We introduce a model in which agents observe signals about the state of the world, and some signals are open to interpretation. Our decision makers first interpret each signal based on their current belief and then form a posterior on the sequence of interpreted signals. This ‘double...

We present a two-armed bandit model of decision making under uncertainty where the expected return to investing in the "risky arm'' increases when choosing that arm and decreases when choosing the "safe'' arm. These dynamics are natural in applications such as human capital development, job...

We introduce and analyze a model in which agents observe sequences of signals about the state of the world, some of which are ambiguous and open to interpretation. Instead of using Bayes' rule on the whole sequence, our decision makers use Bayes' rule in an iterative way: first to interpret each...

This paper studies how removing barriers to competition in the nontraded goods sector affects the current account, the real exchange rate, and factor prices in a small open economy. We show that the expansion of the nontraded sector that results from a "deregulation shock" is associated with an...

We use a dynamic general-equilibrium model to study how removing barriers to competition in the nontraded goods sector affects the current account of a small open economy. We show that the expansion of the nontraded sector that results from such a "deregulation shock" is associated with an...

Employment or admission “goals†are often preferred to affirmative action as a way of obtaining diversity. By constructing a simple model of employerâ€auditor interaction, I show that when an auditor has imperfect information regarding employers’ proclivities to discriminate...

This paper develops a model of social interactions and endogenous poverty traps. The key idea is captured in a framework in which the likelihood of future social interactions with members of one's group is partly determined by group-specific investments made by individuals. I prove three main...

The literature on statistical discrimination shows that ex-ante identical groups may be differentially treated in discriminatory equilibria. This paper constructs a dynamic model of statistical discrimination and explores what happens to the individuals who nonetheless overcome the initial...

We develop an index of segregation based on two premises: (1) a measure of segregation should disaggregate to the level of individuals, and (2) an individual is more segregated the more segregated are the agents with whom she interacts. We present an index that satisfies (1) and (2) and that is...