Economic Behaviour & Governance (EB&Go)
Description
Characteristic of economic and legal research in the Economic Behavior and Governance (EB&Go) focus area is that it generates behavioral science findings and integrates them into actor modeling. The main areas of application are economic decisions and questions of governance. How do the regulatory framework, in particular the law, and other steering instruments as well as social norms influence the behaviour of actors in households, companies, other organizations and entire economies? What goals do individual actors and society pursue and to what extent are these goals achieved? By answering these questions in specific research contexts, the research focus makes visible contributions to a better understanding of economic decision-making processes and to overcoming social challenges.
The EB&Go research focus combines the innovative field of behavioral economics with governance research. Both behavioral economics and governance research are based on a close dialogue between the individual behavioral and social sciences, including psychology and business administration. The methods primarily used in the research focus (econometrics, experimental economic research, applied micro- and macroeconomic theory, legal dogmatics and, often building on the aforementioned economic methods, legal impact assessment) can be applied to a wide range of topics. They are currently applied by the members of the research focus primarily in the areas of environment, energy and climate, labor market and social policy as well as education, science and innovation. Laboratory-based behavioral economics research at the Faculty benefits considerably from the KLab experimental laboratory.