Takuma Habu

Biography

Takuma Habu is a lecturer in strategy and business economics at the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. He holds a PhD in economics from the University of Chicago and an MPhil in economics from the University of Oxford. He has extensive industry and management experience from working at a leading European economics consultancy, where he advised public- and private-sector clients on issues such as regulation, competition, and valuation.

In his research, Habu applies game theory to examine how information and communication influence incentives. In one piece of research, Habu draws on his experience managing multi-billion-dollar disputes to uncover a novel channel through which cross-examinations enable courts to make better-informed decisions and suggests ways to design institutions to ensure the efficacy of court systems. Habu’s current research examines how employers’ desire to retain workers can lead to distortions in human resource policies that can negatively impact workers. The research is particularly relevant in the current labor market, where recent technological advances have changed how employers value workers’ skills.

Habu’s teaching experience spans undergraduate, PhD, MBA, and executive MBA levels, covering macroeconomics, microeconomics, game theory, organizational economics, and mathematics. His teaching emphasizes collaboration and equips students with analytical tools to understand the mechanisms underlying business phenomena, enabling them to make better real-world decisions after their studies.

Education

PhD Department of Economics, University of Chicago, 2023
MA Department of Economics, University of Chicago, 2023
MPhil Somerville College, University of Oxford, 2012
BS University of Warwick, 2010

Research

• Habu, Takuma; Lipnowski, Elliot; Ravid, Doron. "Knowing the informed player's payoffs and simple play in repeated games"Journal of Economic Theory. 221 (2024): e105888