Applied Behavioral Economics

The field of behavioral economics couples scientific research on the psychology of decision making with economic theory to better understand what motivates economic agents, including consumers, managers, public policymakers, investors, and employees. In this course, we will examine topics such as the 'irrational' patterns of how people think about products, money and investments, designing strategies and offerings to change behavior, and the drivers of happiness and the role of emotions in decision-making. This highly interdisciplinary course will be particularly relevant to students with interests in general management, entrepreneurship, Marketing, Strategy, Behavioral Finance, public policy, and nonprofit. Topics covered will include: Rationality and choice, choice complexity, intertemporal choice, emotional influences on choice, the role of behavioral economics in marketing, spending and savings behavior, social welfare, choice architecture, and defaults. The goals of this course are threefold: a) to study the basic principles of behavioral economics, b) To learn the application of the principles to various aspects of business and policy, and c) to think about a framework for developing products, programs, and tactics that are behaviorally informed. The course is composed of a mixture of lectures, exercises, academic paper reviews, and in-class case discussions. The purpose of the lectures is to present and discuss theories, concepts, analytical techniques and empirical findings. In-class exercise will be used to apply the concepts and techniques covered in the class. We will discuss a few business cases. In addition, students working in teams will prepare an analysis and recommended behavioral strategy for a company/startup of their choice.