Smart Economic Decision-Making in a Complex World

Morris Altman is the Dean of the University of Dundee School of Business and Chair Professor of Behavioral and Institutional Economics and Co-operatives. He is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, earning his PhD in economics from McGill University in 1984. Morris was a former visiting scholar at Cambridge (Elected Visiting Fellow), Canterbury, New Zealand (Erskine Professor), Cornell, Duke, Harvard, Hebrew, Stirling, and Stanford University. He has published well over 120 refereed papers and given over 250 international academic presentations and has also published 19 books in economic theory, co-operatives, behavioral economics, economic growth, ethics, economic history, sustainability, and public policy. He is past president of the Society for the Advancement of Behavioral Economics (SABE) and the Association for Social Economics and is co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Review of Behavioral Economics. He also served on research committees of the International Co-operative Alliance.

1. Introduction: Smart thinking in the real world of complexity2. The evolution of decision-making: Why institutions and capabilities matters3. How complexity affects decision-making4. Freedom of choice in a complex world5. Understanding rational inefficiency: A scientific basis for economic failure and success6. How consumers can achieve freedom of choice: When consumers are truly sovereign7. Inside the black box of the firm: Why choice, power and preferences matter for productivity and efficiency8. How smart people can be involuntarily employment when misguided policy dominates decision-making9. Why financial literacy matters for socio-economic wellbeing10. How labour markets really work