Robert Sugden (economist)

Robert Sugden (born 26 August 1949) is an English economist in the area of cognitive and behavioural economics. Professor Sugden’s research combines game theory (mainly experimental game theory and coordination games) with moral and political philosophy. He is associated with the classical-liberal tradition of Hume, Mill, and Hayek.

Theory
Robert Sugden shows how conventions of property, mutual aid, and voluntary supply of public goods can evolve spontaneously out of the interactions of self-interested individuals, and can become moral norms.

He argues that economic models are not abstractions from, or simplifications of, the real world, but rather descriptions of imaginary worlds whose validity can only be inferred by how reasonable their predictions are.

Robert Sugden explores a number of violations of the von Neumann and Morgenstern's expected utility axioms, and develops regret theory with Graham Loomes. He develops a number of experimental methods to test theories of decision under risk.

Awards and fellowships

 * Leverhulme Personal Research Professorship, Leverhulme Trust, February 1998 - January 2003

Selected papers

 * G Loomes and R Sugden, Regret theory: An alternative theory of rational choice under uncertainty (1982), The Economic Journal
 * R Sugden, Spontaneous order (1989), The Journal of Economic Perspectives
 * R Sugden, Reciprocity: the supply of public goods through voluntary contributions (1984), The Economic Journal
 * R Sugden, A theory of focal points (1995), The Economic Journal
 * R Sugden, Credible worlds: the status of theoretical models in economics (2000), Journal of Economic Methodology

Books

 * R Sugden and AH Williams, The principles of practical cost-benefit analysis (1978)
 * R Sugden, The economics of rights, co-operation, and welfare (1986)