Behavioural Economics Research Group (BERG)
From field and laboratory evidence we know that human behaviour is not consistent with the neoclassical economic theory. This group studies behavioural aspects of economic decision making to improve the current theoretical and applied knowledge, and to evaluate behavioural public policy. Our methods include formal theory, laboratory experiments, field experiments, surveys, and field data. Our group meets to discuss behavioural research in organisational economics, labour economics, health economics, welfare economics, industrial economics, and other areas.
Research group leader
Academic staff
Amairisa KoukiBert Van Landeghem
Aidas MasiliūnasJesse Matheson
PhD students
Representative publications
Kasper M & Matthew Rablen (2023) Tax Compliance After an Audit: Higher or Lower? Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization.
Li J, Gamannossi Degl'Innocenti D & Matthew Rablen (2023) Marketed Tax Avoidance: An Economic Analysis. Scandinavian Journal of Economics.
Foureaux-Koppensteiner, M., Jesse Matheson and R. Plugor (2023). The impact of improving access to support services for victims of domestic violence on demand for services and victim outcomes, American Economic Journal: Economic Policy.
Aidas Masiliunas (2023) Learning in Rent-Seeking Contests with Payoff Risk and Foregone Payoff Information. Games and Economic Behavior.
Del Ponte A, Aidas Masiliunas & Lim N (2023) Information about historical emissions drives the division of climate change mitigation costs. Nature Communications.
Brañas-Garza P, Subhasish M. Chowdhury, Espín AM & Nieboer J (2023) Born this Way’? Prenatal exposure to testosterone may determine behavior in competition and conflict. Journal of Economic Psychology.
Subhasish M. Chowdhury, Esteve‐González, P., & Mukherjee, A. (2023). Heterogeneity, leveling the playing field, and affirmative action in contests. Southern Economic Journal.
Subhasish M. Chowdhury, Mukherjee A & Turocy TL (2022) And the first runner-up is..: comparing winner selection procedures in multi-winner Tullock contests. Review of Economic Design
Elliott, J., & Aki Tsuchiya (2022). Do they just know more, or do they also have different preferences? An exploratory analysis of the effects of self-reporting serious health problems on health state valuation. Social Science & Medicine.
Baik, K.H., Subhasish M. Chowdhury, & Ramalingam, A. (2022). Group Size and Matching Protocol in Contests. Canadian Journal of Economics.
Brown, S., Ghosh, P., Daniel Gray, Pareek, B., & Roberts, J. (2021). Saving behaviour and health: A high-dimensional Bayesian analysis of British panel data. The European Journal of Finance.
Daniel Gray, Montagnoli, A., & Moro, M. (2021). Does education improve financial behaviors? Quasi-experimental evidence from Britain. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization.
Daniel Gray, Pickard, H., & Munford, L. (2021). Election outcomes and individual subjective wellbeing in Great Britain. Economica.
Subhasish M. Chowdhury, Kovenock, D., Rojo-Arjona, D., & Wilcox, N.(2021) Focality and Asymmetry in Multi-battle Contests. Economic Journal.
Abásolo, I., & Aki Tsuchiya (2020). Comparing aversions to outcome inequality and social risk in health and income: An empirical analysis using hypothetical scenarios with losses. Health Economics.
Aidas Masiliunas, & Nax, H. H. (2020). Framing and repeated competition. Games and Economic Behavior.
Baik, K.H., Subhasish M. Chowdhury, & Ramalingam, A. (2020). The Effects of Conflict Budget on the Intensity of Conflict: An Experimental Investigation. Experimental Economics.
McDool, E., Powell, P., Jennifer Roberts, & Karl B. Taylor (2020). The internet and children’s psychological wellbeing. Journal of Health Economics.
Subhasish M. Chowdhury, & Crede, C.J. (2020). Post-Cartel Tacit Collusion: Determinants, Consequences, and Prevention. International Journal of Industrial Organization.
Aidas Masiliunas (2019). Overcoming inefficient lock-in in coordination games with sophisticated and myopic players. Mathematical Social Sciences.
Bert Van Landeghem (2019). Stable traits but unstable measures? Identifying panel effects in self-reflective survey questions. Journal of Economic Psychology.
Adriani, F., Matthew Rablen, & Sonderegger, S. (2018). Teaching by example and induced beliefs in a model of cultural transmission. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization.
Bert Van Landeghem, & Vandeplas, A. (2018). The relationship between status and happiness: Evidence from the caste system in rural India. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics.
Feng, Y., Hole, A. R., Karimi, M., Aki Tsuchiya, & van Hout, B. (2018). An exploration of the non‐iterative time trade‐off method to value health states. Health Economics.
Aidas Masiliunas (2017). Overcoming coordination failure in a critical mass game: strategic motives and action disclosure. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization.
Ali, S., Aki Tsuchiya, Asaria, M., & Cookson, R. (2017). How robust are value judgments of health inequality aversion? Testing for framing and cognitive effects. Medical Decision Making.
Brown, A., & Subhasish M. Chowdhury (2017). The Hidden Perils of Affirmative Action: Sabotage in Handicap Contests. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization.
Piolatto, A., & Rablen, M. D. (2017). Prospect theory and tax evasion: a reconsideration of the Yitzhaki puzzle. Theory and Decision.
Brown, S., & Daniel Gray (2016). Household finances and well-being in Australia: An empirical analysis of comparison effects. Journal of Economic Psychology.
Currarini, S., Jesse Matheson, & Vega-Redondo, F. (2016). A simple model of homophily in social networks. European Economic Review.
Subhasish M. Chowdhury, Jeon, J., & Ramalingam, R. (2016). Identity and Group Conflict. European Economic Review.
Event organization
On 13-14 June 2024, the group organizes the Sheffield Workshop on Behavioural Economics.
A member of this group organizes (along with 6 other institutions) a bi-weekly webinar titled Global Seminar on Contests & Conflict. Administrative support provided by MPI (Munich).