We are delighted to announce that the 5th Annual Meeting on the Economics of Risky Behaviors will be held at the Center for Global Dialogue in Zurich, Switzerland. We would like to acknowledge the generous support from IZA, the Swiss Re, the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at GSU, the Center for the Economic Analysis of Risk at GSU, and the Usery Workplace Research Group at GSU.
Many individuals, adults, adolescents, and children alike engage in a host of risky behaviors that might have significant present and future ramifications. Broadly defined, these are the type of behaviors that involves a trade-off between short term benefits and long-term costs. Examples of such behaviors include, but are not limited to, crime and delinquency, smoking, alcohol and substance abuse, suicidal behavior, reckless driving and driving under the influence, underage sexual activity and sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, and poor diets and sedentary lifestyles leading to obesity. These behaviors are major source of preventable deaths and impose substantial costs on those who engage in them and the society.
The meeting will bring together economists and other researchers who work on the analysis of risky behaviors. We hope to advance our understanding of the causes and consequences of risky behaviors and to promote policies aimed to reduce the incidence and cost of these behaviors.
We seek high quality academic work that enriches, refines, and challenges our understanding of the broad array of issues related to the analysis of risky behaviors. Please note that papers have to be unpublished at the time of submission. The meeting will be organized in a manner designed to foster interaction and exchange of ideas among the participants in a comfortable atmosphere.
The highlights of the 2013 meeting include a keynote lecture by Professor John Cawley of Cornell University and a special lecture by Professor Michael Eriksen, the Dean of the Institute of Public Health at GSU and former Director of the Office on Smoking and Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The event will also be honored by the attendance of Dr. Risa Palm, the Provost of GSU, Dr. Mary Beth Walker, the Dean of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, and Professor Klaus F. Zimmermann, IZA Director and University of Bonn.
Those authors who are invited are expected to participate in the entire 3-day meeting. Inexpensive coach airfares and 4 nights of lodging for presenting authors and discussants will be covered according to the standard IZA travel guidelines.
