Senior Lecturer
Overview
Dr David Smerdon is a Lecturer in the School of Economics. He primarily works in behavioral and development economics. His research involves theory and modelling, experiments in the lab and field, and microeconometric analysis in order to investigate topics at the intersection of these fields.
David earned his PhD from the Tinbergen Institute and the University of Amsterdam (UvA) as a General Sir John Monash scholar, and afterwards worked as a PODER fellow at Bocconi University in Milan. His research often involves collaboration with non-academic partners, ranging from aid agencies and NGOs like US AID and Save the Children, to tech companies like Chess.com.
Prior to his academic career, David spent three years working for the Australian Department of Treasury as a policy analyst. David is also a chess Grandmaster and has represented Australia at seven chess Olympiads. Combining his passions, David occasionally conducts niche research in chess economics on topics such as gender inequality, cheating, and the life cycle of cognitive performance, supported by organisations such as the World Chess Federation (FIDE) and Chessable.
Research Interests
- Behavioural Economics
- Development Economics
- Migration
- Game theory
- Cultural Economics
Research Impacts
David's research motivation is focussed on policy-relevant issues, particularly those where behavioural economics can be applied to social policy. Examples of recent projects include:
- The social impact of refugee resettlement in Australia
- Policy solutions to eradicate female genital mutilation in Somalia
- Predicting when and how harmful social norms can be broken down
- Understanding the relationship between income inequality and trust within societies
- The relationship between gendered preferences and cross-country differences in gender equality in competitive environments
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Amsterdam
Publications
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Journal Article: Cooperation in the Time of COVID
Butterworth, Jade, Smerdon, David, Baumeister, Roy and von Hippel, William (2023). Cooperation in the Time of COVID. Perspectives on Psychological Science. doi: 10.1177/17456916231178719
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Journal Article: The effect of masks on cognitive performance
Smerdon, David (2022). The effect of masks on cognitive performance. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119 (49) e2206528119, 1-8. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2206528119
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Journal Article: The social capital effects of refugee resettlement on host communities*
Albrecht, Sabina and Smerdon, David (2022). The social capital effects of refugee resettlement on host communities*. Economic Record, 98 (320), 80-112. doi: 10.1111/1475-4932.12654
Grants
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Behavioural Macroeconomics and the Australian Housing Market
(2020–2023) Universities Australia - Germany Joint Research Co-operation Scheme
Supervision
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Gender and Competitiveness: The roles of risk and confidence
Master Philosophy
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Norm Maintenance Behaviour: Strong Reciprocity as a Maintenance Mechanism
Doctor Philosophy
Publications
Journal Article
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Cooperation in the Time of COVID
Butterworth, Jade, Smerdon, David, Baumeister, Roy and von Hippel, William (2023). Cooperation in the Time of COVID. Perspectives on Psychological Science. doi: 10.1177/17456916231178719
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The effect of masks on cognitive performance
Smerdon, David (2022). The effect of masks on cognitive performance. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119 (49) e2206528119, 1-8. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2206528119
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The social capital effects of refugee resettlement on host communities*
Albrecht, Sabina and Smerdon, David (2022). The social capital effects of refugee resettlement on host communities*. Economic Record, 98 (320), 80-112. doi: 10.1111/1475-4932.12654
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Jachimowicz, Jon M., Szaszi, Barnabas, Lukas, Marcel, Smerdon, David, Prabhu, Jaideep and Weber, Elke U. (2020). Higher economic inequality intensifies the financial hardship of people living in poverty by fraying the community buffer. Nature Human Behaviour, 4 (7), 702-712. doi: 10.1038/s41562-020-0849-2
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Female chess players show typical stereotype-threat effects: commentary on Stafford (2018)
Smerdon, David, Hu, Hairong, McLennan, Andrew, von Hippel, William and Albrecht, Sabina (2020). Female chess players show typical stereotype-threat effects: commentary on Stafford (2018). Psychological Science, 31 (6), 956797620924051-759. doi: 10.1177/0956797620924051
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‘Everybody’s doing it’: on the persistence of bad social norms
Smerdon, David, Offerman, Theo and Gneezy, Uri (2019). ‘Everybody’s doing it’: on the persistence of bad social norms. Experimental Economics, 23 (2), 392-420. doi: 10.1007/s10683-019-09616-z
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Longevity of outstanding sporting achievers: mind versus muscle
Tran-Duy, An, Smerdon, David C. and Clarke, Philip M. (2018). Longevity of outstanding sporting achievers: mind versus muscle. PLoS one, 13 (5) e0196938, e0196938. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196938
Other Outputs
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Everybody's doing it: On the Emergence and Persistence of Bad Social Norms
Smerdon, David, Offerman, Theo and Gneezy, Uri (2016). Everybody's doing it: On the Emergence and Persistence of Bad Social Norms. Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers. 16-023/I. Tinbergen Institute.
Grants (Administered at UQ)
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Behavioural Macroeconomics and the Australian Housing Market
(2020–2023) Universities Australia - Germany Joint Research Co-operation Scheme
PhD and MPhil Supervision
Current Supervision
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Gender and Competitiveness: The roles of risk and confidence
Master Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
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Norm Maintenance Behaviour: Strong Reciprocity as a Maintenance Mechanism
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
