Neil Lessem is a Ph.D. Candidate in the department of economics at UCLA. His current research examines consumer demand for environmentally friendly or “green” products. This involves applying and extending the social science literature on pro-social choices (as opposed to pro-self) into the green product/activity realm. Neil believes economics provides a great tool set for looking at the world. To him, the core insight of economics is that people follow incentives – so to understand why people or firms are engaging in actions that lead to a poor outcome for themselves or society, we just need to understand where their incentives lie. Apart from economics, Neil enjoys mountain biking, volleyball, hiking, cycling and soccer. Originally from South Africa, Neil obtained an honours degree in business and economics at the University of Cape Town.
