A recent nobel prize win and the following newspaper coverage have put behavioral economics at the center of attention for organizations, institutions, and companies alike. By combining the fields of economics and psychology, behavioral economics analyses human behavior and decision-taking with its underlying assumptions and biases.

This course explores the theoretical key concepts of behavioral economics and goes into detail concerning existing and future fields of applications in a variety of different fields.

At the end of the course students will

• know and understand the theoretical key concepts in the field of behavioral economics
• be familiar with existing applications of behavioral economics
• have the skills to employ theoretical concepts to real-life issues

In addition, students will

• work in diverse team-settings
• be able to explain and present complex topics to an audience in an understandable way
• think outside the box to come up with new application fields

As this is a highly active class regular attendance is mandatory. In-class discussions play a vital role in the course design and they can only be fruitful if everyone attends and contributes on a regular basis. You may miss one session, but be aware that this will affect your class participation and, as a result, may affect your final grade. If you miss more than one session, you will be deregistered from the course.

The course design is highly interactive, covering current topics and practical applications. It combines lectures about the theoretical key constructs with discussions and presenations on specified topics. 

The final grade of the students participating in the course will be based on the following:

• preparation before class as well as participation in class: 30% (individual)
• presentation of a scientific paper: 20% (team)
• presentation and report of the final case: 30% (team)
• peer rating: 10% (individual)
• course reflection: 10% (individual)

Final grading:

       ≥ 90%...1

       ≥ 80%...2

       ≥ 70%...3

       ≥ 60%...4

       < 60%...5