Erik O. Kimbrough

Erik O. Kimbrough is a Professor of Economics at the Smith Institute for Political Economy and Philosophy within the Argyros College of Business and Economics at Chapman University. His research focuses on experimental economics, cultural evolution, and the role of norms in shaping social and economic behavior.

• Education: Ph.D. in Computational Sciences (George Mason University, 2010), MS in Computational Sciences (George Mason, 2010), BA in International Affairs and Economics (The George Washington University, 2006).
• Research Interests: Experimental analysis of prosociality, cooperation, conflict resolution, property rights, market dynamics, and political polarization.
• Grants: Multiple SSHRC Insight Grants, John Templeton Foundation funding, Russell Sage Foundation award, and Chapman University pedagogical innovation grants.

Academic Contributions: Kimbrough has published extensively in top journals like PNAS Nexus, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, and Experimental Economics. Recent work examines polarization through injunctive/descriptive norms and cross-cultural norm stability.

• Grant Highlights: $2.5M Templeton grant for multi-method liberalism studies, $143K SSHRC grant for Canadian democracy norms, and $71K Russell Sage award for polarization research.
• Teaching: Co-teaches interdisciplinary Humanomics seminars including Dangerous Ideas and The Rules of the Game.

Scientific Awards: Includes the 2023 Outstanding Review Service Award from Economic Inquiry, 2023 Argyros College Faculty Excellence Award, and multiple early-career fellowships from Mercatus Center and Institute for Humane Studies.