ECON4260 – Behavioral Economics

Schedule, syllabus and examination date

Course content

This course provides an overview of behavioral economics. Behavioral economics incorporates descriptively accurate assumptions about cognitive ability, social interaction, moral motivation, and emotional responses into economic modeling and explores the implications of this for human behavior and economic outcomes. These assumptions are often motivated by empirical findings in psychology, sociology and related disciplines, as well as the field of experimental economics. Behavioral economics seeks to generate theoretical insights, make more accurate predictions of field phenomena, and suggest welfare improving policies.

Main topics:

  • Behavioral decision theory.
  • Time inconsistency and self-control.
  • Social preferences and fairness.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

You should

  • become familiar with selected important contributions to behavioral economics,
  • understand the relevance of these contributions for analysis of economic behavior,
  • in particular, understand under what conditions and in what ways these contributions may substantially alter predictions and/or policy recommendations based on previous economic models.

Skills

You should

  • be able to critically assess the importance of these contributions for the understanding of economic behavior, in particular, be able to discuss the following problem: How descriptively accurate assumptions about human behavior do we need for economic analysis?
  • be able to use formal modelling approaches introduced in the course to solve simple, illustrative problems,
  • be able to apply the ideas and intuitive arguments discussed in the course in your own applied economic analyses, such as analysis of specific policies not explicitly discussed in the course.

Competence

You should

  • be able to read and understand project reports and journal articles that make use of the concepts and methods that are introduced in the course,
  • be able to make use of the course content in your own academic work, for example in analyses that are part of the master’s thesis.

Admission to the course

Students admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.

Students not admitted to the Master’s programme in Economics or the Master’s programme in Economic Theory and Econometrics (Samfunnsøkonomisk analyse), can apply for admission to one of our study programmes, or apply for guest student status.

Formal prerequisite knowledge

You must fulfill one of these prerequisites:

Teaching

Lectures and seminars.

Examination

A 3-hour written school exam.

Previous exams

Exam papers with comments from examiner

Examination support material

Students may use dictionaries at this exam. Dictionaries must be handed in before the examination. Please read regulations for dictionaries permitted at the examination.

Language of examination

The examination text is given in English.You may submit your response in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.

Resit an examination

If you are sick or have another valid reason for not attending the regular exam, we offer a postponed exam later in the same semester.

See also our information about resitting an exam.

More about examinations at UiO

You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.

Last updated from FS (Common Student System) Mar. 19, 2024 2:51:52 AM

Facts about this course

Level
Master
Credits
10
Teaching
Autumn
Examination
Autumn
Teaching language
English