PhD defence of Rei Sayag on Friday 14 November 2014

Promotie Rei Sayag op vrijdag 14 november 2014

On Friday 14 November 2014 Rei Sayag will defend his PhD thesis entitled 'Communication and Learning in Decision'. Supervisor is Professor Bauke Visser (Tinbergen Institute/Erasmus School of Economics), Other members of the Doctoral Committee are ProfessorRobert Dur (Erasmus School of Economics), professor Arthur Schram and Professor Randolph Sloof (beiden Amsterdam School of Economics).

Time and location

The PhD defence will take place in the Senate Hall of Erasmus University Rotterdam (Campus Woudestein) and will start at 09.30 hrs.

About Rei Sayag

Rei S. Sayag (1981) holds a Bachelor of Science in International Business and Economics from the University of Amsterdam and a Master of Science in Economics from the University of Amsterdam and Tinbergen Institute. His research interests include Applied Microeconomic Theory and Experimental Economics, mostly in application to Organizational and Behavioral Economics. He currently resides in Barcelona, Spain, where he is working as a postdoctoral researcher at Pompeu Fabra University.

About thesis 'Communication and Learning in Decision'

Making a decision is not an easy task. For this reason, before purchasing a new house, voting for a political party, or undergoing a complex medical operation we often seek additional information about the options available to us. Yet, before relying on such information we should consider two important questions. First, is the source of information trustworthy? Second, do we understand the received information correctly?

This thesis touches on both these questions. The first part of the thesis constructs theoretical models to explore the first question. It focuses on environments in which an advice given to a decision maker is influenced by the advisor's wish to be known as a 'good advisor'. It is shown how policy choices and organizational structure are determined in such environments. The second part of the thesis addresses the second question. Employing a laboratory experiment, it explores how changes in the cost of given information can affect the manner in which it is used by decision makers.

More information

Sander Renes conducted his doctoral research at the Tinbergen Institute. The Tinbergen Institute is a joint research institute of Erasmus School of Economics, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Amsterdam and Faculty of Economics and Business Administration of VU University Amsterdam.

For more information about this ceremony, please contact Ronald de Groot, Communication Officer of the Erasmus School of Economics phone +31 10 408 1762 or by e-mail: rdegroot@ese.eur.nl.

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