The 34th Frontier Forum for Digital Technology and Finance

Abstract：

Households significantly influence the sustainability of our planet. The decisions individuals and families make in their daily lives can have a substantial impact on the environment and society. Traditional economic models typically focus on maximizing benefits within one unit and one lifecycle, often overlooking the needs of other units and future generations. Household sustainability is a new research field that seeks to understand how households make choices that affect the environment, social well-being, and financial stability, as well as how households respond to interventions from these three perspectives. This field acknowledges the complex interactions between these three dimensions and aims to help households maximize their current utility without jeopardizing the utility of future generations. Within existing economic frameworks, household sustainability considers two additional fundamental issues: concerns for long-term growth (for descendants), and constraints placed on human societies.

Speaker Introduction:

Sumit Agarwal is Low Tuck Kwong Distinguished Professor of Finance at the Business School and a Professor of Economics and Real Estate at the National University of Singapore. He is the Managing Director of Sustainable and Green Finance Institute at NUS. He is also the President of Asian Bureau of Finance and Economic Research. Sumit’s research interests include issues relating to household sustainablity, financial institutions, household finance, behavioral finance, and real estate markets.