TBA
2026-10-07 00:45 - 14:00 (Europe/Helsinki) | 15.1.39
Sofía Velasco
(Banco de España)

“TBA”

Face to face 15.2.71 – Room 15.1.39

TBA
2026-10-15 12:45 - 14:00
Manuel García Santana
(CREI)

“TBA”

Face to Face 15.2.71 – Room 15.1.39

TBA
2026-10-19 00:45 - 14:00
Leopoldo Fergusson
(Universidad de los Andes)

“TBA”

Face to Face 15.2.71 – Room 15.1.39

On the Inefficiency of Social Learning
2026-10-20 00:45 - 14:00
Florian Brandl
(University of Bonn)

“On the Inefficiency of Social Learning“
Abstract: We study whether a social planner can restore efficient learning a finite expected number of incorrect actions in the canonical sequential social learning model. Agents act in order, each choosing one of two actions based on a private signal and the social information they observe. The planner controls the social information disclosed to each agent and offers transfers contingent on the agent’s action. We show that whenever learning is inefficient without intervention, no combination of disclosure and transfers restores efficient learning at finite cost: the planner must offer subsidies approaching the full value of a correct decision to infinitely many agents, so the expected total offered transfer is infinite. In particular, no disclosure policy alone restores efficiency. Offered transfers, however, differ from realized payments: since a transfer is paid only when the agent takes the subsidized action, the planner can achieve efficient learning while keeping the expected total realized payment arbitrarily small.

Face to Face 15.2.71 – Room 15.1.39

Zoning: Misallocation or Externalities?
2026-10-22 12:45 - 14:00
Chang-Tai Hsieh
(University of Chicago)

“Zoning: Misallocation or Externalities?”

Face to Face 15.2.71 – Room 15.1.39

From Correction to Connection: Relational Approaches to Countering Misinformation (with Cesi Cruz)
2026-10-26 00:45 - 14:00
Julien Labonne
(University of Oxford)

“From Correction to Connection: Relational Approaches to Countering Misinformation (with Cesi Cruz)”
Abstract: As social media becomes an important source of political information in many democracies, citizens are increasingly exposed to misleading content that distorts public discourse and weakens trust in institutions. While most current initiatives assume that misinformation persists because citizens lack the skills, motivation, or attention needed to evaluate information accurately, we argue that it is a feature of relational information environments. This reframing motivates a different approach: using in-person workshops to bring communities together to reflect collectively on how information circulates, is shared, and shapes public life. Using media literacy as a vehicle for discussion, these sessions encouraged participants to navigate disagreement and develop shared norms around information integrity. We present findings from a randomized controlled trial in 160 villages across the Philippines, a country often cited as an early case of social media-driven democratic backsliding. Treated individuals perceived less political polarization and reported greater interest in politics. They relied less on Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok for political news and engaged more frequently in offline discussion through civic and religious networks. Comparable effects among untreated peers indicate meaningful community-level spillovers. Effects also extended to electoral outcomes: using official electoral results, we find that, in treatment villages, candidates who relied heavily on Facebook advertising underperformed and voters were less responsive to false online rumors about local candidates. In-person, community-based interventions can change how people engage with political information, strengthening both informational integrity and democratic accountability.

Face to face 15.2.71 – Room 15.1.39

TBA
2026-10-27 12:45 - 14:00
Martin Vaeth
(Paris School of Economics)

“TBA”

Face to Face 15.2.71 – Room Seminar 15.1.39

TBA
2026-10-28 00:45 - 14:00
Daniel Gutknecht
(Goethe-Universität Frankfurt)

“TBA”

Face to Face 15.2.71 – Room 15.1.39

TBA
2026-10-29 12:45 - 14:00
Kristina Manysheva
(Yale University)

“TBA”

Face to Face 15.2.71 – Room 15.1.39
