Presentation
The group Behavior, Institutions, and Development brings together TSE researchers working on the fields of development economics, labor economics, political economy, economic history, law and economics, as well as behavioral and experimental economics. In particular, we focus on these three broad research agendas:
- The multifaceted consequences of market frictions (e.g. regulation, limited information, financial constraints) and market structure (e.g. competition, vertical integration) on both individuals and firms in developing countries.
- The co-determination and joint evolution of economic and political institutions and culture, with a focus on how these factors affect economic and social development, as well as inequality of resources and opportunities from a contemporary and historic perspective;
- Non-standard preferences and beliefs and their effects on individual decisions and societal outcomes, focusing among others on social influences, identity, belief formation and memory as well as on pro-social preferences and moral attitudes, and their evolutionary foundations.
Watch an example of research led within this group below:
The group's activities include a weekly research seminar, two internal workshops that are open to both faculty and PhD students - one with a focus on topics in development economics (calendar) and one around themes in behavioral and experimental economics (calendar), as well as conferences on specific themes.
Many faculty members teach in the Master of Public Policy and Development.
While focusing on Economics, several members of the group are also affiliated with the Department of Social and Behavioral Science which hosts researchers from other disciplines (Law, Political Science, History, Psychology, and Evolutionary Anthropology and Biology).
