Faculty

Benjamin Ho
Professor and Chair of Economics
Benjamin Ho wearing a dark tan shirt against a dark gray background.

Ben Ho is a professor of economics at Vassar College and author of the book Why Trust Matters: An Economist's Guide to the Ties that Bind Us. Ho applies behavioral economics tools like game theory and experimental methods to tackle topics like apologies, identity, inequality, and climate change. Before Vassar, he taught MBA students at Cornell where he was selected as one of Poets and Quants 40 under 40, served as lead energy economist at the White House Council of Economic Advisers, and worked/consulted for Morgan Stanley and several tech startups. Professor Ho is also a faculty affiliate for the Center for Global Energy Policy at Columbia University. His research has appeared in outlets like Management Science and Nature: Human Behavior. Ho holds seven degrees from Stanford and MIT in economics, education, political science, math, computer science, and electrical engineering.

BS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; MA, Stanford University; MES, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; PhD, Stanford University
At Vassar since 2011

Research and Academic Interests

Applied Microeconomics
Behavioral and Experimental Economics
Environmental and Energy Economics
Political Economy
Labor Economics

In the Media

Bryan Corrigan (far right), Project Manager for Vassar’s Office of Facilities and Operations, addressed Exploring College students on the challenges the College faces renovating some of its older buildings to make them energy-efficient.

High School Students Explore College and a Changing Climate

Climate change and sustainability were the themes of this year’s Exploring College program. Students took a mini-course on the social and economic impacts of climate change, learned about Vassar’s sustainability goals and projects and also got some tips on how to navigate the college application process.