phd behavioural economics uk

BEHAVIOURAL ECONOMICS

Behavioural economics is a blend of traditional neoclassical microeconomics and empirically motivated assumptions whose goal is a better understanding of economic behaviour. It can be divided into behavioural decision theory and behavioural game theory. Each subfield differs from its mainstream counterpart by paying particular attention to the psychological realism of behavioural assumptions and their consistency with empirical evidence. The goal is to identify empirically important deviations from traditional assumptions, use the alternative assumptions the evidence suggests to build tractable formal models, and use the models to reconsider standard microeconomic questions.

The research group holds regular seminars in conjunction with the Centre for Experimental Social Sciences (CESS) at Nuffield College.

For further information on CESS

The Nuffield Economic Theory seminars also periodically have speakers whose orientation is "behavioural".

Featured Publications

Johannes Abeler

Miguel Ballester

Ian Crawford

Stefan Dercon

Katharina Janezic

Alexandre Kohlhas

Daniel Quigley

Séverine Toussaert

Dphil students.

Vatsal Khandelwal

Lisa Martin

Sanghamitra Mukherjee

Emily Oehlsen

Nikolai Schaffner

Rafael Suchy

Alena Wabitsch

Hannah Zillessen

• Department of Economics
• Postgraduate study
• PhD Programme in Economics

PhD research topics

Applications are welcomed in all Economics topics. We particularly welcome applications from candidates with research interests in the following speciality areas of our research-active staff:

Behavioural Economics

• Behavioural Health Economics and Policy
• Behavioural Labour and Organisational Economics
• Decisions under Risk and Uncertainty
• Experimental and Behavioural analyses of markets
• Charitable Behaviour
• Analysis of Conflict and Conflict Resolution
• Behavioural Welfare Economics (including subjective wellbeing)

Financial Economics and Household Finance

• Banking and financial stability
• Household portfolios
• Household wealth inequality
• Household saving
• Household financial vulnerability and asset accumulation

Gender, Race and Inequality

• Domestic violence
• Discrimination and Wellbeing
• Identity Economics (gender, ethnicity, inequality)
• Wealth inequality and racial wealth gap
• Affirmative Action Policies

Health Economics

• Healthcare and demographics
• Health, wellbeing and employment
• Long-run impact of COVID
• Aversion to inequality in multidimensional wellbeing
• Health state valuation and stated preferences

Industrial Organization 

• Competition Policy
• Innovation, industrial policy and mixed markets
• Networks and Regulation
• Firms Productivity
• Tax compliance and administration

International Economics and Development

• Empirical development economics
• Foreign aid and development finance institutions
• Foreign Direct Investment and Economic Growth
• Trade models with heterogeneous firms, trade gravity and productivity growth
• Trade policies and public economics

Labour and Education Economics

• Empirical studies on the relationships between labour, health and wellbeing
• Education Economics
• Gender differences in human capital accumulation
• Labour market transitions of (young) workers
• Social mobility
• Vocational education
• Wages, employment and contract type

Macroeconomics

• Open Economy Macroeconomics
• Business Cycles
• Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium Modelling
• Labour Market Dynamics
• Search and Matching

Political Economy

• Elections, political ideology, institutions and economic policy
• Immigration: causes and consequences
• Terrorism, public attitudes and behavioural outcomes
• Rent-seeking and other contests

Time Series Econometrics

• Econometric detection of bubbles and crashes
• Specification testing and forecasting in non-linear Econometric/Time-Series models
• Theoretical econometrics and statistical inference

Urban and Environmental Economics

• Environmental economics and environmental policy 
• Environmental reporting
• Real estate economics
• Local labour markets
• Agglomeration externalities
• Spatial distribution of economic activities and innovation
• Transport economics
• Local economic impacts and drivers of internal and external immigration 
• Local and regional determinants of social mobility and inequality
• Levelling-up: drivers of local productivity and growth

Related information

How to apply for a PhD

Search for PhD opportunities at Sheffield and be part of our world-leading research.

Department of Psychology

Phds in the behavioural science group.

We welcome applications from students interested in all areas of cognitive and behavioural science.

Some PhD studentships are funded by the Department, the University, and the Economic and Social Research Council. Direct entry into PhD training is possible after a bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline (which need not be psychology) although many of our applicants have MScs. Some specific research projects for which supervisors wish to recruit a PhD student are listed below. We also welcome applicants who have plans for their own research projects, providing these fit with the research interests of a potential supervisor within the group.

More information on PhD / MPhil / MSc degrees by research in Psychology

Examples of possible PhD projects

Understanding cognitive search.

Cognitive search can be defined as search for resources or information at an unknown location in space, memory, social networks, problem environments, or any other kind of literal or abstract space. These kinds of search are suspected to involve both automatic and effortful processing. Because of this, how people control search has provided deep insights into the evolution of cognition, the role of executive/cognitive control, the structure of memory, and the role of age and working memory on cognitive control. Recent work is extending this research to real-world applications, such as providing insight into age-related cognitive decline and attention-hyperactivity disorder, study-time allocation in educational settings, organizational behavior and group problem-solving, and consumer choice. Research in this area often uses network analyses to represent and understand search environments, computational models to formally test hypotheses, and experimental studies -- any or all of which could provide valuable contributions to a PhD and the developing literature on search. If you're interested in discussing this idea further, please contact Thomas Hills .

Key Publication:

Todd, P. M., Hills, T. T., & Robbins T. (2012). Cognitive Search: Evolution, Algorithms, and the Brain. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Deciding when something is there: Time-based visual selection and search

Given the limits of visual processing, there is a need for us to select and prioritise only the most relevant information at a given moment in time, if our decisions, judgements and behaviours are to be adaptive, efficient and safe. This line of research examines how we select newly appearing visual information and ignore or suppress old information that is no longer of relevance to us. Exploring the basic properties of such mechanisms is vital for developing theories of how the visual attention system works, and predicting and accounting for success and failures of visual awareness and the influence of old information on the decisions we make in everyday tasks and situations. There remain many outstanding questions related to how we ignore distracting information and the future consequences for such ignored material; at a perceptual level but also in terms of our valuation and future decisions biases regarding such stimuli. For more information, please contact Derrick Watson .

Example Publications

Watson, D.G., & Kunar, M.A. (2012). Determining the capacity of time-based selection. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance, 38, 350-366.

Watson, D.G., & Kunar, M.A. (2010). Visual marking and change blindness: Moving occluders and transient masks neutralize shape changes to ignored objects. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 36, 1391-1405.

Watson, D.G., Braithwaite, J.J. & Humphreys, G.W. (2008). Resisting change: The influence of luminance changes on visual marking and the preview benefit. Perception & Psychophysics, 70, 1526-1539.

Watson, D.G. & Inglis, M. (2007). Eye movements and time-based selection: Where do the eyes go in preview search? Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 14, 852-857.

Watson, D.G. & Humphreys, G.W. (2005). Visual Marking: The effects of irrelevant changes on preview search. Perception & Psychophysics, 67, 418-434.

Watson, D.G., Humphreys, G.W., & Olivers, C.N.L. (2003). Visual marking: Using time in visual selection. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 7, 180-186.

Dealing with multiple sources of information

In real world situations we often have to focus our attention on more than one source of information at a time. For example, when driving we might need to attend to traffic signals, pedestrians and other vehicles at the same time. This research examines our ability to deal with multiple items depending upon the characteristics of the stimuli and their similarity to other distracting information. I am also interested in how old age affects our ability to select single objects compared with multiple objects, the role that eye movements play in these processes, and the influence of emotion on these processes. For more information, please contact Derrick Watson .

Example publications

Watson, D.G., Maylor, E.A., & Bruce, L.A.M. (2007). The role of eye movements in subitizing and counting. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 33, 1389-1399.

Watson, D. G., Maylor, E. A., Allen, G., & Bruce, L. A. M. (2007). Early Visual Tagging: Effects of Target-Distractor Similarity and Old Age on Search, Subitization, and Counting. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 33, 549-569.

Watson, D.G., & Maylor, E.A. (2006). Effects of color heterogeneity on subitization. Perception & Psychophysics, 68, 319-326.

Watson, D.G., Maylor, E.A., & Bruce, L.A.M. (2005). The Efficiency of Feature-Based Subitization and Counting. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 31, 1449-1462.

Effects of emotion on attention

It is well known that the ease with which we can find information in cluttered displays or scenes depends upon the physical similarity (e.g., colour, luminance) of that information to other distracting information also in the scene. More recently, researchers have found that the emotion carried by a stimulus can also help or hinder the ease with which it can be found. This research examines what effect emotional valence has on finding and deciding whether something is present in a scene or not, and the extent to which we can ignore or suppress stimuli which display different types of emotion. For more information, please contact Derrick Watson .

Watson, D.G., & Blagrove, E. (2012). Tagging multiple emotional stimuli: Negative valence has little benefit. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance, 38, 785-803.

Watson, D.G., Blagrove, E., Evans, C., & Moore, L. (2012). Negative triangles: Simple geometric shapes convey emotional valence. Emotion, 12, 18-22.

Watson, D.G., Blagrove, E., & Selwood, S. (2011). Emotional triangles: A test of emotion-based attentional capture by simple geometric shapes. Cognition & Emotion, 25, 1149-1164.

Blagrove, E. & Watson, D.G. (2010). Visual marking and facial affect: Can an emotional face be ignored? Emotion, 10, 147-168.

The role of attention and emotion in decision making, judgements and road safety

This line of research aims to bridge the areas of visual attention and behavioural economics. The goal is to determine how selective attention and emotion influence current and future decisions that we take. For example, what is the relationship between a dimension and a feature as defined in the attentional literature to the same concepts in high level decision making? How do framing processes in decision making and perception relate and/or interact? Do people show similar biases in perception and decision making? How do we combine and separate value information across temporal, spatial and featureal domains? Can visual attentional theory be used to educate drivers? Can nudging be used to help improve the effectiveness road safety messages? A current project related to the latter two questions is funded by collaborative ESRC PhD award to investigate the effects of driver distraction and how road safety education can be improved (in Collaboration with Dorset Police). For more information, please contact Derrick Watson .

Use of Electrodermal Activity (EDA) to measure emotional response

Emotional responses and orienting can have a huge impact on how people respond to and process information. However people’s emotional states and reactions are often determined using relatively simple and subjective self-report questionnaire type measures. Our lab has recently been equipped with state-of-the-art EDA equipment (based around the Biopac MP36R system) which allows us to measure people’s emotional responses to stimuli, choices and decisions via a direct measure based on skin conductance responses (both tonic and phasic). This line of research aims to test and develop theories of decision making, judgement, risk and threat processing using such direct and online measures of processing. Being a multi-channel system, allows us to record the responses of up to four people simultaneously in order to examine ‘multiple player’ decision and bargaining scenarios. The approach will provide a much more valid and fine-grained analysis of the effects of personality and emotional factors in perception and decision making than possible using self-report type measures. For more information, please contact Derrick Watson .

Detecting deceptive behaviour

The early detection of potential threats to society has become ever important in recent years. The aim of this research is to try to determine if there are important behavioural ‘signatures’ that indicate when a person is attempting to conceal an item of high value. The project represents a new collaborative venture by the Departments of Psychology and Computer Science with funding from a University of Warwick IAS impact and URSS award. For more information, please contact Derrick Watson or Kimberely Wade .

Explaining irrational behaviour as approximations to ideal solutions

The ideal solutions to real-world tasks are often unobtainable, because they are too complex to compute. For example, when trying to figure out which of fifteen items are the same and which are different, there are more than one billion possible answers. As a result, psychologists have proposed many heuristics as a way for the brain to approximate the ideal solutions and also to explain why people deviate from these solutions. However, these heuristics often make poor approximations. In contrast, researchers in statistics have developed approximations that are aimed to maximize accuracy with limited computational resources. As the brain is also attempting to solve the difficult problem of how to choose the best action with limited resources, these algorithms from statistics are exciting candidates for how this might be done. Applying these statistical algorithms to categorisation and reasoning tasks to see if they show the same biases that people do is a great testbed for this approach. For more information, please contact Adam Sanborn .

Example Papers Griffiths, T. L., Vul, E., & Sanborn, A. N. (2012). Bridging levels of analysis for probabilistic models of cognition. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 21, 263-268. Sanborn, A. N., Griffiths, T. L., & Navarro, D. J. (2010). Rational approximations to rational models: Alternative algorithms for category learning. Psychological Review, 117, 1144-1167.

Learning about people's preferences

We wish to understand how people's preference for real-world options, but the high complexity real-world options makes this task very difficult. As a result, we tend to model people's preferences using linear models without complex interactions. Interesting interactions, such as a pen with ink being highly preferred but a pen or ink alone not being considered useless, might be missed. To explore the structure of real-world preferences, a method for searching through a large space of options is needed. I have worked to develop an experimental design based on the statistical technique of Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). Using a correspondence between MCMC and standard models of human decision making, this algorithm can be used to efficiently explore people's preferences. It is currently being applied to a wide range of tasks including understanding what makes a happy or sad face, how people value economic gambles, and what makes for a good night of sleep. For more information, please contact Adam Sanborn .

Example Papers

Martin, J. B., Griffiths, T. L., & Sanborn, A. N. (2012). Testing the efficiency of Markov Chain Monte Carlo with People using facial affect categories. Cognitive Science, 36, 150-162.

Sanborn, A. N., Griffiths, T. L., & Shiffrin, R. M. (2010). Uncovering mental representations with Markov chain Monte Carlo. Cognitive Psychology, 60, 63-106.

Noguchi, T., Sanborn, A. N., & Stewart, N. (2013). Non-parametric estimation of the individual’s utility map. Proceedings of the 35th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society, (pp. 3145-3150) .

How good are peoples’ intuitions about physics?

People intuitively interact with the physical world in a very competent way, yet their understanding is often found lacking in laboratory tasks. As an example, when presented with a curved tube experimental participants will say that a ball exiting the tube will (erroneously) follow a curved path. However, much of this research demonstrating fallacious judgements about the physical world assumes that people have complete and correct sensory information. Assuming that people deal with unavoidable sensory noise in a rational fashion can produce unexpected patterns of behaviour, patterns that reconcile people's everyday good performance with their performance in laboratory tasks. This project involves a combination of empirical work and mathematical modelling. For more information, please contact Adam Sanborn .

Sanborn, A. N., Mansinghka, V. K., & Griffiths, T. L. (2013). Reconciling intuitive physics and Newtonian mechanics for colliding objects. Psychological Review , 120, 411-437.

Sanborn, A. N. (2014). Testing Bayesian and heuristic predictions of mass judgments of colliding objects. Frontiers in Psychology, 5(938) , 1-7.

Decision Making in Eyewitness Memory

Two broad classes of variables (system variables and estimator variables) affect the likelihood that guilty suspects are identified and innocent suspects are not mistakenly identified. System variables are related to law enforcement procedures. Thus, decisions made by law enforcement personnel carry great weight (e.g., what type of lineup procedure to use; what fillers to choose when a suspect has distinctive features). Estimator variables are related to the circumstances surrounding the crime. Thus, decisions made by the eyewitnesses or suspects carry great weight (e.g., the impact of false memories on identification or false confession; whether a weapon was involved). The aim of our research program is to gain a better understanding of these variables so that more guilty (and less innocent) suspects are convicted.

Wade, K. A., Green, S., & Nash, R. A. (2010). Can fabricated evidence induce false eyewitness testimony? Applied Cognitive Psychology, 24, 899-908.

Zarkadi, T., Wade, K. A., & Stewart, N. (2009). Creating fair lineups for suspects with distinctive features. Psychological Science, 20, 1448-1453.

Nash, R. A., Wade, K. A., & Lindsay, D. S. (2009). Digitally manipulating memory: Effects of doctored videos and imagination in distorting beliefs and memories. Memory & Cognition, 37, 414-424.

Mickes, L., Flowe, H. D., & Wixted, J. T. (2012). Receiver operating characteristic analysis of eyewitness memory: Comparing the diagnostic accuracy of simultaneous vs. sequential lineups. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 18, 361-376.

Wixted, J. T. & Mickes, L. (2012). The field of eyewitness memory should abandon probative value and embrace Receiver Operating Characteristic analysis. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 7, 275-278.

Estrus and extended sexuality

Women have a dual sexuality: estrus and extended sexualities. Estrus is that which occurs when women are within their fertile phase of the ovarian cycle and is associated with heightened interest in features of males that are associated with genetic quality. Extended sexuality is sexual behaviour that occurs outside of the fertile window of the ovarian cycle. Extended sexuality seems to function in part to garner investment from male partners. While a great deal has been learned about estrus very little has been learned about the function of extended sexuality. In one recent study Grebe et al. (2013) reported on a study of heterosexual couples that women initiated non-fertile sexual encounters more often when they perceived their partner's investment in the relationship to lag behind their own. There is quite a lot that can be done to further investigate the function of extended sexuality. Contact Corey Fincher if interested in pursuing research along these lines.

R. Thornhill and S.W. Gangestad. 2008. The Evolutionary Biology of Human Female Sexuality. Oxford University Press, New York, NY.

N.M. Grebe, S.W. Gangestad, C.E. Garver-Apgar, and R. Thornhill. 2013. Women’s luteal-phase sexual proceptivity and the functions of extended sexuality. Psychological Science, 24, 2106-2010.

Parasite-Driven-Wedge model of ethnogenesis

The parasite-driven-wedge model provides a mechanism of ethnogenesis. Regionally localized coevolutionary races between parasites and their hosts result in three locally adaptive antiparasite behaviors: mating and other social preference for local conspecifics, avoidance of nonlocal conspecifics and limited dispersal. These three behaviors comprise behavioral immunity. They become linked within individuals through linkage disequilibrium. Genetic immunity to local parasites also links through the same genetic mechanism with the traits of behavioral immunity. These linked traits are mutually reinforcing in that as any one increases in frequency due to its adaptiveness, the others do as well. Also, preference for locals is self-reinforcing because both the locals preferred and those preferring them have the same preference. These events create a wedge and associated boundaries that effectively fractionate and diversify the original range of a culture, leading to the genesis of contiguous multiple cultures from one. The higher the parasite stress in a region, the greater the frequency and intensity of the parasite-driven wedge in splitting cultures. Empirical tests support this model. However, it needs further testing at cross-cultural and individual levels. Contact Corey Fincher if interested in pursuing research along these lines.

C.L. Fincher and R. Thornhill. 2008. Assortive sociality, limited dispersal, infectious disease, and the genesis of global pattern of religious diversity. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 275:2587-2594.

C.L. Fincher and R. Thornhill. 2008. A parasite-driven wedge: Infectious diseases may explain language and other biodiversity. Oikos 117:1289-1297.

R. Thornhill and C.L. Fincher. 2013. The parasite-driven-wedge model of parapatric speciation. Journal of Zoology 291:23-33.

Behavioural immune system

Infectious diseases present many problems. One is how to avoid catching diseases. Another is how to cope with an infection once it occurs. The behaviours that function to cope with these problems have become known collectively as the behavioural immune system and include features such as xenophobia, ethnocentrism, and disgust. People vary in how they display such behaviours. While much has been learned about the existence of this variation very little is known about how this variation develops. Contact Corey Fincher if interested in pursuing research along these lines.

Stevenson, R. J., Oaten, M. J., Case, T. I., Repacholi, B. M., & Wagland, P. (2010). Children’s response to adult disgust elicitors: Development and acquisition. Developmental psychology, 46(1), 165.

Stevenson, R. J., Case, T. I., & Oaten, M. J. (2009). Frequency and recency of infection and their relationship with disgust and contamination sensitivity. Evolution and Human Behavior, 30(5), 363-368.

The Effect of Dark Tetrad Personality Traits on Economic Decisions: Behavioural Economics Perspective

Competition funded (UK/EU and international students)

Project code

AE&F8910124

Start dates

October 2024

Application deadline

19 January 2024

Applications are invited for a fully-funded three year PhD to commence in October 2024. 

The PhD will be based in the Faculty of Business and Law, and will be supervised by Dr Zahra Murad , Professor Yuksel Ekinci and Dr Z. Emel Ozturk. 

Candidates applying for this project may be eligible to compete for one of a small number of bursaries available. Successful applicants will receive a bursary to cover tuition fees for three years and a stipend in line with the UKRI rate (£18,622 for 2023/24). Bursary recipients will also receive £2,000 for fieldwork purposes. 

Costs for student visa and immigration health surcharge are not covered by this bursary. For further guidance and advice visit our international and EU students ‘Visa FAQs’ page .

The work on this project could involve:

• Conducting online and lab experiments and surveys collecting primary data on economic decisions and personality traits.
• Analysing Dark Tetrad personality traits from a representative sample household survey.
• Collect micro-level secondary data from available longitudinal representative surveys to establish a causal link between dark tetrad traits and economic decisions.
• Deliver a white paper on the importance of understanding how individual traits should be weighed when economics decisions are important in societal contexts.

Power-hungry, manipulative, and narcissistic employees can significantly impact the performance and well-being of individuals, teams, and entire organizations they manage or work in. In the corporate world, it has been argued that the lack of empathy and the greedy risk-taking behaviour of financial leaders played a major role in the global economic crisis of 2008. Research indicates that individuals with dark personality traits may be drawn to leadership roles and entrepreneurship due to a desire for control and manipulation. They may also display distinct economic behaviours, including increased risk-taking, competitiveness, lower time discounting, and reduced levels of cooperation, trust, altruism, and sustainability.

In this project, our objective is to investigate whether individuals exhibiting dark personality traits, encompassing characteristics such as Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and everyday sadism, tend to make different economic decisions compared to those with lighter personalities. The project aims to uncover the real-world implications of these personality traits, which often involve manipulative behaviour, a sense of superiority, a desire for power, and a propensity for causing harm.

The dissertation will comprise at least three projects, each requiring a rigorous and in-depth empirical investigation. This investigation will rely on micro-level data derived from online and lab experiments, as well as large-scale representative sample surveys. This data will encompass behaviou ral experiments, psychometric tests, attitudes, preferences, and a broad range of demographic and background variables. The resulting publications are expected to have an empirical nature, necessitating quantitative analysis of both primary and secondary data.

Entry Requirements

General admissions.

You'll need a good first degree from an internationally recognised university (minimum upper second class or equivalent, depending on your chosen course) or a Master’s degree in an appropriate subject. In exceptional cases, we may consider equivalent professional experience and/or qualifications. English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 with no component score below 6.0.

Specific candidate requirements

Some knowledge of experimental research methods,  knowledge of quantitative/statistical methods.

How to apply

We’d encourage you to contact Dr Zahra Murad  ( [email protected] ) to discuss your interest before you apply, quoting the project code. When you are ready to apply, you can use our online application form . Make sure you submit a personal statement, proof of your degrees and grades, details of two referees, proof of your English language proficiency and an up-to-date CV.  Our ‘ How to Apply ’ page offers further guidance on the PhD application process. 

Please also include a research proposal of 1,000 words outlining the main features of your proposed research design – including how it meets the stated objectives, the challenges this project may present, and how the work will build on or challenge existing research in the above field. 

If you want to be considered for this funded PhD opportunity you must quote project code AE&F8910124 when applying.  Please note that email applications are not accepted.

UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources

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Apply here: PhD Studentship in Behavioural Economics, Sustainable Food Production and Consumption

15 March 2019

The UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources invites applications for a fully funded 4-year PhD studentship covering UK/EU fees plus stipend to investigate sustainable food production and consumption paths through behavioural economics.

•    Title: PhD Studentship in Behavioural Economics, Sustainable Food Production and Consumption •    Supervisors: Dr Lorenzo Lotti, Senior Teaching Fellow, Dr Carole Dalin, Senior Research Fellow, and Dr Paolo Agnolucci, Assistant Professor in Environmental and Resource Economics, all at UCL ISR •    Stipend: £17009 •    UK/EU Fee: £5210 •    Start Date: September/October 2019 •    Funding Duration: 4 years •    Eligibility: please check here. Recent scientific studies increasingly focus on applying behavioural economics theories to address environmental and food-related issues. This branch of research demonstrated that it may be problematic to assume rational behaviour for both individual choices and environmental policy decisions.

Behavioural economics can be employed to inform public policy for an environmentally sustainable development in two ways: 

(a) improving benefit-cost analysis (BCA) through methodological adjustments to nonmarket valuation techniques

(b) informing the development of policy mechanisms to influence behaviour that can affect the environment 

Insights from behavioural economics are likely to benefit particularly environmental policy, because many of the choices that have significant environmental implications are the outcome of a complex set of motivations. Indeed, such environment-related decisions often require careful consideration between external (e.g. financial), internal (e.g. intrinsic motivations) and social (e.g. norms) factors.

From another point of view, behavioural economics can provide support in identifying food-system policy options with the potential to improve human health and reduce environmental impacts, in particular with the development of specific nudges.

Looking at food production, Czap et al. (2015) focuses on the effectiveness of complementing financial nudging/incentives with nudging for empathy. In their field experiment, an upstream farmer influences the water quality downstream by choosing the level of conservation: a downstream water user sends a message to the upstream farmer encouraging the latter to “walk-in-his(?) shoes”, meaning to take the perspective of the former (empathy nudging). According to Czap et al., empathy nudging can counteract the elimination of financial incentives, even if it is less effective than the latter. They also find a synergic effect between financial and empathy nudging, with conservation increasing significantly compared to using one of the nudges alone.  

Nudges on food can be developed considering not only the agricultural production, but also the food consumption market (or demand and supply side)

The aim of this PhD studentship is to undertake behavioural economics studies on food production and consumption.  In her/his Ph.D., the student will investigate how behavioural insights can lead to sustainable paths in food production and consumption, using nudges and developing analytical methods to support improved decision-making related to food. The research will require development of trials and data collection, as well as the use of econometric techniques for the analysis (addressing issues related to causality, self-selection, identification and construction of adequate counterfactual). 

Personal specification

•    A M.Sc. degree in economics, behavioural economics (or neurosciences/behavioural studies with a B.Sc. in Economics) •    Enthusiastic and passionate about data analysis, developing field experiments and conducting research •    Ability to implement several econometric techniques •    Knowledge of statistical software / programming languages (such as R, Matlab, Python, Stata, SAS) and determination to become an advanced coder •    Ability to use own initiative and prioritise workload •    Good interpersonal and communication skills (oral and written) •    A high level of attention to detail in working methods

Application process

Stage 1 - Pre-application documents including: (1) CV, (2) academic transcripts, and (3) 1-page personal statement outlining motivation, interest and eligibility for the post - should be emailed directly to the PhD Administrator via [email protected] .

Stage 2 - Following the interview, the successful candidate will be invited to make a formal application to the UCL Research Degree programme. Further guidance will be provided.

You are encouraged to contact potential supervisors before applying to discuss the content of the research topic and your suitability. Please email Dr Lorenzo Lotti [email protected] , Dr Paolo Agnolucci, [email protected] and Dr Carole Dalin [email protected]  

Wednesday 1st May, 23:59 Interviews: Wednesday 15th May Start of programme: Monday 23rd September 2019

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• Durham University
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Behavioural Economics

• September 2024

1 year full-time

Durham City

Course details

One of three specialist Masters in Economics programmes available at Durham, the MSc in Behavioural Economics examines how elements of behavioural psychology can be applied to economics to understand how people make economic decisions and how these decisions may differ from those made from rational choices. As one of the fastest growing areas in economics, behavioural economics provides insight to inform business and public policy alike. You will also gain an understanding of experimental methods in economics through classroom experiments.

The programme consists of a set of core and elective (optional) modules, culminating in a research-based dissertation. Core learning covers advanced macroeconomics and microeconomics alongside behavioural and experimental economics.

The programme offers flexibility through its wide choice of elective modules in topics such as Development Economics, Game Theory and Time-Series Analysis among others. The dissertation then enables you to develop your research skills, through an in-depth investigation at an advanced level of a topic relevant to your degree. The dissertation also includes the option to conduct research abroad at a partner university.

You will be taught at Durham University Business School, which is one of an elite group of institutions to be accredited by three major business education accreditation bodies, namely: the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS). As an economics student you will be part of an academic department with an international reputation for research and teaching excellence.

Course structure

Core modules.

You will study the following core modules:

• develops your knowledge and analytical skills in advanced macroeconomics, covering topics such as theories of growth, business cycles over time and money.
• enhances your knowledge and analytical skills in advanced microeconomic theory relating to consumers and producers as well as other areas including decision-making under risk and uncertainty, incentives and strategic behaviour, market equilibrium and welfare economics.
• provides the opportunity to develop a critical understanding of current theoretical and empirical research in the subject and builds the necessary knowledge and skills to critically review a wide range of behavioural patterns that influence investment decisions, and the consequences of those behaviours for the financial marketplace.
• enables you to test behavioural theories using methods from experimental economics. This module is designed to combine the behavioural approach in economics with active classroom experiments. These experiments illustrate simple economic situations, such as markets or auctions, and are used to highlight several economic ideas. You will critically review studies of economic behaviour in markets, bargaining, auctions, game theory, and public choice and discuss key aspects of individual behaviour in isolation, in particular choice under uncertainty and choice over time.
• provides some of the econometrics skills necessary to pursue empirical research in economics and/or finance and also provides a basis for understanding more advanced econometric techniques to be taught in the second term of the course.

Elective modules

You will choose one optional module from:

• Time-Series Analysis
• Microeconometrics

You will then choose an additional two further modules, up to the the value of 30 credits, from a list that has typically* included:

• Development Economics
• Econometrics II
• Environmental and Climate Economics
• Game Theory
• Industrial Organisation
• International Trade and Finance
• Money and Banking
• Natural Resource Economics
• Language module offered by the Centre for Foreign Language Studies

* Note that current modules are indicative and may change due to, for example, developments in the relevant academic field, or in light of student feedback and demand.

Dissertation

The MSc Behavioural Economics Dissertation is an in-depth investigation of a specific subject you've already studied as part of your programme. Supervised by a faculty member, this is an opportunity for you to develop your insight and present your analysis and ideas in a scholarly and professional manner. There is also the opportunity to undertake your dissertation abroad at a partner university.

Detailed module information

For the latest detailed information on all of the modules currently offered on this programme please visit our  Postgraduate Module Handbook pages .

Additional resources

We have made major investment in our Economics programmes, acquiring state-of-the-art database resources, including Thomson Reuters, Bloomberg, Datastream and Orbis. These valuable resources give you access to live and historical facts and figures relating to the financial records of millions of companies worldwide, adding valuable insight to your research.

Adding to your experience: International Opportunities

We are proud of our international connections and offer several opportunities to experience campus life in destinations across the globe.

Dissertation Abroad

You will be offered the opportunity to apply to undertake your dissertation (research project) at one of our prestigious European partner institutions during the summer months (June to September). This exciting programme provides an opportunity to gain experience living abroad and to build your network, as well as developing an understanding of how campus life works in another destination. Participation in the programme will develop your personal skills, in addition to improving employability by demonstrating adaptability, resilience, communication skills and a global mindset. This partially self-funded programme is very popular and our International Team in the Business School will support your journey from application to departure.

• Summer School If your ambitions lie beyond the UK, you will have the opportunity to participate in a Summer School at one of our global network of university and business partners. These partially self-funded competitive activities, normally take place after exams in either June, July or August, for up to three weeks. They cover a wide range of topics and aim to complement the knowledge you gain during your time in Durham, whilst contextualising it in an international business setting. Please note, in order to be considered for a place on one of our Summer Schools, all students must apply as places are limited.

Practitioner insights: Guest Speaker Programme

As part of the programme, you will be encouraged to attend presentations by leading academics and professionals who are specialists in your particular area of interest. Combining critical and progressive thinking with practical insight, past speakers have included professional economists from a range of organisations such as: the Bank of England, The Economic and Social Research Institute, the European Commission and the IMF to discuss how they apply core economic skills in their work.

Careers and Employability

By choosing to study the MSc Behavioural Economics programme, in addition to the academic abilities gained, your career development will also benefit from the global reputation of Durham University Business School, from the quality of its teaching to the networking opportunities made available to you.

As a Business School Masters student, you will be supported by an extensive career development programme, which has been designed to complement your academic programme to help you achieve your career goals and develop the skills that employers are looking for. You can take advantage of one-to-one appointments with a specialist Masters Career Consultant to help you with specific issues, from finding a route into your career to applying for your dream role.

Career insight sessions will be delivered by external professionals with expertise and knowledge of their particular sector, which provides insight into working in areas popular with our students.

Whichever career you will choose, the MSc in Behavioural Economics will help you gain the confidence to demonstrate the academic, professional and practical skills that are highly sought by employers around the world, or if you wish to continue your studies, by world-leading PhD programmes. Some of our recent economics graduates have gone on to work in sectors including:

• Consultancy
• Financial Services including Accounting
• Government/Public Services
• Legal Services

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Delivered through a mixture of lectures, seminars and practical sessions, involving the study of core and elective modules, and a 12,000-word dissertation.

Lectures provide key content of a particular topic, occasionally delivered by guest speakers who are internationally recognised academic experts or practitioners in their field.

Seminars provide the opportunity for smaller groups of students to discuss and debate issues based on the knowledge gained through lectures and independent study.

Practicals are medium-sized group sessions, where you will work on topics from lectures and seminars, with some sessions including the opportunity to use industry standard computer software.

Outside of timetabled contact hours, you will be expected to carry out independent study in preparation for teaching sessions, assignments and exams.

Assessment is thorough and ongoing throughout the course. It is conducted by means of assignments, exams and a major 12,000-word dissertation, which requires you to carry out independent research and develop your skills in writing and analysis with support from a supervisor.

Outside of timetabled contact hours, you will be expected to carry out a significant amount of independent study in preparation for assignments and other forms of assessment including exams.

Entry requirements

Applications.

We aim to have a diverse student body and recognise that we can only offer places to a finite number of applicants. To help achieve our aim, we look to ensure we offer places to applicants from all nationalities and close applications when we receive the allocated numbers.

The University is under no obligation to make any offer of a place on the programme to any applicant, nor is the University obligated to fill all spaces available on the programme.

Consideration of any application received by the University after expiry of the deadlines specified herein, shall be made at the sole discretion of the University.

The Masters in Economics is designed for new or recent graduates. You should have a strong background in a related discipline.

What do I need first?

You will need the equivalent of a UK upper second-class single or joint honours degree in Economics, Finance, Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, Computer Science or Engineering. Applicants with degrees in other subjects are encouraged to apply as long as they have achieved good grades in two Mathematics/Statistics/Econometrics modules covering calculus, probability theory/econometrics and ideally linear algebra.

Check the full list of equivalent qualifications .

Pre-sessional Introduction to Economics

Prior to starting your Economics Masters programme we offer a pre-sessional course for those students without an economics background. Starting in September of each academic year, this is a 12-hour online pre-recorded course that covers the basics in microeconomics (6 hours) and macroeconomics (6 hours), with opportunities for self-assessment and online drop-in sessions. The course is entirely optional, but we strongly recommend prospective students, with a first degree not in Economics, to fully engage with the course to make the transition as smooth as possible. The course can also serve as a refresher for economists who have graduated a time ago. 

Support for International Students

If you are an international student who does not meet the requirements for direct entry to this degree, you may be eligible to take a pre-Masters pathway programme at the  Durham University International Study Centre .

NB Chinese Applicants:  Applications will be accepted from students who have graduated from a prestigious university in China. Entry requirements may vary depending upon the reputation of the university you have graduated from and the academic programme you have applied for. As a guide, applicants are expected to have achieved an overall average of 85%.

How do I apply?

You will need to complete an online application form.

Please note you can only apply for  one  Masters Economics programme.

>> Fill out the online application form 

To support your online application form, you will need to provide the following documents.

• Official transcript of marks
• Copy of degree certificate (if available)
• Copy of English test results (if available).

You can either upload your supporting documents with your online application or email or fax them to the Postgraduate Admissions Office using the contact details below.

Only files of type .doc, .docx, .gif, .jpg, .pdf, .png, .rtf are permitted to be uploaded.The maximum file size is 5MB.

Application fee

Once we receive your online application form, you’ll get an automatic email within 48 hours asking you to pay the £60 application fee* which is required to progress your application.

You’ll need to follow the link in the email to the webpage where you can confirm your details and make the payment using a debit or credit card. This is a secure website operated by Secpay, which will send you an automatic receipt of payment.

Once we receive confirmation that your application fee has been paid, we’ll be able to progress your application.  If you do not pay the application fee your application will be automatically withdrawn.

*Please note you will only be able to make a payment for one programme in each suite i.e. one MSc Finance programme, one MSc Management programme, one MSc Economics programme.

College membership

All students of Durham University will become a member of one of our Colleges.   Here is more information about what college membership means to our students .  Once you have accepted your postgraduate offer, the Accommodation and Allocations Office will contact you with further information regarding how to express college preferences.  You can also apply for college accommodation if you wish to. 

Admissions process

Here are the steps in the admissions process:

•  We will let you know when we’ve received your application.
• Once we’ve received all of your supporting documents, we will email you to let you know our decision.
• If the decision is to make you an offer of a place on the programme we will let you know by email. Please note we do not issue hard copy offer letters as these are not required to obtain a student visa.
• You should confirm acceptance of your offer as soon as possible. In order to secure your place, you are required to pay a deposit  within six weeks  of the date of your original offer (check your offer documents for details of payment methods).
• International students requiring a student visa will receive a CAS (Certificate of Acceptance of Studies) via email once all offer conditions are met, acceptance and deposit have been received and you are within five months of the start date of your programme. 

Please note:  You must let us know your own personal email address when applying. Please do not use a university-linked email which may stop working once you complete your bachelor degree.

English language requirements

Fees and funding

Full time fees.

The tuition fees shown are for one complete academic year of full time study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and remain the same throughout the duration of the programme for that cohort (unless otherwise stated) .

Please also check costs for colleges and accommodation .

We are committed to supporting the best students irrespective of financial circumstances and are delighted to offer a range of funding opportunities. 

Career opportunities

Business school, key to your career.

Whatever your specialist interests, you’ll find our careers team is one of the most useful resources to support you on your way to your target career. Now more than ever, it’s the skills you’re able to demonstrate in addition to your academic abilities that will make you shine in a fiercely competitive jobs market.

That’s why our facilities and services are designed to complement your course and help you develop essential professional and practical skills – from personal resilience and self-awareness to CV writing and interview techniques.

We work in partnership with the University's  Careers, Employability and Enterprise Centre  to connect you with events, organisations or individuals to help kick-start your career.

Sector specific presentations

Our Career Insights sessions are delivered by external professionals with expertise and knowledge of their particular sector which provide insights into working in areas that are popular with our students. Previous guest speakers have delivered presentations on working in banking, professional services, and management development programmes within international companies.

We recognise that many of our students will progress their careers outside of the UK once they finish their studies, and our career development programme is designed with this in mind. We offer events focused on career opportunities in China and are continually developing relationships with international recruiters.

If you’re an international student interested in working in the UK after your studies, the University's  Visa Information pages  provide information related to immigration. Our advisers are dedicated to helping you understand the requirements and restrictions of your visas during your studies and can provide limited advice on post-study visa requirements.

You can access more information on our  English Language support pages .

Online resources

You will have access to a huge range of career resources including an interview simulator with a bank of interview questions, a CV builder, and our international Jobs Board.

Alumni career support

You can continue to make the most of our specialist career development advice after you graduate, including on-going one-to-one support from our Masters Career Consultants, workshops in our key locations, and continued access to our online career resources.

Department information

The Department of Economics, is one of four departments at Durham University Business School and is recognised across the globe for its high quality teaching and research. The department's research is broad and far-reaching, with a range of active research centres delivering impactful research across the global business world, informing policy and changing business practice.

Our programmes in economics, environmental economics and behavioural economics, provide the rigorous training and advanced analytical and technical skills required by global employers, or, to take you onto doctoral study.

You'll join a vibrant, diverse community and hear from guest speakers including leading academics and professionals from across the globe, who are specialists in your particular area of interest.

You'll benefit from our significant investment in database resources, giving you access to live and historical data to add valuable insight to your research.

Durham University Business School, is one of the UK’s longest established business schools and one of an elite group accredited by all three major bodies: the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS). The School also offers postgraduate programmes in the areas of Accounting, Business, Management and Marketing and Finance.

For a current list of staff, please see the Business School website.

Research Excellence Framework

Read more about our results in the recent REF 2021. 

Our Economics Masters are taught across the Durham University campus by world-leading faculty from the Business School. The University is situated in the historic centre of Durham, a city with UNESCO World Heritage Status.

You will join a strong and vibrant learning community with state-of-the-art facilities.

We have made a major investment in acquiring state-of-the-art database resources.

Our modern and spacious teaching and learning areas include lecture theatres, seminar rooms and study areas while the library houses extensive collections of business, economics, finance and management books and offers access to over 10,000 journals online.

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Economic Psychology

Our expertise.

Economic psychology in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science (PBS) brings together experts in social psychology and behavioural science who seek to understand and shape economic behaviours. Researchers in this field bring multidisciplinary expertise - along with cutting-edge research techniques such as Subjective-Evidence Based Ethnography (SEBE) that have paved the way for understanding human behaviour and perspective taking  in context  - to address some of the pressing issues in the world today, including ethical consumption, digital and smartphone use and behaviour change. 

Experts in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science work across the following broad themes and topics: 

Consumer psychology 

Environmental psychology  

Smartphone use and digital behaviours 

Subjective Evidence-Based Ethnography (SEBE)

Installation Theory

Our research is anchored in a shared evidence-based approach that is theoretically informed and policy relevant.

Expertise in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science

Dr Fred Basso

Associate Professor

Areas of expertise:  Consumer psychology; economic psychology; embodied cognition public health; social neuroscience.

Dr Maxi Heitmayer

Areas of expertise:  ICT; social media; identity; domestication; political theory; SEBE; smartphone use; economics of attention.

Professor Saadi Lahlou

Areas of expertise:  Social psychology; innovation; workplace studies; behavioural change; consumer behaviour; qualitative research; digital ethnography; text mining.

Dr Liora Moskovitz

Visiting Senior Fellow

Key areas of expertise:  Social movements; organisation studies; prefigurative politics; collective action and collaboration; healthcare management; strategic practices; leadership and grassroots activism; framing & narratives; identity & agency; peacebuilding.

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Masters in Behavioural Economics

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This programme offers advanced level training in core areas of theoretical and quantitative economics, (microeconomics, macroeconomics, econometrics, economic data analysis) plus an opportunity to specialise in behavioural economics. You will study behavioural economic theory as well as various empirical techniques including experimental methods. During the programme you will design and run at least one small scale experiment. You will have the opportunity to meet with CeDEx PhD students and are invited to our regular programme of Brown Bag Seminars . The photo on this page shows Johann Graf Lambsdorff from the University of Passau presenting 'When to cheat? Balancing tax morale and financial gains' at the CeDEx Workshop on Wednesday 4 May 2016. It is the ideal route both for high calibre graduates of economics who intend to undertake PhD research in behavioural/experimental economics, and those seeking entry to a wide range of careers where behavioural economics is increasingly important. One of our former MSc students, Will Mailer , explains why he chose to study with CeDEx.

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Anna Czaplewska-Jaffery

May 23rd, 2024, why i chose lse for a mid-career phd.

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Anna Czaplewska-Jaffery is a PhD student in Organisational Behaviour in the Department of Management. Prior to LSE, Anna had a career as a Business Psychologist and Management Consultant spanning over a decade. In this blog, she discusses her experiences of studying a PhD at LSE and undertaking a PhD mid-career.

I have always known that I wanted to do a PhD one day, but I wanted to ensure I had hands-on experience, and an in-depth understanding of the challenges businesses are facing before deciding on the topic that I was ready to commit to.

Therefore, after completing my Masters in Organisational Psychology, I worked as a Business Psychologist and a Management Consultant, which solidified my interest in cross-cultural leadership and gender equality. The coaching and corporate training I undertook in the space of Leadership Development and Emotional Intelligence further informed my research topic, whilst the connections I built across years of consulting provided some truly wonderful opportunities for research collaboration and data collection.

However, the decision to do my PhD in the middle of a successful career was not one I made lightly.

At first, I was anxious that returning to academia would put a pause on what I had been building all these years; but where there’s a will, there’s always a way, and I managed to continue working alongside my first year of the PhD.

It wasn’t easy going back to studying after so many years, especially as a first-time mum, but I was lucky to have very supportive team both at work and at LSE. That first year also provided a smoother transition from a practitioner to a researcher and having received the opportunity to teach at LSE, I was then able to take a plunge into academia. I have managed, however, to keep one foot in the business world, as a freelance consultant and coach.

Why LSE’s Department of Management?

You often hear about how slow things can move in academia. Prior to joining LSE, I heard from friends who teach that the administrative and political aspects of academic work can really distract one from their research focus, but I haven’t found any traces of that at LSE.

LSE is a truly amazing place to be.

The expertise of the Professors at the Department of Management is impressive, and every interaction leaves you confident that you are working with truly accomplished scholars. There is a wonderful depth and breadth of expertise across a variety of topics and research methods, which allows you to not only become an expert on your own field but a well-rounded Management scholar in general.

I am also lucky to have the most incredible cohort of fellow PhD students, who I know I can count on. We have a very impressive PhD office in the beautiful Marshall Building, providing an inspiring setting to work in.

There is a great representation of various cultural backgrounds in our group (important for me given my cross-cultural research interests) and, I have been very fortunate to work with many incredibly talented female professors (in fact, in both the classes that I teach, as well as in my PhD research, I work in female-only teams which has been a very refreshing and empowering experience).

The department grants us a lot of freedom to pursue our research interests and there is a strong culture of mutual respect and support.

Members of our faculty are very accessible and not only willing to always help but appear genuinely interested in your work and try their best to help to shape your research to a level that deserves a publication in a top tier journal.

What does life look like post-PhD?

I hope my PhD helps me to become an expert in cross-cultural management and provides me with opportunities to conduct research that supports leaders, and especially female leaders, in the workplace. I am passionate about conducting research that addresses organisational challenges, particularly those related to gender equality and cross-cultural understanding, and I hope to use my expertise to provide organisations with evidence-based solutions.

I feel at home in academia and aim to continue this journey after my PhD, whilst also allowing space for the Organisational Psychologist I am at heart. To combine my research expertise with the practitioner experience, I have launched my own business, called InPsy Consulting , which focuses on leadership development, coaching for individuals working in international settings, and supporting gender equality in the workplace.

In the next few years, I would like to see myself on the way to becoming a tenured professor and growing my business as a way of sharing my practical experience and providing my clients with evidence-based solutions informed by the latest research.

About the author

Anna is a PhD student in Organisational Behaviour in the Department of Management. Prior to LSE, Anna had a career as a Business Psychologist and Management Consultant spanning over a decade. Recently, she has launched her own consultancy business, InPsy Consulting.

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Does the MSc HRO (OB) prepare you for PhD studies?  March 15th, 2023

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August 17th, 2022.

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Governance, economics and policy

How fixed book …

How fixed book pricing can benefit consumers and the economy

The article at a glance.

Europe-wide research by Rhys Williams, a PhD candidate at Cambridge Judge, finds that countries with fixed book price policies see higher sales with no effect on the average price of books.

Category: Governance, economics and policy Insight

Many countries across Europe have fixed book price (FBP) policies designed to discourage fierce discounting of bestsellers while promoting non-price competition through diverse titles and a broad retail network of bookstores. But what is the actual effect of such systems on both book pricing and sales volume? 

Research by Rhys Williams, a PhD candidate at Cambridge Judge Business School, sheds light on this topic through what is believed to be the first detailed cross-border examination of FBP policies – which are a legal form of resale price mechanism (RPM) agreements through which producers restrict the ability of downstream retailers to set their own pricing for a product. 

The research finds that countries with FBP policies see higher book sales relative to countries without such a policy, and with no noticeable effect on the average price of books. Given that book sales have generally declined over time, the findings are more precisely stated that FBP policies “result in book sales declining less than would be the case without such a policy”.

Study finds retail price mechanism agreements may have positive competition effects

“The research suggests that FBP policies promote non-price competition that increases the quantity of books offered and a wider network of retailers, while at the same time changes in publisher-retailer bargaining power offsets any upward pricing pressure from RPMs”, says Rhys, a PhD candidate in the Economics & Policy subject group at Cambridge Judge.

”While these results are limited to the book industry and are based on a limited number of countries, they nonetheless highlight that RPM agreements – which are illegal in many jurisdictions – do have the ability to confer positive competition effects, so policymakers should think twice about an absolute prohibition of such agreements”.

While these results are limited to the book industry and are based on a limited number of countries, they nonetheless highlight that RPM agreements – which are illegal in many jurisdictions – do have the ability to confer positive competition effects, so policymakers should think twice about an absolute prohibition of such agreements

What is the real effect of retail price mechanism? 

The reason RPMs are prohibited in many jurisdictions rests on the argument that they merely lead to higher prices with little improvement of service quality, so consumers suffer. But because of the widespread illegality of RPMs the actual pro- or anti-competitive effect – rather than the presumed effect in theory – has rarely been tested. 

The research by Rhys therefore focuses on a legal use of RPMs, the fixed book price policies that have a history dating back to 1900 in the UK (known as the Net Book Agreement) and which currently exist, among European Union countries, in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain. The research focuses on the period of 2008 to 2019. In 2019, book sales in Europe totalled 22.4 billion euros. 

“While many have hypothesised about the effects of FBP policy along similar lines to the pros and cons of RPM, very few have empirically tested its effects”, says the study published in the Journal of Competition Law and Economics. 

“We find evidence to suggest that between 2008 and 2019, such policies had no noticeable effect on book prices, with evidence suggesting possible downward effects on prices, but resulted in increased book sales. Using a longer time series of data for book prices, available between 1996 and 2020, we continue to find no evidence for price effects of RPM across a wider sample of policy changes”.

How do European countries apply fixed book price policies? 

Fixed book price policies range from legislation such as the Loi Lang in France to long-established pacts such as Norway’s Bokavtalen agreement between the Norwegian Bookstore Association and the Norwegian Publishers Association. 

The duration of such agreements vary widely: while Slovenia’s FBP policy applies only for 6 months, post publication, countries including Austria, France and Spain have 24-month periods. For most books, the key commercial life in which sales largely occur is 4 months to 2 years depending on the title, meaning that most FBP laws cover the period where a book’s sales is the highest. 

Bestsellers subsidise special interest books: variety and pricing in the book industry

One of the key motivations behind FBP policies is to prevent heavy discounting by low-service retailers, such as supermarkets, who mostly stock popular bestsellers, thus reducing the variety of titles available. Higher quality booksellers, in contrast, stock many titles – with full-price bestsellers subsidising special interest books that will sell relatively few copies.

Other services provided by bookshops such as knowledgeable staff, reading recommendations and a pleasant browsing atmosphere “promote the value of books in general and help book sales across all retail formats. In addition, they help bring about a form of retail competition that is not based on low prices alone”, Rhys writes in the study.

The counter argument of those who oppose FBP policies is that discounting allows a wider range of consumers to access books and may restrict low-income consumers from an important source of knowledge and insight.

So why do these findings seem at odds with theoretical predictions of higher prices through RPMs? 

How publishers increase their bargaining power 

On pricing, the study suggests that FBP policies offset any price effect predicted by the theory through increased bargaining power of publishers. Because FBP policies discourage strong price competition, this results in a reduced exodus of bookselling retailers compared to non-FBP countries. In turn, this increases the range of retailers that publishers sell to, boosting the bargaining power of publishers, lowering the retailer’s royalty share, and causing downward pressure on consumer prices. 

Higher book sales caused by FBP policies, the research says, may be explained through both an increase in the number of bookshops and enhanced non-price competition (such as quality service from book-knowledgeable staff).

When should retail price mechanisms be considered?  

As for broader policy implications, the research findings “suggest that outright bans on RPM may be imprudent, and to the potential detriment of consumers”. 

Yet owing to the relatively narrow book sector involved, this does “not suggest that RPM is universally pro-competitive and should be permitted, without regard, in any sector. Instead, we believe that finding pro-competitive effects of RPM in a large industry in Europe gives impetus to competition authorities to consider the use of RPMs in certain industries based on an analysis of effects, rather than a blanket ban”. 

What’s next for Rhys Williams?’ 

It is not an everyday occurrence for a PhD candidate to have sole-authored paper published in a leading peer-reviewed journal. Rhys’ article was, following its publication, one of the “most read” articles in the Journal of Competition Law and Economics. 

Since then, Rhys has been invited to a competition conference in the Czech Republic to discuss his research, and he is involved in additional research on retail price maintenance by analysing more extensive data from the book market in Belgium and other EU countries. 

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Rhys williams.

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Featured research

Williams, R.J. (2024) “Empirical effects of resale price maintenance: evidence from fixed book price policies in Europe” Journal of Competition Law & Economics

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Five policy interventions to deliver UK net zero

• Oxford Climate Econometricians outline ‘comprehensive strategy’ to put UK back on track to meet legislated 2050 target
• Research focuses on triggering ‘kicks’ and ‘shifts’ from a small number of targeted interventions to deliver behaviour change
• Proposals include massive expansion of renewables; using electric vehicles as a network of storage units; and establishing more vertical and underground farms in inner cities

Five ‘sensitive’ policy interventions would put the UK back on track to deliver climate neutrality by 2050, researchers at the University of Oxford’s Climate Econometrics Programme have outlined in a new strategy paper published in the Journal Renewable Energy .

Despite implementing targets and legislation to mandate zero net emissions by 2050, the Parliamentary Climate Change Committee has found the UK to be lacking in progress in some areas; with the recent Independent Review of Net Zero by Chris Skidmore MP stating that ‘actions were required’ to realise net zero opportunities.

The Oxford research, published by the University’s senior climate econometricians Professor Jennifer Castle  and Sir David Hendry , has identified ‘sensitive intervention points’ that would trigger behaviour changes and put the UK on a path to meeting its target.

Sensitive Intervention Points (SIPs) are a mechanism that allow for a small or moderate policy intervention to lead to positive transformational change via kicks (altering a variable in an existing system that triggers a positive feedback dynamic) and shifts (fundamentally altering the system, as with the Climate Change Act  of 2008).

Prof Castle and Sir David Hendry have pointed policymakers towards five SIPs that would induce behaviour change to adopt new technology:

• SIP 1: Zero Greenhouse Gas Electricity Generation – greatly expanded renewable energy (RE) backed by increased storage and potential development of safe, small modular nuclear reactors.
• SIP 2: Zero greenhouse gas emissions from transportation – then using Electric Vehicles (EVs) as a network of short-term storage units plugged into an intelligent, resilient and expanded grid; plus a government-funded scrappage scheme.
• SIP 3: Low cost hydrogen from cheap surplus renewable energy, liquefied for medium term storage and industry – producing many products like glass far more cheaply.
• SIP 4: Changing domestic energy to heat pumps and solar photovoltaics – after retrofitting, promoting solar windows and smart glazing.
• SIP 5: Harnessing electricity in agriculture – expanding vertical and underground farms in inner cities and ground basalt as a cheap fertilizer.

Prof Jennifer Castle , the Director of the Climate Econometrics Programme at the University of Oxford, said that economists’ mantra of ‘carbon taxes’ would not be effective rapidly enough without behaviour change.

'Humans are creatures of habit and inertial behaviour reflects high perceived costs of economic and psychological adjustments to change. We need to shift those perceptions because the good news is that many of the changes that we need to make to achieve net zero by 2050 are becoming cheaper and more possible'.

'The focus of SIPs is because behaviour change measures need to be implemented quickly and must have wide reach to be effective and ensure climate neutrality by 2050 can be met. By targeting a small number of areas we can achieve outsized impacts and maximise the benefits of the energy transition for the UK.'

Sir David Hendry , of the Climate Econometrics Programme at Nuffield College, University of Oxford, said that the UK was at risk of falling behind on its pathway to net zero.

'Recent Parliamentary reports have raised the alarm that the UK has drifted off track on net zero. Our research shows that it is possible to get back on track with a few targeted and well-timed interventions'.

'Coal use has fallen to near zero in the UK since the 2008 Climate Change Act - but eliminating coal from energy production was the easiest reduction: now both oil and natural gas usage must be removed sequentially. The rapidly falling costs of renewable energy sources like solar photovoltaics and wind turbines combined with improved storage methods could eliminate most oil and then gas usage by 2050 – but only with policies that target sensitive intervention points.'

'An extended grid should be self-funding; vehicle obsolescence steadily replaced by EVs using cheap increased RE will have near zero net costs and ultimately be cheaper than our current fossil fuels; surplus RE could lower many production costs; heat pumps are cheap to run but need retro fitting of badly insulated houses; and basalt is cheap and inexpensive to grid, so a green transition need not be costly, while raising living standards and maintaining employment.'

• Paper: Castle, J. L., & Hendry, D.F. (2024) 'Five sensitive intervention points to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, illustrated by the UK', Renewable Energy , 226, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rene... .
• Press release : https://www.inet.ox.ac.uk/news/five-policy-interventions-to-deliver-uk-net-zero

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Text Messages With Financial Incentives for Men With Obesity : A Randomized Clinical Trial

• 1 NMAHP Research Unit, Pathfoot Building, Stirling University, United Kingdom
• 2 Faculty of Kinesiology, University of New Brunswick, Canada
• 3 Health Services Research Unit, University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom
• 4 Centre for Healthcare Randomised Trials, University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom
• 5 Health Economics Research Unit, University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom
• 6 School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
• 7 Institute for Social Marketing and Health, University of Stirling, United Kingdom
• 8 Centre for Public Health, Queen’s University Belfast, United Kingdom
• 9 Queen’s University Belfast, United Kingdom
• 10 Centre for Academic Primary Care, University of Bristol, United Kingdom
• Editorial Lifestyle Interventions for Obesity in the Era of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Jamy D. Ard, MD; Kristina H. Lewis, MD; Justin B. Moore, PhD JAMA
• Original Investigation An Adaptive Behavioral Intervention for Weight Loss Management Bonnie Spring, PhD; Angela F. Pfammatter, PhD; Laura Scanlan, BA; Elyse Daly, BA; Jean Reading, PhD; Sam Battalio, MS; H. Gene McFadden, BA; Don Hedeker, PhD; Juned Siddique, PhD; Inbal Nahum-Shani, PhD JAMA

Question   Do text messages with or without financial incentives promote weight loss in men with obesity?

Findings   In this randomized trial that included 585 men with obesity, text messaging with behavioral messages combined with a financial incentive resulted in a 5% weight loss at 12 months, compared with weight loss of 3% for text messaging alone, and 1% for the control group. The difference in weight loss was statistically significant for the comparison between text messaging with financial incentives and the control group but not between the text messaging alone and the control group.

Meaning   In men with obesity, a 12-month intervention consisting of text messaging with financial incentives resulted in modest but statistically significant weight loss compared with control.

Importance   Effective weight loss interventions are needed for men with obesity.

Objective   To determine whether an intervention that combined text messaging with financial incentives attained significant weight loss at the 12-month follow-up compared with the control group and whether an intervention of text messaging alone attained significant weight loss at the 12-month follow-up compared with the control group.

Design, Setting, and Participants   An assessor-blinded randomized clinical trial conducted in Belfast, Bristol, and Glasgow areas in the UK. A total of 585 men with body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more were enrolled between July 2021 and May 2022. Final follow-up occurred June 2023.

Interventions   Participants were randomly assigned to 12 months of behavioral focused text messages combined with financial incentives (n = 196), 12 months of behavioral focused text messages alone (n= 194), or a waiting list (control group; n= 195). The financial incentive consisted of a monetary reward that was lost if weight loss targets were not met. All participants received weight management information and a pedometer at baseline.

Main Outcomes and Measures   The 2 primary comparisons were the 12-month comparison of within-participant weight change between the text messaging with financial incentive group and the control group and the comparison between the text messaging alone group and the control group (minimum clinically important difference, 3%). The P value defined for statistical significance was P  < .025 for each comparison.

Results   Of the 585 men (mean [SD] age, 50.7 [13.3] years; mean weight, 118.5 [19.9] kg; mean BMI, 37.7 [5.7]; 525 [90%] White), 227 (39%) lived in postal code areas with lower socioeconomic status, and 426 (73%) completed the 12-month follow-up. At the 12-month follow-up, compared with the control group, the mean percent weight change was significantly greater in the text messaging with financial incentive group (mean difference, −3.2%; 97.5% CI, −4.6% to −1.9%; P  < .001) but was not significantly greater in the text messaging alone group (mean difference, −1.4%; 97.5% CI, −2.9% to 0.0, P  = .05). The mean (SD) weight changes were −5.7 (7.4) kg for the text messaging with financial incentives group, −3.0 (7.5) kg for the text messaging alone group, and −1.5 (6.6) kg for the control group. The 12-month mean (SD) percentage weight changes from baseline were −4.8% (6.1%) for the text messaging with financial incentives group, −2.7% (6.3%) for text messaging alone group, and −1.3% (5.5%) for the control group. Of 366 adverse events reported, the most common were infections (83 [23%]). Of the 23 serious adverse events (6.3%), 12 (52%) occurred in the text messaging with financial incentives group, 5 (22%) in the texts messaging alone group, and 6 (26%) in the control group. None were considered related to participating in a trial group.

Conclusion and Relevance   Among men with obesity, an intervention with text messaging with financial incentive significantly improved weight loss compared with a control group, whereas text messaging alone was not significantly better than the control condition. These findings support text messaging combined with financial incentives to attain weight loss in men with obesity.

Trial Registration   isrctn.org Identifier: ISRCTN91974895

• Editorial Lifestyle Interventions for Obesity in the Era of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists JAMA

Read More About

Hoddinott P , O’Dolan C , Macaulay L, et al. Text Messages With Financial Incentives for Men With Obesity : A Randomized Clinical Trial . JAMA. Published online May 14, 2024. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.7064

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