Behavioral Economics (5 cr)

Code:
26037 (MSc) / 62638 (PhD)
Field:
Microeconomics
Targets:
Master’s students Research Master's students PhD students
Organiser:
Hanken Shool of Economics
Instructor:
Xiaoxeng Xu
Period:
Period 1
Format:
Lecture
Method:
Contact teaching
Venue:
Hanken campus

In case of conflicting information consider the Sisu/Moodle pages the primary source of information.

MSc students (26037)

During the course you will extend your understanding about classical microeconomic theories and realize the gap between real life decisions and what the theories predict. You will learn to use the methods, central results, and theories of behavioural economics to explain behaviors, and their imlications for the other fields of economics, and for microeconomics and industrial organization in particular. The course offers a master-level overview into behavioural decisions, behavioural games, dynamic behavioural decisions, as well as applications thereof.

PhD students (62638)

The course aims providing advanced economics students in the FDPE with insights regarding the implications of relaxing some of the standard simplifying rationality assumptions and adopting psychologically motivated alternative assumptions. The idea is to further learn to critically evaluate the modelling assumptions made both in behavioural (descriptive) and what is sometimes called "standard" (prescriptive) theory and understand the various criteria for choosing modelling assumptions. The backbone of the course is theoretical analysis but the course is spiced with economic experiments to provide further insight and evidence. The course offers an overview into Behavioural decisions, Behavioural games, Dynamic behavioral decisions, Experimental economics and experiment settings, as well as applications thereof.

  • Course Sisu page: 26037 (MSc) or 62638 (PhD)
  • Schedule: TBA in August
  • Study materials: can be found in Moodle (to be added to the list couple of days before the course starts)
    • Access to many Moodle courses requires a 'key' (course password) which you can get from the teacher of the course.
      • Most teachers post the course key as a message in Sisu or send it by email couple of days before the course begins.
    • To be able to use all the features of the Moodle course workspace you must log in with your Hanken user ID (that is generated after the study rights have been granted)
    • For more tips on how to register for a Moodle course area, click here.

Please register for the course in the Hanken Sisu with your Hanken username, further instructions can be found here.

Aalto University Students
  • Code: no equivalent code
  • Target groups: MSc / rMSc / PhD
  • Credit points: 5
  • Credit transfer: please apply for inclusion
Hanken Students
  • Code: 26037 (MSc) / 62638 (PhD)

  • Target groups: MSc / rMSc / PhD

  • Credit points: 5

University of Helsinki Students
  • Code: ECOM-G416 (MSc) / DPE-9416 (PhD)
  • Target groups: MSc / rMSc / PhD
  • Credit points: 5
  • Credit transfer: apply for substitution in Sisu
FDPE Students Students
  • Please contact your supervisor/program director to be sure that the course credit can be counted towards your degree
  • Credit transfer: please apply for credit transfer according to your home university's procedures

MSc students (26037)

After completing the course, you will be able to:

  • enlist and distinguish the various purposes of modelling in economics and in particular the novel perspectives that behavioural economics provides
  • recognize and explain some of the core behavioural economics concepts
  • solve theoretical behavioural economics models, derive economic implications and relate them to those of non-behavioural economic models
  • critically evaluate why mathematical models are applied in economics and what limitations they have

PhD students (62638)

After completing the course, you will be able to:

  • write down psychologically motivated models of economics
  • distinguish between the various purposes of standard and behavioral modeling.
  • apply modelling tools in the context relevant for your own research.
  • assess the limitations and benefits of economic experimentation in empirical work
  • critically evaluate the modelling assumptions made both in behavioral (descriptive) and what is sometimes called "standard" (prescriptive) theory and understand the various criteria for choosing modelling assumptions.
  • design simple experiments.