Colin Camerer: Econ's Neurovisionary

An absorbing conversation featuring Colin Camerer (CASBS fellow, 1997-98), among the world's most accomplished scholars in both behavioral economics and neuroeconomics, with economist Stephanie Wang (2024-25). Camerer discusses his groundbreaking work on the neuroeconomics of self-control and habit formation; offers insights on generating ideas for, building, then scaling behavioral models; and explains why neuroscience remains a wide-open field awaiting the contributions of so-far mostly reluctant economists and other social scientists. COLIN CAMERER: Caltech faculty page | Camerer research group | on Google Scholar | Wikipedia page | bio at the Decision Lab | bio at MacArthur Foundation | STEPHANIE WANG: Pitt faculty page | Personal website | on Google Scholar | CASBS bio | Works discussed or mentioned in this episode: C. Camerer, Behavioral Game Theory: Experiments in Strategic Interaction . Princeton University Press, 2003. C. Camerer, "Can Asset Markets Be Manipulated? A Field Experiment with Racetrack Betting," Journal of Political Economy , 1998. C. Camerer, et al., "The Golden Age of Social Science," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , 2021. C. Camerer, et al., " A Neural Autopilot Theory of Habit: Evidence from Consumer Purchases and Social Media Use," Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior , 2024. S. Wang, C. Camerer, et al., "Looming Large or Seeming Small? Attitudes Toward Losses in a Representative Sample," Review of Economic Studies , 2025. F. Ramsey, "Truth and Probability" (1926), published in F. Ramsey, The Foundations of Mathematics and Other Logical Essays (1931) U. Malmendier, S. Nagel, " Depression Babies: Do Macroeconomic Experiences Affect Risk Taking?" Quarterly Journal of Economics , 2011. M. Cobb, The Idea of the Brain: The Past and Future of Neuroscience , Basic Books, 2020. M. Gaetani, "CASBS in the History of Behavioral Economics," CASBS website, 2018. Also of interest: S. Wang, et al., eds., "Mindful Economics: A Special Issue in Honor of Colin Camerer," Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization , forthcoming. Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) at Stanford University Exp