About

Jake Gao’s primary field of research is law and technology, with a particular focus on new technologies and the law of torts. He is interested in exploring how legal institutions can be leveraged or modified to facilitate the adoption of emerging technologies and how new technologies can be harnessed to enhance the law’s ability to promote social welfare. His research projects include measuring the impact of algorithmic aversion on the judicial process, describing a process for making algorithmic law that accounts for the interactive effects of individual behavior, and measuring the role of normative motivations for compliance with the law. He has also applied his background in law in his work with the Chicago Transit Authority on facilitating bus electrification and cultivating a healthier electric bus market in the United States.

Education

MS, PhD Massachusetts Institute of Technology
JD Columbia Law School
BSE Princeton University

Torts
Law and Technology
Economic and Behavioral Analysis of Law

Selected Publications

Gao, J., Jackson, J., & Zhao, J. (2023). Motivations for watching videos on mobile phones while driving in parking lots and while waiting at intersections in the United States. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 92, 155–175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2022.11.002

Gao, J., & Zhao, J. (2018). Legitimacy versus morality: Why do the Chinese obey the law? Law and Human Behavior, 42(2), 167–180. https://doi.org/10.1037/lhb0000271

Gao, J., & Zhao, J. (2017). Normative and image motivations for transportation policy compliance. Urban Studies, 54(14), Article 14.

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Behavioral Economics and the Law
Law and Emerging Technology

Illinois Law welcomes five new faculty hires