‘Planning or doing? The ageing of society and the recent financial crisis put pressure on our system of social security. There is a tendency to shift part of the responsibility for future income and health care from the social security system to individuals. Yet, one may wonder to what extent individuals can bear these responsibilities. Classical economics assumes that people are perfectly rational. Research in psychology and other social sciences, however, shows that people systematically deviate from rationality. One example is the gap between planning and doing. Many of us procrastinate on making investments for our own future such as saving more for our pensions, quitting smoking, or going to the gym. Such a psychological bias makes it difficult for individuals to bear the responsibility for their own future income and health. (from press release).
About Kirsten RohdeKirsten Rohde’s (1980) research predominantly centers on intertemporal choice, a field of decision theory which analyses the tradeoffs people make between the present and the future. She has been working on an often observed irrationality in such tradeoffs: procrastination. Kirsten is interested in developing nudges to help people overcome such irrational behavior. She does both theoretical and experimental work. Other research areas of Kirsten Rohde include concerns for equality and social preferences, and decisions under risk. She holds a PhD in economics (2006) from Maastricht University. Since 2006 she has been working at the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) as an assistant and associate professor.