Resources Repository
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Tutorial/PrimerWeb Portal, Teaching Resource 2015Decision Theory
This chapter on normative decision theory is from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, a dynamic reference …
This chapter on normative decision theory is from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, a dynamic reference work available online. Decision theory is concerned with the reasoning underlying an person's choices, whether a mundane choice between taking the bus or getting a taxi, or a more far-reaching choice about whether to pursue a demanding political career. The orthodox normative decision theory, expected utility (EU) theory, essentially says that, in situations of uncertainty, one should prefer the option…
Preferences/Values | Decision Theory | Economics/Finance | Graduate | Doctoral | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Quantitative Literacy -
Tutorial/PrimerPublication, Teaching Resource 2014Decision Theory: A Formal Philosophical Introduction
Decision theory is the study of how choices are and should be made in a …
Decision theory is the study of how choices are and should be made in a variety of different contexts. The author approaches the topic from a formal-philosophical point of view with a focus on normative and conceptual issues. After considering the question of how decision problems should be framed, he examines both the standard theories of chance under conditions of certainty, risk and uncertainty and some of the current debates about how uncertainty should be measured and how…
Preferences/Values | Decision Theory | Economics/Finance | Doctoral | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Quantitative Literacy -
Online LearningVideo, Teaching Resource 2010TED Talk. The Art of Choosing
In this talk, Sheena Iyengar challenges three key assumptions of the standard economic model of …
In this talk, Sheena Iyengar challenges three key assumptions of the standard economic model of choice: 1) that it is always in the individual’s best interests to choose for themselves, 2) that more choice are always better, and 3) that we should never say no to choice. In particular, she highlights differences in the way people view choice in the US and in other parts of the world. Iyengar argues that if we were to…
Preferences/Values | Decision Psychology | Child/Nutrition | Education/Labor | High School | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Professional | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Decision Making/Leadership -
Online LearningVideo, Teaching Resource 2010TED Talk. The Riddle of Experience vs. Memory
In recent years, much attention has been devoted to the study of happiness, yet Daniel …
In recent years, much attention has been devoted to the study of happiness, yet Daniel Kahneman argues that there is confusion around defining happiness or well-being. He distinguishes between the happiness of our “experiencing selves” (whether we are happy in the moment) and our “remembering selves” (whether we are happy with the state of our lives on reflection). When we make choices, therefore, our decisions may be biased toward pleasing either the experiencing or remembering…
Preferences/Values | Decision Psychology | Chronic Disease/Risk | Culture/Society | Health/Medicine | High School | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Professional | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Decision Making/Leadership -
Tutorial/PrimerPublication, Teaching Resource 1994Decision Theory: A Brief Introduction
Decision theory is theory about decisions. The subject is not a very unified one. To …
Decision theory is theory about decisions. The subject is not a very unified one. To the contrary, there are many different ways to theorize about decisions, and therefore also many different research traditions. This text attempts to reflect some of the diversity of the subject. This text, by Sven Ove Hansson, is a non-technical overview of modern decision theory. Its emphasis lies on the less (mathematically) technical aspects of decision theory. It is intended for university students…
Preferences/Values | Decision Theory | Economics/Finance | Graduate | Doctoral | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Quantitative Literacy -
Online LearningPodcast, Teaching Resource 2018Choiceology with Katy Milkman
Through a series of ~30 minute podcasts sponsored by Charles Schwab, Katy Milkman a Wharton …
Through a series of ~30 minute podcasts sponsored by Charles Schwab, Katy Milkman a Wharton Professor asks “can we learn to make smarter choices?” Available for free through Apple’s iTunes, Google Podcasts or Spotify, Milkman explores lessons that have been learned from behavioral economics, sharing stories of irrational decision making--from historical blunders to everyday errors with the potential to impact the future. Season 1 of Choiceology included 7 podcasts hosted by author Dan Heath that…
Decision Psychology | Global | High School | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Professional | Critical Thinking/Analysis -
Online LearningVideo, Teaching Resource 2017Forum. The Opioid Crisis: A Governors Roundtable
Opioid overdoses claim the lives of 91 Americans every day, according to the Centers for …
Opioid overdoses claim the lives of 91 Americans every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This Forum - The Opioid Crisis: A Governors Roundtable, is part of the series, Policy Controversies, and was presented jointly with PRI’s The World & WGBH News. In this multimedia forum, four former governors offered candid insights into how government policy can help, exploring what works and what doesn’t. They spoke about experiences within their own…
Priority Setting/Ethics | Health Outcomes | Chronic Disease/Risk | Mental Health | Social Determinants | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Economics/Finance | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | North America | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Professional | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Decision Making/Leadership | Policy Translation -
Tutorial/PrimerPublication, Teaching Resource 2016Cost per DALY Thresholds and Health Opportunity Costs
This policy brief aims to explain the cost per DALY threshold and the concepts of …
This policy brief aims to explain the cost per DALY threshold and the concepts of health opportunity costs, especially aimed at low and middle-income countries. The authors state that an assessment of health opportunity costs is required if the best use is to be made of health and healthcare resources. This requires an assessment of whether the improvement in health outcomes they offer exceeds the improvement in health that would have been possible if the…
Priority Setting/Ethics | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health Systems | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Global | Graduate | Doctoral | Professional | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Decision Making/Leadership | Policy Translation -
Tutorial/PrimerPublication, Teaching Resource 2015White Paper: Retrospective Benefit-Cost Analysis
In this article the authors consider how benefit-cost analysis can be used retrospectively to promote …
In this article the authors consider how benefit-cost analysis can be used retrospectively to promote understanding of the impacts after a policy is implemented. Serving as a brief primer, the authors propose that analysis can be useful for identifying needed reforms as well as in improving the conduct of future prospective analyses. The major challenges relate to estimating what would have occurred in the absence of the policy and separating the effects of the policy…
Priority Setting/Ethics | Benefit-Cost Analysis | Social Determinants | Environmental Health | Policy/Regulation | Culture/Society | Economics/Finance | Government/Law | North America | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Policy Translation