Dr Richard Povey

New College
Oxford
OX1 3BN

About me:

I am a Lecturer in Economics at New College, Oxford. I have recently completed a D.Phil in Economics at Oxford University. Before this, I read for the Oxford M.Phil in Economics from 2003-2005 and for the B.A. in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from 2000-2003, both at St Edmund Hall. I was also a College Lecturer in Economics at St. Edmund Hall from 2004-2007, at Keble College from 2007-2008, St Hilda's College from 2008-2009 and at Wadham College from 2009-2012. I teach the Economics Prelims paper, the core Economics Finals papers and the Public Economics and Game Theory option papers.

The thing that excites me the most about economic theory is its ability to provide specific normative policy conclusions. I am particularly interested in applying the normative analytic techniques of economics to the area of altruism and other issues of social morality.

My D.Phil thesis is entitled "The Socially Optimal Level of Altruism", and in it I explore situations in which too much altruism can be socially counterproductive. The sequential punishment model I develop for this purpose requires game theoretic solution concepts such as optimal penal codes.