Fachbereich 9


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Members of LaER conduct research which investigates the decision-making behaviour of economic agents. This includes decision-making under risk, in social and environmental dillemas and managerial decision making. Our research is both theoretical and empirical and our approach is predominantly behavioural: bringing insights from psychology to bear on an improved understanding of economic behaviour.

Theoretical research has investigated the nature of individual preferences. Empirical research uses controlled laboratory experimentation to investigate whether human decision-makers behave according to the predictions of theory and, if not, why not. Recent experiments have examined individual risk preferences, the behaviour of both individuals and groups in non-cooperative games, the performance of auctions, the choice of managerial compensation schemes, etc.

Our research has been published in leading international journals including Business Research, Economica, The Economic Journal, Economics Letters, European Economic Review, International Journal of Industrial Organization, Journal of African Economies, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Journal of Economic Psychology, Journal of Public Economics, Journal of Risk and Uncertainty and Theory and Decision,  Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics, Schmalenbach Business Review.

LaER researchers work with a network of distinguished scientists including Markus Arnold (Hamburg), Edward Cartwright (Kent), Glenn Harrison (Georgia State), Elke Renner (Nottingham), Arthur Schramm (Amsterdam), Joep Sonnemans (Amsterdam), Chris Starmer (Nottingham), Arjan Verschoor (East Anglia), Mark van Vugt (VU Amsterdam), Unai Pascual (BC3, Bilbao), Juan Camilo Cardenas (Universidad de los Andes, Columbia), Peter Martinsson (University of Gothenburg, Sweden), Francisco Alpizar (CATIE, Costa Rica & University of Gothenburg).

Further details of the research interests of members of LaER can be found on their personal pages.