Bio

Jeremy Burke is a Senior Economist at the University of Southern California’s Center for Economic and Social Research.  His main fields of research are behavioral economics and consumer financial decision-making. Currently, he is leading multiple field experiments leveraging behavioral principles to help consumers build savings (with soft-commitment mechanisms), reduce debt (with lottery linked incentives), and build credit (with various behavioral nudges).  In other research he is examining how automatic enrollment influences cash-out decisions at job separation, the efficacy of socially annotated and modular disclosure in improving investment decisions, the prevalence and impacts of conflicts of interests in financial advice markets, and whether nudges received in advance can help indebted consumers leverage tax refunds to reduce their debt burdens.  Jeremy received his Ph.D. in Economics from Duke University and previously was an Economist at RAND, Associate Director of RAND’s Center for Financial and Economic Decision Making, and a professor in the Pardee RAND Graduate School.

Education

  • Ph.D. Economics, Duke University, 2008
  • M.A. Economics, Duke University, 2005
  • B.A. Mathematics and Economics, University of Virginia, 2001

Academic Appointment, Affiliation, and Employment History

Research, Teaching, Practice, and Clinical Appointments

  • Senior Economist, USC Center for Economic and Social Research, 2017-
  • Professor, Pardee RAND Graduate School, 2011-2017
  • Director, RAND Behavioral Finance Forum, RAND Corporation, 2012-2016

Other Employment

  • Economist, RAND Corporation, 2013-2017
  • Associate Director, RAND Center for Financial and Economic Decision Making, RAND Corporation, 2012-2017
  • Associate Economist, RAND Corporation, 2010-20