Nobel Laureate Economist Speaks at 16th Version of Dialog Series at La Moneda

Organized by the Ministry Secretary General of the Presidency, the objective of the activity was for the behavioral economist to dialog with participants about the challenges of generating public policies from the perspective of his field of expertise.

At the 16th version of the La Moneda Dialog Series, Treasury Minister Ignacio Briones spoke with the 2017 Nobel Laureate economist, Dr. Richard Thaler.

Minister Briones underscored the importance of this meeting: “This is a unique experience, an impressive opportunity to listen to perhaps the most respected behavioral economist, enlightening us with a series of important tips for public policy related to how we actually behave, rather than how models say we should behave,” he remarked.

Dr. Thaler was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics because his contributions to behavioral economics “have built a bridge between the economic and psychological analyses of individual decision-making, exploring how aspects such as limited rationality, social preferences and lack of self-control affect individual decisions as well as market outcomes.”

La Moneda Dialog Series

Created in 2010 as the Bicentennial Dialog Series during President Sebastián Piñera’s first term, the idea arose from the need for government professionals and officials to be exposed to areas of knowledge beyond their job responsibilities related to important topics like current events, culture or science.

“They promote interesting conversations with prominent figures in politics, culture, history and other disciplines. It is especially important when we have the chance to bring together the world of ideas and the world of politics around public policy,” commented Minister Felipe Ward.