Course description

This course is an introduction to behavioral economics, and is well suited for people who have never studied this subject before. However, because we will cover many topics, and there are opportunities for self-directed study, the course is also valuable for those who have had a basic training in behavioral economics and would like to expand their knowledge. This course can be taken in two different ways. The first is by people who are not doing research in behavioral economics (but instead macro, IO, public finance, etc.) but have an interest for the field, and would like to learn more and to incorporate some of the acquired knowledge into their research. Because people’s psychology is crucial to understand the decisions they make, understood in this broad sense, all economics is behavioral. If this is your case, you are welcome and encouraged to take the class! The second way of taking this course is by those who want to do research in behavioral economics, or to apply behavioral economics in the field. If this is your case, then you should also take the experimental economics class that will be taught simultaneously by Prof. Giovanni Ponti. The reason is that current research in experimental economics, and especially its applications on the field, relies heavily on experiments. For that reason, Prof. Ponti and I will coordinate our courses, so that you can achieve a better understanding of both topics.




Professors