Research Bio
Benjamin Hermalin is the Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost, a Distinguished Professor of Economics, and holds the Thomas & Alison Schneider Distinguished Professor of Finance. His current research interests include leadership, theory of organizations, and trends in corporate governance with an emphasis on boards of directors. He is the author or co-author of 47 peer-reviewed articles and 17 chapters, among other writing. His co-edited book, The Economics of Corporate Governance, was published by North-Holland (Elsevier) in its prestigious Handbooks of Economics series in 2017. His most recent publication, "At the Helm, Kirk or Spock? The Pros and Cons of Charismatic Leadership," appeared in the American Economic Journal: Microeconomics in 2023.
He received his A.B. summa cum laude from Princeton University and his Ph.D. from M.I.T.
Research Expertise and Interest
contract theory, corporate governance, executive compensation, economics of leadership and organization, competitive strategy, industrial organization
Featured in the Media
“We’ve been really working very hard to defend academic freedom and free speech,” Ben Hermalin, the executive vice chancellor and provost said during the discussion. “But where I think we have failed to do it perfectly is we have not convinced our constituents that we’re doing it. We have not provided them that kind of confidence that we are out there protecting free speech and academic freedom.”
Teaching
Senior Honors Thesis [ECON H195B]
Supervised Independent Study and Research [ECON 299]
Senior Honors Thesis [ECON H195B]