Wellesley talk examines money's human side

While economic decisions may seem cut and dry, devoid of emotion, that is not the case, according to the findings of Brigitte Madrian, research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Madrain will be speaking at Wellesley College this month during the 2009 Calderwood Lecture in Economics. The event is open to the public and will be held in Collins Cinema on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 4:30 p.m.

Madrian, Aetna professor of public policy and corporate management at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, examines how human behavior and decision making influence their financial decisions. Her research is focused on retirement and the connection between 401(k) plans and employee saving outcomes.

“Understanding the role that seemingly irrational decision-making plays in individual behavior is clearly of critical importance,” said Phillip Levine,professor of economics at Wellesley College. “Brigitte Madrian’s path-breaking work examining the design of retirement savings plans has been very influential in this regard.”