Advanced Behavioral Economics

This course aims to teach students advanced techniques of behavioral economics, classical economics, and compare the two approaches. It focuses on the Behavioral economics refers to the research program that attempts to incorporate more realistic psychological foundations into models of economic behavior. It initially started by drawing experimental evidence and insights from psychology and other social sciences suggesting the standard model of rational decision-making provides an inadequate description of behavior. But, more recently, behavioral economics is finding its way into policy evaluation/normative economic analysis as well. This course explores some of the advances in this field. We will study foundational topics in behavioral economics, with a focus on theories of behavior that aim to incorporate non-standard phenomena into classic economic models, with consideration of intertemporal decision-making, choice under uncertainty, and learning. The course will be centered around research paper discussions, allowing students to develop the critical skills necessary to evaluate and put in practice the latest research findings in the field of Behavioral Economics. Students will have the opportunity to shape the structure of the course by choosing specific readings within each topic.