I am a Professor in Philanthropy and Sustainable Finance

""My passion is to understand what motivates people to use their time and money in a way that benefits society. I also aim to discover how this money and time can be used in the most impactful manner. In my free time, I enjoy playing improvisation theatre and playing the piano.”
 
I conduct field surveys and field experiments with financial institutions around the globe. I link these data to real-world investment choices. My samples include retail investors, pension fund members, professional investors and millionaires.

I published in journals like The Journal of Finance, The 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 Dutch Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Authority Financial Markets (AFM) and the Central Planning Bureau (CPB).

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My work appeared in The New York Timesthe Atlantic, Forbes, the GuardianBBC NewsSüddeutsche Zeitungde 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.

Paul Smeets

The Altruism of the Rich and the Poor

Paul Smeets blog

Altruistic behavior is a fascinating topic. On the first hand, it’s something of an evolutionary puzzle as to why an organism would provide benefits to others at an expense to itself. By...
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Donors Likely to Give Less if They Stand to Benefit

Paul Smeets blog

Socially responsible investing allows people to earn a financial return while doing good. But the promise of receiving a personal benefit from a charitable act may actually lower the amount wealthy...
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NWO Veni grant on the motivations of sustainable investors

Paul Smeets blog

Paul Smeets has been awarded a research grant from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). The Veni grants are for outstanding researchers who have recently earned their PhD, are...
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