Prof. Georg Rilinger

Rilinger’s focus is primarily in economic sociology, with an emphasis on understanding socially destructive market behavior. Rilinger is currently working on a project about the 2000–01 California energy crisis. A recent paper explored how the proliferation of economic language can undermine the political influence of economists.

In recent work he has focused on practical obstacles to the success of market design, the theory of secrecy, the role of economic experts in governmental processes, and the theory of regulatory capture. More broadly, Rilinger is interested in the question of how undesirable behavior emerges and persists in different market contexts.