Ernest K. Lai

Professor Lai joined the department of economics at Lehigh University in 2009 after obtaining his doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh. A native of Hong Kong, professor Lai is a game theorist and experimentalist. His research focuses on using the tools of game theory and laboratory experiments to study strategic communication. He teaches game theory at the undergraduate and graduate levels and is the director of the Ph.D. program in the College of Business.

Education

• The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, B.B.A. (Econ.)
• The University of Hong Kong, M.Econ.
• University of Pittsburgh, Ph.D.

Research Interests

• Game theory 
• Experimental economics

Selected Publications

• "Preferences vs. Strategic Thinking: An Investigation of the Causes of Overcommunication" (with Jonathan Lafky and Wooyoung Lim), Games and Economic Behavior, 136 (2022), 92-116.
• "Confirmatory Bias in Health Decisions: Evidence from the MMR-Autism Controversy" (with Mengcen Qian and Shin-Yi Chou), Journal of Health Economics, 70 (2020), 102284.
• "Eliciting Private Information with Noise: The Case of Randomized Response" (with Andreas Blume and Wooyoung Lim), Games and Economic Behavior, 113 (2019), 356-380.
• "The Informational Theory of Legislative Committees: An Experimental Analysis" (with Marco Battaglini, Wooyoung Lim, and Joseph Tao-yi Wang), American Political Science Review, 113 (2019), 55-76.
• "Meaning and Credibility in Experimental Cheap-Talk Games" (with Wooyoung Lim), Quantitative Economics, 9 (2018), 1453-1487.
• "Coordination via Correlation: An Experimental Study" (with John Duffy and Wooyoung Lim), Economic Theory, 64 (2017), 265-304.
• "Expert Advice for Amateurs," Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 103 (2014), 1-16.