Experimental economics, behavioral economics, labor economics, empirical industrial organization

Tomáš Jagelka is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Applied Microeconomics at the University of Bonn and an Affiliate at IZA. He studied Economics in Hanover, New Hampshire, and in Paris, where he received his PhD from the École Polytechnique at Université Paris-Saclay in 2019. His work was recognized by the French Economic Association (Best PhD in economics defended in France in 2019) and by the International Association for Applied Econometrics (Best paper presented by a PhD student).

Published papers

• Accounting for Individual-Specific Reliability of Self-Assessed Measures of Economic Preferences and Personality Traits

  Dohmen, T., & Jagelka, T. (2023). Accounting for Individual-Specific Reliability of Self-Assessed Measures of Economic Preferences and Personality Traits. Journal of Political Economy Microeconomics.

• Are Economists’ Preferences Psychologists’ Personality Traits? A Structural Approach

  Jagelka, T. (2023). Are Economists’ Preferences Psychologists’ Personality Traits? A Structural Approach. Journal of Political Economy.

• Some Contributions of Economics to the Study of Personality

  Heckman, J. J., Jagelka, T., & Kautz, T. D. (2021). 'Some contributions of economics to the study of personality' in John, O. P., Robins, R. W., & Pervin, L. A. (Eds.). (2021). Handbook of personality: Theory and research. Guilford Press, pp. 853-893.

Discussion papers

• Are Economists’ Preferences Psychologists’ Personality Traits? A Structural Approach

What is the best thing about your job?

That I can collaborate with bright minds from all over the world: currently I have coauthors from the US, Spain, and France. I also enjoy teaching which allows me to pass on my enthusiasm for economics and, I daresay, to inspire young students.

If you had not gone into research, what would you be doing today?

I already worked in consulting for two years and would enjoy doing so again. The rigor and challenges of this field excite me.

Who or what inspires you?

People around me – in fact, that’s what brought me to economics. I still have my notes from a class taught by a PhD economist – Peter Gardner – back at high school who sparked my passion for the field. Today my colleagues keep me inspired.

When was the last time you had to change your mind?

During the Covid-19 pandemic. I realized that there are still a lot of surprises left in this world, and that in the 21st century we cannot control as much as we might have thought.

Which advice would you have needed yourself as a doctoral student?

Networking is as important in academia as it is in the private sector. Getting yourself and your work out there and listening to other people with enough humility is crucial for your academic career.