Information Design for Humans Lab

Human capital is a central determinant of firm productivity and aggregate economic welfare. Achieving efficient outcomes requires not only effective matching between workers and firms, but also the proper alignment of incentives and sustained investment in human capital development. Yet, frictions in information and contracting frequently distort these processes—leading to mismatched employment relationships, suboptimal effort provision, and underinvestment in skill formation.

These frictions persist because labor-market and organizational decisions are often made under asymmetric information about worker capabilities, firm productivity, and long-term opportunities. At the same time, professionals who generate, verify, and interpret such information—accountants, HR managers, and analysts—operate within systems shaped by evolving technologies, disclosure regulations, and social expectations.

The Information Design for Humans (IDH) Lab examines how information design can improve the efficiency and welfare of people and organizational outcomes. Our research explores the interplay among corporate reporting systems, incentive structures, and human resource management, integrating structural estimation, empirical analysis, field experiments, and AI-based methods. Through this work, we aim to inform how accounting and information systems can be designed to manage information frictions, strengthen incentive alignment, and enhance the development and allocation of human capital.