I am a Professor in Philanthropy and Sustainable Finance at the University of Amsterdam.

My goal is to explore what drives individuals to invest their time and resources in ways that benefit society. I’m also focused on identifying the most impactful ways to use these resources.

I conduct field experiments and field surveys with financial institutions around the globe. I link these data to real-world investment choices. My samples include retail investors, pension fund members, and millionaires. With the help of my Vidi grant (Dutch Research Council). I will investigate the beliefs and sustainable investment behavior of professional investors in the next five years.

When I’m not working, I enjoy pursuing creative interests like improvisational theatre and playing the piano.

Paul Smeets

Publications and public speaking

I published in journals like The Journal of FinanceThe Review of Financial Studies, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Contact me for public speaking opportunities. I was an invited speaker at ABN AMRO Bank, Deutsche Bank (Frankfurt), Rabobank, Robeco, the OECD (Paris), the Authority Financial Markets (AFM), the Central Planning Bureau (CPB), the Dutch Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and the Dutch Ministry of Finance.

My work appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Forbes, The Guardian, BBC News, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Volkskrant, NRC, EenVandaag, RTL4 news, RLT Z, Radio 1, BNR Nieuwsradio, Q Music and Slam FM!

I was a visiting scholar at the University of California San Diego, the University of California Los Angeles and the Toulouse School of Economics.

See the latest updates on my research

Visit my media channel here:

Youtube Paul Smeets

Read my most recent working paper here:

Why Do Investors Pay Higher Fees for Sustainable Investments? An Experiment in Five European Countries

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Research

Publications and Working Papers

Teaching

Courses and PhD Students

Media

Radio, Television and Written Press