David

"Academic disciplines are necessary but not sufficient for understanding complex issues.
Each discipline addresses only one aspect of the increasing complexity of human existence. That reductionist, divide-and-conquer strategy worked well when the spheres of human existence were relatively independent—when one could talk about the natural world separate from the human world; the economic sphere separate from the social and political spheres; and about Asia and North America separate from the Middle East and Africa. While there were points of intersection, the disciplines worked well in splendid isolation." William H. Newell

Vita

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Although primarily an economic theorist, Levine has participated in, contributed to research in, and worked with scholars across a broad range of disciplines ranging from quantum physics and mathematics to law, medicine, computer science, political science, and, of course, economics.

Levine has published a book about the role of psychology in economics. He was founding director of the cross-disciplinary California Social Sciences Experimental Laboratory (CASSEL), which brought together experimental research in economics, political science, law, management, sociology, anthropology and more. He is a blogger for the Huffington Post writing about a diverse range of issues, and currently has a joint NSF grant with two computer scientists. In addition to computer science, he has been involved in joint research in anthropology, law, finance, and medieval history. He reviewed promotions in every department and school at UCLA from engineering and the biological sciences to architecture, film, and theater arts, and has reviewed grant proposals in computer science as well as in economics. He has participated in panel discussions, given lectures and made presentations at a variety of forums on topics ranging from climate change, geography, neuroscience, psychology, political science, and law to history and philosophy.

Here are some of his other interdisciplinary highlights:

Journals published in: American Political Science Review; American Institute of Mathematical Sciences: Journal of Dynamics and Games; Journal of Economic Psychology; Cato Papers on Public Policy; Canadian Medical Association Journal; Review of Law and Economics; Washington University Journal of Law & Policy; Artificial Intelligence; Review of Research on Copyright Issues; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science; Journal of Econometrics

Journals refereed for: Academy of Management Review, Behavioral and Brain Sciences; Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience; Ethical Theory and Moral Practice; Journal of Business and Economic Statistics; Journal of Labor Economics; Journal of Multivariate Analysis; Labour; Mathematics of Operations Research; Operations Research; Physical Review Letters; Rationality and Society

Despite these interdisciplinary credentials and the immense value he places on the what he has learned from his colleagues in other disciplines, Levine does not believe that a useful goal of research is to be interdisciplinary. The goal of research is to advance knowledge, and while at times that may mean it is interdisciplinary, good research in the social sciences is necessarily narrow in focus. That means it is generally not interdisciplinary.

 
cellphone

Contact

e-mail: david@dklevine.com; http://www.dklevine.com

fax: (314) 935-4156; phone: 314-935-9529

administrative assistant:
 Carissa Re
314-935-9529
cre@artsci.wustl.edu
Seigle Hall 315A

mail:

David Levine
Department of Economics
Washington University in St. Louis
Campus Box 1208
St. Louis MO 63130-4899 USA
 
Office in Seigle 336

Appointments are best arranged by email at david@dklevine.com.