Irrational Economist_ Making Decisions in a Dangerous World - Erwann Michel-Kerjan [143]
But Kunreuther is not only an important scholar. His influence extends to people all over the world—starting, of course, with his family. Profound personal challenges, including the loss of loved ones at an early age and the primary responsibilities that came with it, contributed to the man he is today. There is also his influence on his colleagues and friends of thirty or forty years, who have worked with him and shared his enthusiasm. And there is his influence on a whole new generation of scholars, who have been inspired by his work.
Further, Howard Kunreuther has been, over these four decades, one of those rare economists who always wanted to get down from the “Ivory Tower” to confront knowledgeable and experienced people in the “real world” with research findings. As Paul Slovic and I point out in the Introduction, this approach remains more the exception than the rule. Indeed, one of the key features of Kunreuther’s contributions over the years has been his ability to significantly influence yet another important group: policy makers and business leaders.
He does so not by imposing his views but, rather, by learning from them, patiently and in a nonpartisan way. Kunreuther is always the first to share radically new ideas with practitioners, and to ask for sincere feedback. “It works in theory; how can we make it work in practice?” Over the years this approach called not only for respect and trust but also enhanced knowledge, which was ultimately transferred to decision makers, thereby changing behaviors, institutions, and markets, step by step.
In 2008, Klaus Schwab, the founder and chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF), established several global agenda councils on the most pressing issues facing the world today. These ranged from international security and conflicts, global trade, and education to pandemics and natural disasters. Each group included some of the most brilliant minds on the topic in question. It was no surprise to many of us that when the time came to select the person who would lead the WEF initiative on mitigating natural disasters, Howard Kunreuther was chosen, along with Wharton colleague Michael Useem. This is the perfect illustration of an important bridge between academia and decisions made by world leaders.
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Resuming my in-flight musings about what type of party should be organized for Howard’s 70th birthday, I realized that a small audience simply would not work. Kunreuther had collaborated with so many others in so many different disciplines, and advised so many PhD students, that inviting just a few of them would not make sense. Besides, inviting just academics—while he had interacted for decades with numerous great minds in both the public and the private sectors—would be limiting indeed. Additionally, because Kunreuther had traveled a lot, spending several years in Europe and Asia, the audience would have to be international. Finally, even though Kunreuther was turning 70, he was not planning to retire soon.
Given all of the above, it was clear that this would have to be a somewhat unusual event. The day after coming back to the United States, I called two good friends who would play a critical role: Paul Slovic and Richard Zeckhauser. Slovic is considered by many to be one of the world’s leading psychologists concerned with decision making under risk; and Zeckhauser, one of the world’s leading experts in public policy and catastrophe management. Life being as surprising as it is, Slovic and Kunreuther have been friends for forty years, and Zeckhauser played bridge with Kunreuther in high school more than fifty years ago. Along with Howard’s wife, Gail, our assembled quartet