] [Ungated PDF] [Slides]
Brandon, A., List, J., Metcalfe, R., Price, M., Rundhammer, F. (2019) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States
Quantifying the Intangible Impact of the Olympics Using Subjective Well-Being Data.
Dolan, P., Kavetsos, G., Krekel, C., Mavridis, D., Metcalfe, R., Senik, S., Szymanski, S., Ziebarth, N. (2019) Journal of Public Economics
[Slides]
Metcalfe, R., Burgess, S., Proud, S. (2019) Journal of Public Economics
The Behavioralist as Tax Collector: Using Natural Field Experiments to Enhance Tax Compliance.
Hallsworth, M., List, J., Metcalfe, R., Vlaev, I. (2017) Journal of Public Economics
Metcalfe, R., Powdthavee, N., Dolan, P. (2011) Economic Journal
Selected work in progress:
A Welfare Analysis of Policies Affecting Climate Change
Hahn, R., Hendren, N., Metcalfe, R., Sprung-Keyser, B.
The Value and Welfare Effect of Automatic Electric Vehicle Charging
Metcalfe, R., Schein, A., Simpson, C.
Making the Invisible Visible: The Impacts of Real-Time Feedback on Indoor Air Pollution
Metcalfe, R., Roth, S.
Impact of Management on Maritime Productivity and Emissions
Metcalfe, R.
The Welfare Effect of Energy Debt Forgiveness
Akesson, J., Hahn, R., Metcalfe, R., Tam, E.
The Impact of Income on Energy Demand
Hahn, R., Metcalfe, R., Tam, E.
Estimating Switching Costs Under Full Information
Akesson, J., Hahn, R., Metcalfe, R.
Are Bad Social Norms Good?
Akesson, J., Conti, R., Hahn, R., Metcalfe, R., Rasooly, I.
Bio:
I have previously worked at Boston University, University of Chicago, and University of Oxford. I have also previously worked in the U.K. Government as an Economist, and had a short-term position as a Fellow at the Social and Behavioral Sciences Team at the Office of Science and Technology Policy, Office of the U.S. President. I completed my Ph.D. at Imperial College London, M.Sc. at the London School of Economics, and B.A. at the University of Wales, Swansea. I grew up in a working class neighborhood in Swansea, United Kingdom. I am a first-gen college graduate.
I am also co-founder of two companies, The Behavioralist and Signol.