Adrien Dautheville will defend his PhD
On Friday, 23 January Adrien Dautheville will hold a trial lecture on a prescribed topic and defend his thesis for the PhD degree at NHH. Thesis: «Essays on Overconfidence and Development Economics».
In his dissertation Essays on Overconfidence and Development Economics, Adrien Dautheville explores how aspirations, overconfidence, and misperceptions shape the trajectories of young individuals at critical junctures in their lives.
His research focuses on two populations in Tanzania: secondary school students on the verge of completing their formal education, and young micro-entrepreneurs navigating the informal labor market. Across three chapters, he combines theory, field experiments, and rich survey data to study how expectations influence behavior and how targeted interventions can help individuals make better decisions.
The thesis shows that lower secondary students are highly overconfident about passing a crucial national exam, which can reduce effort put into “Plan B” options like vocational programs. It also evaluates a podcast-based “edutainment” program with guided classroom discussions that builds hopeful but realistic career plans and improves exam performance and further education outcomes.
Finally, the research studies young market traders in Dar es Salaam and finds that many overestimate their chances of moving into wage work. Active job seekers invest less in their firms and earn lower profits, and information about low transition rates, while it adjusts some beliefs, does not change behavior or investment in the medium run.
Prescribed topic for the trial lecture:
"Behavioral barriers to educational attainment in development countries: Theory and evidence"
Trial lecture:
Aud. Karl Borch, 10:15
Defense:
Aud. Karl Borch, 12:15
Members of the evaluation committee:
Professor Ingar Haaland (chair of the committee),
Department of Economics, NHH
Professor Patricio Dalton, Tilburg University
Professor Elise Huillery, Dauphine, University Paris-Dauphine
Supervisors:
Professor Vincent Somville (main supervisor), Department of Economics, NHH
Professor Nadja Dwenger, University of Hohenheim