Lehrende: Prof. Dr. Dr. Lydia Mechtenberg
Veranstaltungsart: Interaktive Lehrveranstaltung
Anzeige im Stundenplan: Behav. Econ.
Semesterwochenstunden: 3
Credits: 6,0
Unterrichtssprache: Englisch
Min. | Max. Teilnehmerzahl: - | 45
Kommentare/ Inhalte: The aim of this course is to give an introduction into the field of Behavioral Economics. Behavioral Economics integrates several psychological insights into formal economic models. As such, it attempts to increase the explanatory power of economic models by incorporating a better basis of human behavior. The traditional canonic model of economic behavior had been based upon a rational economic agent who maximizes a narrowly defined self-interest. In many situations, e.g. under uncertainty or in intertemporal contexts, this canonic model often generated predictions that are inconsistent with empirical evidence. This course presents new models in different areas of Behavioral Economics. We discuss experimental evidence that motivated the development of these models and apply them to different economic problems.
Lernziel: We will always discuss implications for different economic contexts and give examples and potential policy implications. These relate, for example, to issues in Behavioral Labor Economics, Behavioral Finance, and Behavioral Game Theory. Unfortunately, there is still no comprehensive textbook that fully covers this course. The course material therefore consists primarily of journal articles and class notes. It is helpful to read some chapters of the textbooks given below. Throughout the course, I will point out articles that are required to be read and will be discussed by all students in class (Not all the articles given below will be required to be read!). Some of the classes will involve students’ discussions and presentations of selected articles. These will be assigned in class. In order to develop a thorough understanding of key economic aspects of Behavioral Economics, each student is expected to actively participate in the course. This involves reading (ahead) the provided material and journal articles, as well as actively participating in discussions and submitting homework assignments as well as being able to present those in class.
Literatur: See file.
Zusätzliche Hinweise zu Prüfungen: The grade will be based on a 60 minutes exam. Active participation in class, including presentations and discussions can improve the grade by up to 0.7 grade points. There will homework assignments that will not be graded. They will partially be discussed in class and I will select some students at random to present their solutions. Presentation of one research paper in class is required for each student (possible in groups of up to three, presenting the most important insights of the paper plus guiding the discussion). In case of failing the first exam, or not being able to participate on this date, e.g. for health reason, a second exam is planned for end of September.