John Horton
Associate Professor, MIT Sloan School of Management
John Horton is the Richard S. Leghorn (1939) Career Development Professor and an Associate Professor of Information Technologies at the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Horton’s research focuses on the intersection of labor economics, market design, and information systems. He is particularly interested in improving the efficiency and equity of matching markets.
After completing his PhD and prior to joining NYU Stern School of Business in 2013, he served for two years as the staff economist for oDesk, an online labor market.
Horton received a BS in mathematics from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a PhD in public policy from Harvard University.
Recent Insights
Featured publications
June 12, 2026
- John Horton | Associate Professor, MIT Sloan School of Management
- Benjamin Manning | Ph.D. Candidate
Useful social science theories predict behavior across settings. However, applying a theory to make predictions in new settings is challenging: rarely can it be done without ad hoc modifications to account for setting-specific factors. We argue that AI agents put in simulations of those novel settings offer an alternative for applying theory, requiring minimal or no modifications.
May 12, 2026
- John Horton | Associate Professor, MIT Sloan School of Management
- Emma Wiles | IDE Digital Fellow and Assistant Professor, Questrom School of Business, Boston University
John Fallon | Boston University
This paper explores whether human intermediaries add value when employers already have access to algorithmic screening tools.
January 12, 2026
- John Horton | Associate Professor, MIT Sloan School of Management
- Peyman Shahidi | Ph.D. Candidate
Brendan Lucier | Microsoft Research
Nicole Immorlica | Yale University, Microsoft Research
Mert Demirer | MIT
This paper develops a model that predicts that (1) AI-executed steps co-occur in chains, (2) dispersion of AI-exposed steps lowers AI execution at the job level, and (3) adjacency to AI-executed steps increases the likelihood that a step is AI-executed.
September 18, 2025
- John Horton | Associate Professor, MIT Sloan School of Management
- Benjamin Manning | Ph.D. Candidate
- Andrey Fradkin | Assistant Professor, Questrom School of Business, Boston University
October 4, 2024
- John Horton | Associate Professor, MIT Sloan School of Management
ShoshanaVasserman
Mitchell Watt
September 19, 2024
- John Horton | Associate Professor, MIT Sloan School of Management
Apostolos Filippas
Prasanna Parasurama
Diego Urraca
September 4, 2024
- John Horton | Associate Professor, MIT Sloan School of Management
Apostolos Filippas
Prasanna Parasurama
Diego Urraca
July 3, 2024
- John Horton | Associate Professor, MIT Sloan School of Management
Apostolos Filippas
Prasanna Parasurama