Shani Cohen

Welcome! I am an economics Ph.D. candidate at Harvard, studying economic theory and behavioral economics.

I am on the 2024-2025 job market. You can download my CV here.

I hold two master's degrees in mathematics, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (MSc) and from the University of Cambridge (MASt). I am also a fellow of Molad, the center for the renewal of Israeli democracy.

Feel free to reach out by email shani_cohen@g.harvard.edu or on twitter @shani_cn.

Research

Job Market Paper

What You Can't See: Contingent Thinking Failures in Dynamic Markets

Abstract

People make correct inferences from observed events but make mistakes when reasoning about hypothetical events. I study the implications in competitive markets. I define Dynamic Cursed Expectations (DCE), where agents treat events occurring at different future periods as independent. I build on it to define Dynamic Cursed Expectations Equilibrium (DCEE) and prove its existence for a general financial economy. I apply DCEE to an asset pricing model and show that in DCEE agents underestimate the variance of risky assets, which under risk aversion leads to overvaluation relative to the Rational Expectations Equilibrium benchmark.

Working Papers

Sequential Cursed Equilibrium, R&R at the American Economic Review (with Shengwu Li)

Abstract

We propose an extensive-form solution concept, with players that neglect information from hypothetical events, but make inferences from observed events. Our concept modifies cursed equilibrium (Eyster and Rabin, 2005), and allows that players can be 'cursed about' endogenous information.

Published

Cohen, S., & Shelah, S. (2019), Generalizing random real forcing for inaccessible cardinals. Israel Journal of Mathematics, 234(2), 547-580.

Abstract

The two parallel concepts of "small" sets of the real line are meagre sets and null sets. Those are equivalent to Cohen forcing and Random real forcing for ℵ0^ℵ0; in spite of this similarity, the Cohen forcing and Random Real forcing have very different shapes. One of these differences is in the fact that the Cohen forcing has an easy natural generalization for λ^λ while λ>ℵ0, corresponding to an extension for the meagre sets, while the Random real forcing didn't see to have a natural generalization, as Lebesgue measure doesn't have a generalization for space λ^λ while λ>ℵ0. Shelah found a forcing resembling the properties of Random Real Forcing for λ^λ while λ is a weakly compact cardinal. Here we describe, with additional assumptions, such a forcing for λ^λ while λ is an inaccessible cardinal; this forcing preserves cardinals and cofinalities, however unlike Cohen forcing, does not add undominated reals.

Non-academic

Public writing

Once again, Netanyahu is strengthening Hamas [Hebrew] (February 2024, Walla)

Dangerous Delusions: The Misconceptions that Led to the Catastrophe of October 7 [English] [Hebrew] {Contributing writer} (October 2023)

Why Israeli Liberals Must Not Despair Over Demographic Projections [English] [Hebrew] (September 2023, Haaretz)

Netanyahu repeats the mantras of “strong economy” and “responsible leadership”. He know that this is a lie [Hebrew] (August 2023, TheMarker)

A case for working less [Hebrew] (November 2020, TheMarker)

Not everybody can win [Hebrew] (July 2020, Pigumim)

This is how the dream of becoming a mathematician turned me into a feminist [Hebrew] (December 2016, Sicha Mekomit)

Podcast episodes

Interview: ‘The day after the protest’ podcast [Hebrew] (September 2023)

The economic impact of the judicial overhaul [Hebrew] (May 2023)