ECON 155. Behavioral and Experimental Economics

The standard model of economic behavior is based on a set of assumptions about individual rationality, willpower, and preferences. Increasingly, researchers are finding that these assumptions can be inconsistent with observed behavior. This seminar focuses on behavioral and experimental economics, subfields of economics that draw from the broader social science literature to explore how individuals actually behave and make decisions, with the goal of improving both economic theory and public policy. The seminar will cover behavioral economics concepts and their applications in the real-world (in both high-income and low-income contexts worldwide), as well as experimental economics research and methods. Students in the seminar will read, critique, and present on the latest and most influential academic papers in behavioral and experimental economics. Topics include: self-control problems in financial behavior, preferences regarding inequality and fairness, cooperative behavior, social preferences, and consumer decision making.
A student will receive 1 credit for ECON 155 if they’ve received credit for either ECON 055 or ECON 056.
Prerequisite: ECON 011 and ECON 031.
Social sciences.
2 credits.
Fall 2023. Bhanot.
Fall 2024. Bhanot.
Fall 2025. Bhanot.
Catalog chapter: Economics
Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/economics

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