Edward Van Wesep studies contracting and voting, in theory and practice.
He is especially interested in applied contracting to solve problems that might not relate directly to incentives. For example, he considers how pay should be timed to help workers smooth consumption, how signing bonuses can signal a firm's belief in its match with a potential hire, and how firms can out-earn their peers by establishing reputations for rewarding top performers with better job titles.
He also studies whether shareholder voting can actually improve corporate governance. He examines alternative voting rules that might be superior to majority voting in inducing shareholders to acquire information and sincerely vote according to that information.
Dr. Van Wesep teaches courses in microeconomics, game theory and contract theory.
He co-founded the financial services firm Risk Allocation Systems, now in "hibernation" because of the credit crisis. Based in Redwood City, Calif., the firm facilitates lower cost lending to under-served borrowers through proprietary risk mitigation contracting technology.
He worked as a business analyst at Capital One Financial and an associate at McKinsey & Co. in Chicago.
Dr. Van Wesep received his PhD in economics from Stanford University and a ScB in applied mathematics-economics from Brown University, graduating magna cum laude and Sigma Xi with departmental honors.