Doctoral College in Behavioural Economics: Lower Saxony network launches
2023-02-27 With the newly founded doctoral college, researchers from Leuphana, Clausthal University of Technology and Vechta University are pooling their expertise. Doctoral students benefit from the interdisciplinary exchange.
In recent decades, research in behavioural economics has fundamentally expanded our understanding of human decision-making behaviour. The new doctoral programme "Behavioural Economics and Societal Transformation" aims to combine basic research with application-oriented research. The cooperation will kick off with a kick-off workshop, which will take place at Leuphana on 1 March 2023. Prof. Dr. Mario Mechtel, Professor of Economics, in particular Empirical Microeconomics at Leuphana, Prof. Dr. Gerald Eisenkopf, Professor of Business Administration at the University of Vechta and Prof. Dr. Fabian Paetzel, Professor of Economics at Clausthal University of Technology are part of the core team and have initiated the Kolleg. "We build on an established network of behavioural economists and systematically connect the smaller locations," explains Mario Mechtel.
All doctoral students take part in basic courses, such as "Experimental Methods" or "Topics in Advanced Microeconomics". Workshops that have been established for years are opened up to the doctoral researchers and enable them to exchange information about their own research work. In addition, participation in international conferences or summer schools is encouraged. "At the same time, the doctoral researchers have the opportunity to build a network through exchange with the other universities," says Mario Mechtel.
The doctoral programme applies basic research in behavioural economics to technological and social transformation processes. Interdisciplinary links exist, for example, to political science, engineering, education science or sustainability. The dissertation topics lie at the thematic interfaces between behavioural economics and these disciplines, for example in topics such as the circular economy, digitalisation or socially responsible consumer behaviour.