Professor Michael Price

RSE

Research School of Economics

Position
Professor
Email
michael.price@anu.edu.au
Phone number
+61 2 612 52387
Office
Room 1011, HW Arndt Bld (25A)
Research areas

Economics of charity; Field experiments (RCTs); Environmental economics; Behavioural economics; Translating research into policy.

Biography

Michael Price is a Professor of Economics, a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and a Research Associate at the Environmental and Resources Department at RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research.  An internationally recognised expert in behavioural economics and the use of field experiments, Michael’s research focuses on the design of policies based on behavioral insights and the use of field experiments to evaluate whether and why policies may or may not work. Michael has written on a variety of topics such as charitable giving, energy and water conservation, obesity and food choice, stress and economic decision-making, discrimination, and collusion. His work has appeared in a number of leading economic journals including The Quarterly Journal of EconomicsAmerican Economic ReviewReview of Economics and StatisticsExperimental EconomicsJournal of Public EconomicsJournal of EconometricsInternational Economic Review, and Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization. Michael’s research has been funded by the John Templeton Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

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Personal Website

Research publications

Holliday, Scott, Jacob LaRiviere, David Novgorodsky, and Michael K. Price, “Prices versus Nudges: What Matters for Search versus Purchase of Energy Investments,” Journal of Public Economics, 172(2019): pp. 151-173.

Brandon, Alec, John A. List, Robert D. Metcalfe, Michael K. Price, and Florian Rundhammer, “Testing for Crowd Out in Social Nudges: Evidence from a Natural Field Experiment in the Market for Electricity,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(2019): pp. 5293-5298.

Neilson, William, Michael K. Price, and Bruno Wichmann, “Added Surplus and Lost Bargaining Power in Long-term Contracting,” Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 76(2018): pp. 7-22.

Lange, Andreas, Michael K. Price, and Rudy Santore, “Signaling Quality through Gifts: Implications for the Charitable Sector,” European Economic Review, 96(2017): pp. 48-61,

Alevy, Jonathan E. and Michael K. Price, “Advice in the Marketplace: A Laboratory Experiment,” Experimental Economics, 20(2017): pp. 156-180.

Pellerano, Jose, Michael K. Price, Steven L. Puller, and Gonzalo E. Sanchez, “Do Intrinsic Incentives Undermine Social Norms? Evidence from a Field Experiment in Energy Conservation,” Environmental and Resource Economics, 67(2017): pp. 413-428.

Jacobsen, Mark, Jacob LaRiviere, and Michael K. Price, “Public Good Provision in the Presence of Heterogeneous Green Preferences,” Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, 4(2017): pp. 243-280.

List, John A., William S. Neilson and Michael K. Price, “The Effects of Group Membership in a Strategic Setting: Evidence from the Field,” European Economic Review, 90(2016): pp. 67-85.

List, John A. and Michael K. Price, “Using Field Experiments in Environmental and Resource Economics,” Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, 10(2016): pp. 206-225.

Holladay, J. Scott, Michael K. Price, and Marianne Wanamaker, “The Perverse Impacts of Calling for Energy Conservation,” Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 110(2015): pp. 1-18.

Price, Michael K., “Using Field Experiments to Address Environmental Externalities and Resource Scarcity: Major Lessons Learned and New Directions for Future Research,” Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 30(2014): pp. 621-638.

Bernedo, Maria, Paul J. Ferraro, and Michael K. Price, “The Persistent Impacts of Norm-Based Messaging and Their Implications for Water Conservation,” Journal of Consumer Policy, 37(2014): pp. 437-452.

Castledine, Anita, Klaus Moeltner, Michael K. Price, and Shawn Stoddard, “Free to Choose: Promoting Conservation by Relaxing Outdoor Watering Restrictions,” Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 107(2014): pp. 324-343.

Ferraro, Paul J. and Michael K. Price, “Using Non-Pecuniary Strategies to Influence Behavior: Evidence from a Large-Scale Field Experiment,” Review of Economics and Statistics, 95 (2013): pp. 64-73.

Henderson, Daniel J., John A. List, Daniel L. Millimet, Christopher F. Parmeter, and Michael K. Price, “Empirical Implementation of Nonparametric First-Price Auction Models,” Journal of Econometrics, 168 (2012): pp. 17-28.

List, John A. and Michael K. Price, “Charitable Giving Around the Globe: Thoughts on How to Expand the Pie,” CESifo Economic Studies, 58 (2012): pp. 1-30.

Ferraro, Paul J., Juan Jose Miranda, and Michael K. Price, “The Persistence of Treatment Effects with Norm-Based Policy Instruments: Evidence from a Randomized Environmental Policy Experiment,” American Economic Review Papers and Proceedings, 101 (2011): pp. 318-322.

Lange, Andreas, John A. List, and Michael K. Price, “Auctions with Resale when Private Values are Uncertain: Evidence from the Lab and Field,” International Journal of Industrial Organization, 29 (2011): pp. 54-64. 

Landry, Craig E., Andreas Lange, John A. List, Michael K. Price, and Nicholas G. Rupp, “Is a Donor in Hand Better than Two in the Bush? Evidence from a Natural Field Experiment,” American Economic Review, 100 (2010): pp. 958-983.  

List, John A. and Michael K. Price, “The Role of Social Connections in Charitable Fundraising: Evidence from a Natural Field Experiment,” Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 69 (2009): pp. 160-169.  

“Fund-Raising Success and a Solicitor’s Beauty Capital: Do Blondes Raise More Funds?”, Economics Letters, 100 (2008): pp. 351-354. 

“Using the Spatial Distribution of Bidders to Detect Collusion in the Marketplace: Evidence from Timber Auctions,” Journal of Regional Science, 48 (2008): pp. 399-418.

Lange, Andreas, John A. List, and Michael K. Price, “A Fundraising Mechanism Inspired by Historical Tontines: Theory and Experimental Evidence,” Journal of Public Economics, 91 (2007): pp. 1750-1782.

Lange, Andreas, John A. List, and Michael K. Price, “Using Lotteries to Finance Public Goods: Theory and Experimental Evidence,” International Economic Review, 48 (2007): pp. 901-927.

Price, Michael K. and Craig E. Landry, “Earmarking Lottery Proceeds for Education: Empirical Evidence from U.S. Lotto Expenditures,” Economics Letters, 95 (2007): pp. 451-455.

Landry, Craig E., Andreas Lange, John A. List, Michael K. Price, and Nicholas G. Rupp, “Towards an Understanding of the Economics of Charity: Evidence from a Field Experiment,” Quarterly Journal of Economics, 121 (2006): pp. 747-782.

McConnell, Kenneth E. and Michael Price, “The Lay System in Commercial Fisheries: Origin and Implications,” Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 51(2006): pp. 295-307.  

Lange, Andreas, John A. List, Michael K. Price, and Shannon M. Price, “The Optimal Design of Charitable Lotteries: Theory and Experimental Evidence,” Research in Experimental Economics, Volume 11, (2006).

List, John A. and Michael K. Price, “Conspiracies and Secret Price Discounts in the Marketplace: Evidence from the Field,” RAND Journal of Economics, 36(2005): pp. 700-717.

Research grants and awards

Grants

National Science Foundation Award #2033425, “RAPID: Uncovering the Effects of COVID-19 on Stress, Well-being, and Economic Decision-Making,” 2020-present.

National Science Foundation Award #1658743, “Using Field Experiments and Naturally Occurring Data to Understand How State Policies Impact Charitable Giving,” 2017-2020.

Qatar National Research Fund NPRP9-232-5-026, “Promoting Energy Efficiency in Qatar: Field Experimental Evidence,” 2016-present.

National Institute for Health R01DK107686, “Understanding the Effect of Calorie Menu Labels on Obesity: Producer and Consumer Response to the ACA’s Calorie Posting Requirement,” 2015-present.

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, “The Welfare Effects of a ‘Nudge’,” 2015-2019.

Research engagement and outreach

Editorial Council, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 2011-2015.

Guest Editor, Special Issue, Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 2015

Guest Editor, Special Issue, Journal of Economics and Management, 2013.

Co-organizer with John List of the Summer Institute for Field Experiments at the University of Chicago (2015-2017). The summer institute brought in young academics and firms/government organizations to train them on the use of field experiments and facilitate research partnerships.