Montclair Book 2014 Keynote Address by Eldar Shafir

Eldar Shafir, coauthor of Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much, will deliver a keynote address at Montclair State University.

Where and When

Wednesday, September 10, 2014
7:00 p.m.
University Hall – Conference Center (7th floor).

The Mind-set Produced by Scarcity

Why do successful people get things done at the last minute? Why does poverty persist? Why do organizations get stuck firefighting? Why do the lonely find it hard to make friends? These questions may seem unconnected, yet this year’s Montclair Book shows that they are all examples of a mind-set produced by scarcity. The dynamics of scarcity reveal why dieters find it hard to resist temptation, why students and busy executives mismanage their time, and why sugarcane farmers are smarter after harvest than before. The book provides a new way of understanding why the poor stay poor and the busy stay busy, and it reveals not only how scarcity leads us astray but also how individuals and organizations can better manage scarcity for greater satisfaction and success.

Eldar Shafir

Shafir is a professor of psychology at Princeton University. His research examines cognitive science, judgement and decision making. He has advised at the White House and the Treasury Department. Shafir was named one of Foreign Policy Magazine’s 100 Leading Global Thinkers of 2013. Along with coauthor Sendhil Mullainathan, Shafir co-founded ideas42, a nonprofit that designs behavioral economics solutions to social problems.

Book Signing

A Q&A session with the audience and book signing will follow. All students, faculty, staff, and alumni are welcome to attend this community event.

This Montclair Book event is being sponsored by the Center for Writing Excellence, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the First-Year Writing Program, and Student Development and Campus Life. It is free and open to the public.