Frank, Robert H

Professor
 

affiliations

faculty appointment in

member of graduate field

service

current professional activities

  • 4/02 to present: H. J. Louis Professor of Management, Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management
  • 1/05 to present: “Economic Scene” columnist for the New York Times
  • 10/00 to 6/01: French-American Foundation Professor of American Civilization, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris.
  • 7/91 to 9/2001: Goldwin Smith Professor of Economics, Ethics, and Public Policy, Department of Economics, Cornell University
  • 9/92 to 7/93: Fellow, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, California
  • 1/86 to 6/91: Professor of Economics, Cornell University
  • 7/90 to present: Professor of Economics, Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management
  • 1/79 to 12/85: Associate Professor of Economics, Cornell University
  • 8/78 to 9/80: Chief Economist, Civil Aeronautics Board
  • 9/72 to 12/78: Assistant Professor of Economics, Cornell University
  • 6/76 to 7/76 and 12/76 to 1/77: Visiting Fellow, International Institute of Management, West Berlin
  • 6/66 to 6/68: High school mathematics and science teacher, Peace Corps/Nepal

background

educational background

  • Ph.D., (Economics), University of California at Berkeley, 1972
  • M.A., (Statistics), University of California at Berkeley, 1971
  • B.S., (Mathematics), Georgia Tech, 1966

professional background

  • Until 2001, Professor Frank was the Goldwin Smith Professor of Economics, Ethics, and Public Policy in Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences.
  • He has also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in rural Nepal, chief economist for the Civil Aeronautics Board, fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, and was Professor of American Civilization at l'Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris.

awards and distinctions

  • Apple Distinguished Teaching Award, Johnson School of Management, 2005.
  • Russell Distinguished Teaching Award, presented by Johnson School fifth-year reunion class, June 11, 2004.
  • 2003 Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought
  • French-American Foundation Professor of American Civilization, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris, France, 2000-2001.
  • President, Eastern Economic Association, 1999-2000.
  • Georgescu-Roegen Prize for best article published in the 1996 Southern Economic Journal, for “What Price the Moral High Ground?” November 1997.
  • Southern Economic Association, Distinguished Guest Lecturer, 1995.
  • For Winner-Take-All Society : New York Times 1995 Notable Book of the Year, Business Week Ten Best Business Books of 1995, San Francisco Review of Books 1995 Critics Choice Award, China Times Top Ten Books of 1996, The London Observer Best Books of the Year List, 1996.
  • William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust, Enterprise Award Recipient, 1993.
  • Fellow, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, 1992-93.
  • Best Conference Paper, Society for the Advancement of Socioeconomics Annual Meetings, 1992 (for "Does Studying Economics Inhibit Cooperation?" with Thomas Gilovich and Dennis Regan).
  • McGraw-Hill Book-of-the-Year Award (for Microeconomics and Behavior, 1991).
  • Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Professorship, Cornell University, 1987-1990.
  • Cornell Merrill Scholars Program, Distinguished Teacher Citation, 1991.

publications

selected publications (listing in progress)

  • Books
    • Frank, R. (2004). What Price the Moral High Ground?: Ethical Dilemmas in Competitive Environments. Princeton, NJ.  Princeton University Press.
    • Bernanke, B. and R. Frank (2003). Principles of Economics. New York, McGraw-Hill.
    • Frank, R. H. (2003). Microeconomics and Behavior. New York, McGraw-Hill.
    • Frank, R. H. (1999). Luxury Fever : Why Money Fails to Satisfy in an Era of Excess.  New York, Free Press.  Princeton University Press paperback edition, 2000.
    • Frank, R. H. and P. J. Cook (1996). The Winner-Take-All Society. New York, Martin Kessler Books at the Free Press.  Penguin paperback edition, 2000.
    • Frank, R. H. (1988). Passions within Reason: The Strategic Role of the Emotions. New York, W.W. Norton.
    • Frank, R. H. (1985). Choosing the Right Pond: Human Behavior and the Quest for Status. New York, Oxford University Press.
  • Articles
    • Frank, R. H. (2005). "Departures from Rational Choice: With and without Regret." in The Law and Economics of Irrational Behavior. F. Parisi and V. Smith, Eds. Stanford, Stanford University Press : 13-36.
    • Frank, R. H. (2005). "Positional Externalities Cause Large and Preventable Welfare Losses." American Economic Review (May).
    • Frank, R. H. (2004). "Introducing Moral Emotions into Models of Rational Choice" in Feelings and Emotions: The Amsterdam Symposium. A. S. R. Manstead, N. H. Frijda and A. H. Fischer, Eds. New York, Cambridge University Press.
    • Frank, R. H. (2004). "How Not to Buy Happiness." Daedalus 133(2): 69-79.
    • Frank, R. H. (2004). "In Defense of Sincerity Detection - Response to Ross and Dumouchel." Rationality and Society 16(3): 287-305.
    • Frank, R. H. (2002). "The Economic Naturalist: Teaching Introductory Students How to Speak Economics." American Economic Review Papers and Proceedings 92(2): 459-462.
    • Frank, R. H. and C. R. Sunstein (2001). "Cost-Benefit Analysis and Relative Position." University of Chicago Law Review 68(2): 323-374.
    • Frank, R. H. (2000). "Why Is Cost-Benefit Analysis So Controversial?" Journal of Legal Studies 29(2): 913-930.  (Reprinted in Economics, Equity, and the Environment, S, M. Johnson, Ed. Environmental Law Institute, 2003.)
    • Frank, R. H. (1997). "The Frame of Reference as a Public Good." Economic Journal 107(445): 1832-1847.
    • Frank, R. H. (1996). "What Price the High Moral Ground?" Southern Economic Journal 63: 1-17.
    • Frank, R. H. (1996). "Can Socially Responsible Firms Survive in a Competitive Environment?" in Codes of Conduct: Behavioral Research into Business Ethics. D. Messick and A. Tenbrunsel, Eds. New York, Russell Sage : 86-103.
    • Frank, R. H. (1996). "Motivation, Cognition, and Charitable Giving" in Giving. J. Schneewind, Ed., Indiana University Press : 130-152.
    • Frank, R. H., T. Gilovich and D. T. Regan (1993). "The Evolution of One-Shot Cooperation - an Experiment." Ethology and Sociobiology 14(4): 247-256.
    • Frank, R. H., T. Gilovich and D. T. Regan (1993). "Does Studying Economics Inhibit Cooperation." Journal of Economic Perspectives 7(2): 159-171.
    • Frank, R. H. and R. M. Hutchens (1993). "Wages, Seniority, and the Demand for Rising Consumption Profiles." Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 21(3): 251-276.
    • Frank, R. H. (1991). "Positional Externalities" in Strategy and Choice: Essays in Honor of Thomas C. Schelling. R. Zeckhauser, Eds. Cambridge, MA, MIT Press : 25-47.
    • Frank, R. H. (1989). "Honesty as an Evolutionarily Stable Strategy." Behavioral and Brain Sciences 12(4): 705-705.
    • Frank, R. H. (1987). "If Homo-Economicus Could Choose His Own Utility Function, Would He Want One with a Conscience." American Economic Review 77(4): 593-604.
    • Frank, R. H. (1985). "The Demand for Unobservable and Other Nonpositional Goods." American Economic Review 75(1): 101-116.
    • Frank, R. H. (1984). "Interdependent Preferences and the Competitive Wage Structure." Rand Journal of Economics 15(4): 510-520.
    • Frank, R. H. (1984). "Are Workers Paid Their Marginal Products." American Economic Review 74(4): 549-571.
    • Frank, R. H. (1978). "How Long Is a Spell of Unemployment." Econometrica 46(2): 285-302.
    • Frank, R. H. (1978). "Why Women Earn Less - Theory and Estimation of Differential over-Qualification." American Economic Review 68(3): 360-373.
    • Frank, R. H. (1978). "Family Location Constraints and Geographic Distribution of Female Professionals." Journal of Political Economy 86(1): 117-130.
  • Opinion and Op-Ed Pieces
    • "The Class War That Isn't." Philadelphia Inquirer, September 12, 2004.
    • "Overrated: The Link between Money and Happiness." New York Times, December 27, 2003.
    • "Overrated: Repeal of the Estate Tax." New York Times, December 27, 2003.
    • "Pricing the Ballgame." New York Times, December 4, 2002
    • "The Case of Sanctions." New York Times, August 24, 2002
    • "The Downside of Hearing Whoopi at the Mall; [Op-Ed]." New York Times, August 7, 2001 p. A.13
    • "Traffic and Tax Cuts; [Op-Ed]." New York Times, May 11, 2001  p. A.35
    • "Scarce Slots? Hold an Auction; [Op-Ed]." New York Times, December 13, 2000  p. A.35
    • "Why Living in a Rich Society Makes Us Feel Poor." New York Times Magazine, October 15, 2000  p.6.
    • "The Costs of Governing Less; [Op-Ed]." New York Times, August 26, 2000  p. A.13
    • "When Less Is Not More; [Op-Ed]." New York Times, July 17, 2000 p. A.19
    • "Feeling Crash-Resistant in an S.U.V.; [Op-Ed]." New York Times, May 16, 2000 p.  A.23
    • "The Rules Nasdaq Forgot; [Op-Ed]." New York Times, March 17, 2000  p. A.21
    • "Safety in Numbers." New York Times Magazine (November 28, 1999 p. 35+.
    • "Not Insured, and Not Worried." New York Times, October 6, 1999
    • "Which Do We Need, Bigger Cars or Better Schools?" New York Times, July 31, 1999
    • "The Gasoline-Powered Raise." New York Times, June 30, 1999
    • "The Victimless Income Gap." New York Times, April 12, 1999
    • "Our Climb to Sublime: Hold on, We Don't Have to Go There." Washington Post, January 24, 1999 (Reprinted in Cornell Enterprise, Spring 1999)
    • "Timmy's Range Rover." New York Times, December 22, 1998 (Reprinted in the International Herald Tribune)