Professor of Political Science (LSA); Professor of Economics (LSA); Research Professor for Center for Political Studies; Research Professor for Institute for Social Research; Adjunct Professor of Business (RSB); and Acting Director for Center for the Study of Complex Systems
Dr. Page began his career as a mathematical economist studying institutional design. Since then, he’s shed many of the conventions of economics and is having a lot more fun. Dr. Page earned his Ph.D. in managerial economics and decision sciences and then began his career at Caltech teaching microeconomics and mechanism design (the formal design of institutions). At Michigan, he has been given the freedom to construct new, innovative courses that combine his interests in formal modeling with real world concerns. One of those courses, a formal investigation into the implications of diversity resulted in his first book, The Difference, which was released by Princeton University Press last winter. In this book, Dr. Page explains why diversity matters as much, or perhaps even more than ability when looking at the collective performance of a firm, university, or society.
Recent News
Dr. Page is currently working on three projects. The first continues and advances his research on diversity – he is trying to understand how diverse perspectives and interpretations arise and how they produce benefits. The second looks at cultural formation within firms and organizations. One specific topic of interest is how cultures shift, raising the question of how the United States, for example, become a country with a smaller ecological footprint. Dr. Page believes economic incentives clearly will play a role, increasing the cost of carbon-based fuels, taxing paper bags, subsidizing recycling efforts. All of these initiatives will induce new behaviors and, therefore, change our culture. Dr. Page believes the total effect may be more than the sum of the individual effects owing to spillovers and understanding how to bootstrap productive spillovers is one of his most fascinating challenges.
Areas of Research Interests
- Complex Adaptive Systems
- Diversity
- Game Theory
- Mechanism and Institutional Design
- Formal Models of Culture
- Modeling in the Social Sciences
- Advanced Game Theory
- Systems Dynamics and Sustainability
Contact Information
Email: spage@umich.edu
Phone: 734-763-3301
Web site: http://www.cscs.umich.edu/~spage/
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