Topic: Choice overload through time allocation
Time: 13:30 PM-15:00PM, Sep. 17, 2025
Location: Room A1028, New Main Building
Guest: Prof. Raul G. Sanchis is an Associate Professor in Economics at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. He obtained the Ph.D in Economics in 2013 with honours and best dissertation award at Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain. He also is the Head of the UPM Teaching Innovation Group in Economics and Business. His research is focused on microeconomics, particularly on time allocation, lifestyle, and wellbeing from a multidisciplinary perspective. He has published in top journals in different fields, such as Economics, Social Sciences, and Applied Mathematics. Prof. Sanchis has held different visiting positions: University of Cambridge (UK, 2011 and 2017), the RCC at Harvard University (USA, 2013), Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Spain, 2013-2015), MBSC (Saudi Arabia, 2023), Institute of National Planning (Egypt, 2024), and the London School of Economics (UK, since 2022), where he currently is an invited visitor.
Abstract:
A time allocation model is introduced to analyse choice overload situations suffered by consumers in their decision making processes. Time variables have previously been proposed as relevant whenever choice overload is discussed. Under a time allocation perspective, we develop a standard model in economic theory where a rational consumer is likely to suffer from main choice overload phenomena. Thus, this paper provides first theoretical conditions which explain two of the most puzzling choice overload effects in economics: the paradox of choice and the paralysis effect.
