Markus Mobius
Principal Researcher
About
My main research agenda deals with the economics of social networks. On the theory side, I build models of learning, coordination and cooperation within social networks. I am particularly interested in how social networks can generate trust. On the empirical side, I use a combination of lab and field experiments with real social networks to estimate these models. In a second line of research, I have explored how people manage their self-confidence when ego is at stake. Recently, I have used browsing data to analyze the economics of online news consumption.
I was formerly an Associate Professor of economics at Harvard University. I received my PhD from MIT in 2000 and previously earned an M.Phil in economics and a B.A. in mathematics from Oxford University.
In joint work with my coauthors Adam Szeidl, Tanya Rosenblat, Attila Ambrus, and Dean Karlan we developed the social collateral approach to social capital which provides a tractable framework to think about repeated games in social networks. We created a dedicated website which lists our relevant research papers as well as software: http://www.socialcollateral.org (opens in new tab)