Associate Professor
Social & Decision Sciences
Carnegie Mellon University
sbhar@andrew.cmu.edu

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Statement Summarizing Research and Contribution

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CV

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New Research

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1. Bhargava, S., and Hyde, T. “Risk Aversion in the Field: Evidence on Prevalence and Motives from an Employee Rewards Program,” 2023. [updated February 2023, planned submission, The Review of Economic Studies]

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2. Bhargava, S. “Experienced Love: An Empirical Account, ” 2023. [under second review, Psychological Science]
 

3. Bhargava, S., and Conell-Price, L. “Serenity Now, Save Tomorrow? Evidence on Retirement Savings Puzzles from a 401(k) Field Experiment,” 2022. [under review, American Economic Review]

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4. Bhargava, S.* , Conell-Price, L., Mason, R., and Benartzi, S. “Save(d) by Design?” 2021. [planned submission, December 2022, American Economic Review]

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5. Bhargava, S. “New Evidence on the Hedonic and Time-Use Consequences of Children,” 2020. [planned submission, December 2022, PNAS]

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6. Bhargava, S., and Hyde, T. “Behavioral Erosion of Private Risk Information,” 2022. [planned submission, February 2023, American Economic Review: Insights]

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Published Research

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1. Benartzi, S., and Bhargava, S. “How Digital Design Drives User Behavior,” Harvard Business Review, February 2020.

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2. Bhargava, S., Loewenstein, G., and Sydnor, J. “Choose to Lose: Health Plan Choices from a Menu with Dominated Options,” Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 132, Issue 3, pp. 1319-1372, 2017.

 

3. Bhargava, S., Loewenstein, G., and Benartzi, S. “The Costs of Poor Health (Plan Choices) & Prescriptions for Reform,” Behavioral Science & Policy, Vol. 3, Issue 1, pp. 1-12, 2017.

 

4. Madrian, B. et al. “Behaviorally Informed Policies for Household Financial Decision-Making,” Behavioral Science & Policy, Vol. 3, Issue 1, pp. 27-40, 2017.

 

5. Loewenstein, G. et al. “A Behavioral Blueprint for Improving Health Care Policy,” Behavioral Science & Policy, Vol. 3, Issue 1, pp. 53-66, 2017.

 

6. Patterson, M., Bhargava, S., and Loewenstein, G. “An Unhealthy Attitude? New Insight into the Modest Effects of the NLEA,” Journal of Behavioral Economics for Policy, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 15-26, 2017.

 

7. Chin, A., Markey, A., Bhargava, S., Kassam, K.S., and Loewenstein, G. “Bored in the USA:  Using Experience Sampling to Determine Boredom's Contextual and Demographic Correlates,” Emotion, Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 359-368, 2017.

 

8. Loewenstein, G., and Bhargava, S. “The Simple Case against Health Insurance Complexity,” NEJM Catalyst, Patient Engagement, August 23rd, 2016.

 

9. Bhargava, S., and Manoli, D. “Psychological Frictions and the Incomplete Take-Up of Social Benefits: Evidence from an IRS Field Experiment,” American Economic Review, Vol. 105, No. 11, pp. 3489-3529, 2015. 

  

10. Bhargava, S., and Loewenstein, G. “Behavioral Economics and Public Policy 102:  Beyond Nudging,” American Economic Review, Papers and Proceedings, Vol. 105, No. 5, pp. 396-401, 2015.

 

Reprinted in: Sunstein, Cass R. and A. Lucia Reisch (eds). The Economics of Nudge (Critical Concepts in Economics), Routledge, 2016.

 

11. Bhargava, S., and Loewenstein, G. “Choosing a Health Insurance Plan, Complexity and Consequences,” Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 314., No. 23, pp. 2505-2506, 2015.

 

12. Bhargava, S., Fisman, R. “Contrast Effects in Sequential Decisions: Evidence from Speed Dating,” The Review of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 96, No. 3, pp. 444-457, 2014.

 

13. Bhargava, S., Kassam, K.S., and Loewenstein, G. “A Reassessment of the ‘Defense of Parenthood’,” Psychological Science, Vol. 25, Issue 1, 2014.

 

14. Bhargava, S., and Pathania, V. “Driving Under the (Cellular) Influence,” American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 92-125, 2013.

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Working Papers

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1. Bhargava, S.*, Mason, R., Patterson, M., and Benartzi, S. “When Does the Future Begin? Evidence from 401(k) Auto-Escalation Field Experiments,” [planned submission, December 2022, Management Science]

 

2. Bhargava, S., Connoly, D. “Noise and Bias in Policy Perceptions: New Evidence and Calibrations” [planned submission, Spring 2023, Journal of Politics]

 

3. Bhargava, S., and Hyde, T. “Gender and Financial Risk Aversion in the Field: New Evidence on Motives,” [planned submission, Summer 2023]

 

4. Bhargava, S., Loewenstein, G., and Sydnor, J. “Heuristics Gone Awry: New Evidence on Motives for Insurance Choice,” [planned submission, Fall 2023]

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