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Essays in Behavioural Economics

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• Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11811/4876
• URN: https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hbz:5-27467

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39 Behavioral Economics Dissertation Topics Examples

Behavioral economics dissertation topics focus on the individuals that work within the economies of the world. It is impossible to go on without the involvement of individuals. Therefore, behavioral economics thesis topics have strong connections with the field of psychology as well. The field of behavioral economics studies and describes economic decision-making. According to its theories, […]

Behavioral economics dissertation topics focus on the individuals that work within the economies of the world. It is impossible to go on without the involvement of individuals. Therefore, behavioral economics thesis topics have strong connections with the field of psychology as well.

The field of behavioral economics studies and describes  economic decision-making . According to its theories, actual human behavior is less rational, stable, and selfish than traditional normative theory suggests.

Check out our related posts for economics dissertation topics , Psychology dissertation topics , and accounting dissertation topics .

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Best Behavioral economics dissertation topics for college students

Behavioral economics subjects is a typical area of study here is the list of topics in Behavioral economics dissertation topics have been enlisted below:

• Studying the relationship between psychology and economics in the form of behavioral economics.
• The role played by behavioral economics in understanding the domain of inflation targeting: a systematic analysis.
• Correlational analysis of behavioral economics, feminist economics, and gender economics: a descriptive analysis.
• Behavioral economics: an interdisciplinary approach in essence?
• Historical analysis of behavioral economics: connecting the past with the present and the future.
• Comparative analysis of rational and irrational approaches towards behavioral economics of death.
• Regulatory policy and behavioral economics: understanding the changing relationship.
• Correlational analysis of behavioral economics, sports, and positive youth development: focus on X country.
• Behavioral economics and poverty: a descriptive analysis.
• Behavioral economics and education focus on potential opportunities and challenges.
• Development of money management strategies for substance abusers: a behavioral economics perspective.
• Analyzing behavioral economics data: a review of empirical evidence.
• Is childhood vaccination really required? A behavioral economics perspective.
• Increasing savings of the employees: focus on using a behavioral economics perspective in the organizations.
• Structural behavioral economics: a review of empirical evidence.
• Studying the relationship between finance and behavioral economics: focus on subjective probability.
• Correlational analysis of behavioral economics, public policy, rational inefficiencies, and power: focus on X country.
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• Studying the relationship between behavioral economics and the insurance industry: focus on potential challenges and opportunities.
• Behavioral economics and the law: focus on X country.
• Studying the relationship between tax policy and behavioral economics of X country: a descriptive approach.
• Effects of behavioral economics on improving the performance of community childcare centers in X country.
• Effects of behavioral economics on the end-of-life care domain: focus on the promotion of advanced directives.
• Ethics in behavioral economics: a review of empirical evidence.
• Investigating the relationship between behavioral economics and the psychology of incentives: a quantitative study.
• The role played by decision-making in the field of behavioral economics: a systematic analysis.
• How are the fields of health economics and behavioral economics connected? An inquiry.
• Data-driven marketing and behavioral economics: a descriptive study.
• Studying the relationship between economic incentive and provider behavior: a quantitative analysis.
• Environmental policy and behavioral economics: focus on x country.
• Applying the principles of behavioral economics to the understanding of privacy: a review of empirical evidence.
• Investigating the effects of behavioral economics on consumer contracts.
• Correlational analysis of behavioral economics, environmental protection, and climate change policy: a qualitative study.
• Correlational analysis of behavioral economics, psychology of firm behavior, and psychology of consumer behavior.
• Studying the relationship between retirement savings crisis and behavioral economics: a quantitative analysis.
• Behavioral economics and macroeconomic models: a correlational analysis.

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UC San Diego

Essays in Behavioral Economics

• Greenberg, Adam Eric
• Advisor(s): Andreoni, James ;
• Gneezy, Uri

This dissertation examines when and why individuals behave prosocially and antisocially in economic environments. The first chapter uses a natural experiment to investigate how people respond simultaneously to two prosocial norms--restaurant tipping and generosity during the holiday season. The second chapter examines the interplay between strong social norms and their fragility by employing a laboratory experiment to see whether strong social norms for honest conduct cause victims of dishonesty to pay forward dishonesty to third parties. Finally, the third chapter investigates the role of shame in honest reporting by asking whether individuals are more truthful when they know their statements will be subject to ex-post disclosure. Taken together, we gain insights into the motives for altruistic and ethical behavior as well as the roles social norms play in promoting or deterring such behavior. This research both draws from and extends to existing research in psychology and organizational behavior as well as economics.

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Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences

A ph.d. in behavioral economics from the field's pioneers.

Companies, organizations and even governments—particularly the United States following former President Barack Obama’s 2015 executive order to incorporate behavioral insights to better serve the American people—are turning to behavioral economics at a rapid pace. The reason: Smartly designed and implemented behavioral interventions change the way we make decisions, alter the way organizations operate and influence how policies are implemented. The roots of behavioral economics started at Carnegie Mellon University, with the late Herbert Simon , a Nobel laureate in Economics, and current faculty member George Loewenstein , a co-founder of the field. Now, students looking to do cutting-edge research at the intersection of economics and psychology can get the first and only Ph.D. in behavioral economics. 

A joint program through the Dietrich College’s Department of Social and Decision Sciences and Tepper School of Business , the degree integrates psychology with economics in a way that is not found anywhere else. This new Ph.D. program builds on the world-renowned behavioral economics faculty from the Department of Social and Decision Sciences and the outstanding economics faculty from the Tepper School of Business. 

And it’s offered by the only academic institution with an undergraduate degree in Behavioral Economics .

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What Is Behavioral Economics?

Understanding behavioral economics, factors that influence behavior, principals of behavioral economics.

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• Behavioral Economics

What Is Behavioral Economics? Theories, Goals, and Applications

Behavioral Economics is the study of psychology as it relates to the economic decision-making processes of individuals and institutions. Behavioral economics is often related with normative economics . It draws on psychology and economics to explore why people sometimes make irrational decisions, and why and how their behavior does not follow the predictions of economic models.

Key Takeaways

• Behavioral economics is the study of psychology that analyzes the decisions people make and why irrational choses are chosen.
• Behavior economics is influenced by bounded rationality, an architecture of choices, cognitive biases, and herd mentality.
• Behavior economics is crafted around many principles including framing, heuristics, loss aversion, and the sunk-cost fallacy.
• Companies use information from behavioral economics to price their goods, craft their commercials, and package their products.
• Starbucks' limited season drinks, Amazon's Lightning Deals, or "buy one, get one" promotions are all tied to behavioral economics.

Investopedia / Mira Norian

In an ideal world, people would always make optimal decisions that provide them with the greatest benefit and satisfaction. In economics, rational choice theory states that when humans are presented with various options under the conditions of scarcity , they would choose the option that maximizes their individual satisfaction.

This theory assumes that people, given their preferences and constraints, are capable of making rational decisions by effectively weighing the costs and benefits of each option available to them. The final decision made will be the best choice for the individual. The rational person has self-control and is unmoved by emotions and external factors and, hence, knows what is best for himself. Alas, behavioral economics explains that humans are not rational and are incapable of making good decisions.

Because humans are emotional and easily distracted beings, they make decisions that are not in their self-interest . For example, according to the rational choice theory, if Charles wants to lose weight and is equipped with information about the number of calories available in each edible product, he will opt only for food products with minimal calories.

Behavioral economics states that even if Charles wants to lose weight and sets his mind on eating healthy food going forward, his end behavior will be subject to cognitive bias, emotions, and social influences. If a commercial on TV advertises a brand of ice cream at an attractive price and quotes that all human beings need 2,000 calories a day to function effectively after all, the mouth-watering ice cream image, price, and seemingly valid statistics may lead Charles to fall into the sweet temptation and fall off of the weight loss bandwagon , showing his lack of self-control.

Behavioral economics and behavioral finance are often driven by many of the same factors, though behavior finance is often more related to financial markets.

History of Behavioral Economics

Notable individuals in the study of behavioral economics are Nobel laureates Gary Becker (motives, consumer mistakes; 1992), Herbert Simon (bounded rationality; 1978), Daniel Kahneman (illusion of validity, anchoring bias; 2002), George Akerlof (procrastination; 2001), and Richard H. Thaler (nudging, 2017).

In the 18th century, Adam Smith noted that people are often overconfident with their own abilities, noting "the chance of gain is by every man more or less over-valued, and the chance of loss is by most men under-valued, and by scarce any man, who is in tolerable health and spirits, valued more than it is worth.” In this sense, Smith believed individuals are not rational with their own limitations.

More recently, behavioral economics took shape as early as the 1960's when several economists identified key biases when recalling information. This idea called availability heuristic was explained by Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman, and it leads individuals to irrationally interpret data. For example, shark attacks tend to happen less than people think, but headlines may make people feel otherwise. Tversky and Kahneman are also credited with developing prospect theory, how people are potentially more adverse to losses as opposed to receiving an equal win.

Even more recently, Richard Thaler received the Sveriges Riksbank Price in Economics Science in 2017 for his work in identifying factors that guide individual' economic decision-making. Thaler's work included limited rationality, social preferences, lack of self-control, and individual decision-making.

There are often five factors that are cited when analyzing how individual behavior is influenced.

Bounded Rationality

Bounded rationality is the concept in which individuals make decisions based on the knowledge they have. Unfortunately, this information is often limited, whether by the individual's lack of expertise of lack of available information. In regards to finance and investing, the same public information is available to everyone, though investors may not know true circumstances of what is happening with a company internally.

Choice Architecture

People can be easily manipulated, and this is often on display in the way promoters craft incentives or deals to make consumers buy certain products. Consider how a cracker display may be presented right next to the cheese aisle within a supermarket. This type of design is meant to steer a consumer into making a decision based on a choreographed demonstration often between complementary goods.

Cognitive Bias

Whether people realize it or not, everybody makes decisions that are influenced by cognitive bias . Consider the choice of choosing between two companies to invest in. Behavioral economics holds the theory that the color of the logo, the name of the CEO, or the city in which each company is headquartered in may stir up an unknown bias that yields us to choose the other company.

Discrimination

In a similar light, behavioral economics is often associated with discrimination. People perceive things, events, or other people through their own lenses , potentially discriminating towards others because they simply favor a different alternative. This does not necessarily mean the alternative is a better option, though.

Herd Mentality

Many consumer decisions are influenced by what other people are doing. Whether it is the fear of missing out or whether others want to be part of a larger collective, herd mentality is the believe that individual decisions are swayed based on what other people do, not necessarily on what is the best outcome. After all, it is much easier rooting for your favorite team even if they haven't won a championship in a while as long as other fans share your pain.

The media plays a critical part in behavioral economics. Consider how a single headline can grab your attention and make you want to either pursue or avoid a product.

The field of economics is vast. Although behavioral economics is just a subset of the field, it itself has a number of guiding principles that dictate the themes within behavioral economics. Some of the primary principles and themes are listed below.

Framing is the principle of how something is presented to an individual. This behavioral economics concept presents a cognitive bias in that an outcome may be determined based on the structure of how something has been presented. Consider how someone may feel about the two following statements about Babe Ruth, both of which are describing the same thing:

• Babe Ruth failed to get a hit in nearly two-thirds of his at-bats.
• Babe Ruth, one of the greatest baseball players of all time, hit .342 in his lifetime.

Heuristics is a complicated field, but it simply means that humans tend to make decisions using mental shortcuts as opposed to using long, rational, optimal reasoning. Most often, people latch onto something is true that may no longer be the case. In this situation, it's easier for the consumer to continue what they've been doing as opposed to realize a more beneficial situation exists.

Loss Aversion

Behavioral economics is rooted in the notion that people do not like losses. In fact, people are loss averse to the point that an economic outcome of one financial value that is negative outweighs the emotional toll of the same financial value but positive. For example, some people feel there is much stronger negative emotions associated with losing a $20 bill compared to finding a $20 bill on the ground.

Market Inefficiencies

For lack of a better phrase, the market can take advantage of behavior economics. For this reason, market inefficiencies play a crucial part in behavior economics. Consider how overpriced stocks may still lure in investors due to drops in P/E ratios . Though the trading multiple may still be abnormally high, investors may think something in the market is more reasonable simply because it is lower. For example, a stock worth $20 may be trading at $50. Should the price to $40, investors may feel this is a great opportunity.

Mental Accounting

Consumers and investors may change their spending and trading tendencies based on circumstances. Though this is fair, often times it is illogical and shapes many aspects of behavioral economics. For example, after receiving one's annual bonus, an investor may choose to invest in riskier stocks. This mental accounting exercise led an investor to make a decision based on their circumstances, not their long-term strategy.

Sunk-Cost Fallacy

The sunk-cost fallacy is the emotional attachment to costs that have been incurred in the past. Consumers and investors tend to have a harder time "letting go" of failed investments or committed capital. Consider a failed stock that was purchased at $100/share that is now worth $15/share. An investor may not feel compelled to buy in at $15/share because they think the company is not worth that. However, they are unwilling to sell their shares bought at $100/share due to an emotional attachment to that committed capital.

When performing a cost/benefit analysis, sunk costs are ignored entirely. That is because the price has already been paid and, if it can not be recovered, it has no financial bearing on the future outcome of a decision.

Applications of Behavioral Economics

Financial markets.

One field in which behavioral economics can be applied to is behavioral finance, which seeks to explain why investors make rash decisions when trading in the capital markets . Much like how poker professionals not only study the mathematics and odds of poker, they also attempt to capitalize on the irrational nature of other players. The same can be said of financial markets.

Game Theory

When a decision made leads to error, heuristics can lead to cognitive bias. Behavioral game theory , an emergent class of game theory, can also be applied to behavioral economics as game theory runs experiments and analyzes people’s decisions to make irrational choices. This concept attempts to override illogical behavior to predict consumption outcomes.

Pricing Strategies

Companies are increasingly incorporating behavioral economics to increase sales of their products. In 2007, the price of the 8GB iPhone was introduced for $600 and quickly reduced to $400. By introducing the phone at a higher price and bringing it down to $400, consumers believed they were getting a pretty good deal, even if the true value of the product was only $400.

Product Packaging and Distribution

Consider a soap manufacturer who produces the same soap but markets them in two different packages to appeal to multiple target groups. One package advertises the soap for all soap users, the other for consumers with sensitive skin. The latter target would not have purchased the product if the package did not specify that the soap was for sensitive skin. They opt for the soap with the sensitive skin label even though it’s the exact same product in the general package.

Examples of Behavioral Economics

Payless shoes may be most known for their "buy one, get one" deals. If a consumer purchases one pair of shoes, the second pair is often discounted. Though a consumer may not need two pairs of shoes, the consumer may be unwilling to part ways with a discount.

One form of loss aversion and scarcity is Amazon's Lightning Deals. A consumer may not be willing to part ways with a product they don't even known. Because these Amazon deals are for a limited time only, a consumer faces the behavioral economics dilemma of buying the product or "losing" it. The seasonality of Starbucks' drinks is another example of a product consumers must buy now or miss out.

Last, turn on your television and almost every commercial contains framing. Note how car advertisements or splash pages like Tesla's website for its Model Y only point out the strengths of the vehicle.

What Do Behavioral Economists Do?

Behavioral economists work to understand what consumers do , why they make the choices they do and assist markets in helping consumers make those decisions. Behavioral economists may work for the government to shape public policy to protect consumers. Other times, they may work for private companies and assist in fostering sales growth.

What Is the Goal of Behavioral Economics?

The goal of behavioral economics is to understand why humans make the decisions they do . There are usually outcomes that are the best for people and many times, people do not choose that outcome. Behavioral economics is an incredibly complex and sometimes inexplainable science of why people do things and why they choose to not be rational.

What Is the Difference Between Behavioral Economics and Psycology?

Both behavioral economics and psychology refer to the dispositions, emotions, and decision-making of individuals. Behavior economics is a much more niche field that studies the financial decision-making of an individual, while psychology may cover any aspect of human rationality.

What Is the Downside to Behavioral Economics?

One downside to behavioral economics is that it can be used to deceive or manipulate people and their decision-making. Though people are often not rational, this irrationality may be predictable. Companies can choose to exploit this by packaging their products in a certain way, pricing their goods at specific levels, or customizing their marketing to attract certain markets.

Behavioral economics is the field of understanding why people do things financially that may be irrational. Blended between cognitive bias, heuristics, bounded rationalities and herd mentality, people tend to do things that may not always be in their best interest. This information can be used to price goods, package products, craft commercials, and generate promotional deals.

Journal of Economic Perspectives. " Adam Smith, Behavioral Economist ."

Science Magazine. " The Framing of Decisions and the Psychology of Choice ."

Nobel Prize. " Integrating Economics with Psychology ."

Baseball Reference. " Babe Ruth ."

Payless. " BOGO ."

Amazon. " Lightning Deals ."

Tesla. " Model Y ."

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National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education; Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences; Committee on Future Directions for Applying Behavioral Economics to Policy; Beatty A, Moffitt R, Buttenheim A, editors. Behavioral Economics: Policy Impact and Future Directions. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2023 Apr 20.

Behavioral Economics: Policy Impact and Future Directions.

• Hardcopy Version at National Academies Press

14 Advancing the Field of Behavioral Economics

Behavioral economics has grown steadily as a field over the last several decades. Journals and academic departments devoted to it have established themselves, and behavioral economists have studied the application of their ideas to numerous policy challenges, as detailed throughout this report. Returning to the charge that guided this study, we close with our review of the development of the field and its theoretical foundations, as well as our findings about the primary behavioral economics strategies and how they have been applied. In this chapter we synthesize key conclusions from the research to date and offer recommendations to guide the future development of the field and capitalize fully on its potential to help meet critical societal goals, including directions for the research that is needed to support continued growth.

• CONCLUSIONS

We draw two primary conclusions from our review: that behavioral knowledge is indispensable to the development of effective policy interventions and that work is needed to support intervention design and broad-scale implementation.

Developing Effective Policy Interventions

Foundational theoretical work that has integrated understanding of cognitive and psychosocial processes with economic analysis has pointed to five core principles that help to explain human decision making: limited attention and cognition, inaccurate beliefs, present bias, reference dependence and framing, and social preferences and social norms (see Chapter 3 ). Empirical research has provided strong evidence that these behavioral factors play a major role in human decisions and are therefore key factors to consider in assessing the impact of public policy programs and in designing interventions to modify human behavior.

We acknowledge that our review of the available evidence was not comprehensive and that, for reasons discussed throughout the report, positive findings of effects may be more likely to garner attention than null or negative findings. We hope the field will continue to produce studies that can provide the most robust evidence of effectiveness—or lack of it—such as large-scale studies and meta-analyses.

Nevertheless, the accumulated evidence across the six domains is significant: it shows that decision processes are dynamic, malleable, and context dependent and that understanding these factors helps to explain how and why people behave in ways that appear to be counter to rational calculations. That evidence from research in behavioral economics demonstrates that those behavioral decision processes recur repeatedly and have significant impact on policy-relevant behavior, which in turn has strong implications for policies that differ from those that are suggested by traditional economics.

This report examines this impact in six important domains, but behavioral economics concepts are also being applied in many other contexts, including contexts not generally considered for behavioral economics input. For example, recent reports of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that addressed improving fuel economy (2021), reducing consumer food waste (2020), and reducing alcohol-impaired fatalities (2018) all discuss behavioral economics approaches among varied other interventions. Behavioral economics has also had a profound influence in commercial contexts, as we note below. In the future, understanding of behavior has the potential to play a key role in other urgent societal issues we have not addressed, such as combating misinformation; see Box 14-1 .

Using Behavioral Knowledge to Combat False and Misleading Information.

Conclusion 14-1: The very strong evidence that complex cognitive, social, behavioral, and contextual factors influence judgment and decision making means that behavioral economics concepts are indispensable for advancing scientific understanding of policy-relevant human behavior and for designing public policies. Behavioral economics has produced invaluable evidence about why people act in seemingly irrational ways, how they respond to interventions, and how public policy and practice interventions can be designed to modify the habitual and unconscious ways that people act and make decisions.

Supporting Design and Implementation

The evidence for the importance of behavioral ideas is strong, but the refinement of strategies for applying these principles in a systematic way to the design of policies and interventions remains a frontier challenge. There is clear and strong evidence that specific interventions based on these principles have been effective at changing certain targeted behaviors, and it is also clear that behavioral economics research has contributed to a large and expanding set of policy interventions that includes strategies with excellent empirical evidence of effectiveness (e.g., defaults, framing). For other intervention approaches commonly studied, such as behaviorally informed incentives and social proof interventions, the evidence is mixed, nuanced, or still emerging.

Some types of decisions appear to be more amenable to behaviorally informed interventions than others. It is comparatively easy to influence a one-time, up-or-down decision, such as whether or not to opt in to a retirement savings plan, or to make it easier and more likely for a target population to complete a specific action, such as filling out an application form. Interventions that have targeted more complex behaviors, such as programs to reward teachers for increasing their students’ test scores, or approaches to changing how clinicians approach complex diagnosis and treatment decisions, have not yielded such clear-cut or consistent results.

It is important to acknowledge that research demonstrating positive effects for behavioral economics interventions typically shows modest effect sizes. This is not necessarily a surprising finding, particularly because many of the intervention studies are comparatively low in cost and easy to administer. However, as we emphasize clearly in the work on climate change—a challenge of unmeasurable magnitude—the application of combinations of individually modest interventions can cumulatively bring important changes and benefits for relatively little cost.

Throughout the report we also identify additional persistent challenges in the application of behavioral economics for policy: it is not easy or straightforward to generalize findings from specific contexts, and implementing successful interventions at scale remains elusive. Moreover, deeper understanding of why and when observed effects occur would be valuable. Even when intervention or policy studies demonstrate a positive effect on behavior, there is insufficient knowledge about mechanisms of action and about differential responses to the intervention or policy by different groups. For example, in the context of inaccurate beliefs, understanding of the relevant mechanisms would be enhanced if data on both beliefs and behavior were collected and analyzed. For example, testing whether beliefs held by participants before the intervention were inaccurate and whether the intervention was effective in changing them would be valuable. Our review of six policy domains (in Part II ) also suggests that behavioral economists have yet to fully embrace the concept of behavioral design—the systematic process by which interventions and strategies to change human behavior are designed. That is, specific interventions are often tested without sufficient attention to behavioral design principles.

Conclusion 14-2: The field of behavioral economics has made significant advances over the past 20 years, producing evidence about both general principles and specific intervention approaches that address policy challenges in many domains. However, the field has not yet produced generalizable and implementable practice guidance and intervention design strategies for determining what works, when, and for whom. Whether the goal of providing such specific guidance can be achieved, given the importance of context and the unique characteristics of many targets of behavior change, is not clear.

• RECOMMENDATIONS

As noted above, behavioral economics research has generated a large volume of promising results. But there is also much more to learn, and there are contributions to be made in new policy domains. The committee recommends strategies for funders, research and professional organizations, and universities to support future development in the field of behavioral economics; such support would certainly be appropriate in other research fields, but our focus is on work in behavioral economics. We also recommend priorities for research.

Recommendation 14-1: Researchers and funders of research should balance attention and funding across: basic research in intervention design, interdisciplinary investigation, and development of methods; research to support applications of behavioral economics concepts in practice, including implementation and scale-up and evaluation; and research to explore and support the positive contributions of behavioral economics to society, including attention to equity of impact and attitudes about behavioral interventions. Recommendation 14-2: Funders and university leaders should prioritize investments in interdisciplinary research collaborations.

Behavioral economics is rooted in the integration of ideas from diverse academic domains, and its future progress will depend on continued interdisciplinary collaboration. Such interaction is not easy and faces well-known obstacles: differences in theoretical perspectives, terminology, research methods and tools, and standards of evidence all bring challenges. Nevertheless, interdisciplinary work, involving researchers from many domains, including cognitive and social psychology and neuroeconomics, can help to pinpoint how the human brain processes and responds to information.

Practical strategies, such as setting up (and funding) multidisciplinary labs or working groups in which teams of researchers can regularly collaborate and identifying funders for methodologies and projects that do not fit established research contexts, can help to address the challenges of implementation (see Chapter 13 ). Examples include the Behavioral Economics Design Initiative at the University of Pittsburgh, which focuses on behavioral economics and mechanism design, and the Nudge4 Lab at the University of Virginia. 1 In general, establishing stronger incentives (e.g., in the contexts of research support, journal publication, academic advancement) for interdisciplinary research and training for students and younger scholars in interdisciplinary work will yield long-term benefits for the field.

Recommendation 14-3: Researchers and funders of research should prioritize research related to methods and ways of understanding the mechanisms of behavior and behavior change. Specifically, research is needed to: advance behavioral design and intervention design methods to better link behavioral principles and insights to specific intervention and policy goals; advance methods for conducting pilot and rapid-cycle studies; accumulate more evidence on how findings from one setting can be applied to other settings or at broader scales; realize the potential for artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches to improve tailoring and targeting; bring cutting-edge adaptive trial design approaches to behavioral economics studies; and incorporate empirical methods from other disciplines and fields that can enrich behavioral economics research. Recommendation 14-4: Researchers, funders of research, and entities that support or sponsor behavioral units in organizations should prioritize research and practice initiatives that increase the impact of behavioral economics findings through implementation, scale-up, and evaluation of potentially successful interventions and policies.

As evidence that an intervention has been effective in a particular context accumulates (in any research field), it is important that larger studies, with larger samples and more variants, be conducted to replicate the findings and test how well the intervention works in practice, across contexts and populations. In some cases, the results will be confirmed; in others, they will not; and others will point to a redesign or a refinement. This phase of the research—scaling studies that involve patience and resources—is essential for behavioral tools to bring meaningful societal benefits.

Many social science disciplines and policy domains emphasize the importance of systems of ongoing evaluation, in which research, design and development, testing of ideas, and evaluation each contribute to a continuous cycle of learning and refinement and improvement of policy interventions (see, e.g., Patton, Sawicki, & Clark, 2012 ). In the context of behavioral economics interventions, ongoing data collection, pilot testing, and long-term surveillance are of particular importance because of the need to assess the durability and sustainability of effects, as well as differential response to policies by different populations. The committee examined many policy interventions that were designed with behavioral principles in mind but was not able to look systematically, from the perspective of policy makers, at how regularly behavioral factors are currently considered in the design of policy. It seems likely, however, that the majority of policy recommendations still rely primarily or exclusively on traditional economic modeling.

Recommendation 14-5: Researchers, funders of research, and entities that support or sponsor behavioral units in organizations should prioritize ongoing investigations into the role of behavioral economics in society, with specific attention to the equity implications of behavioral economics policies and interventions; the implications of public attitudes toward the ethics of behavioral economics research and practice, as well as their acceptance by the general public; and possible public policy interest in commercial applications of behavioral economics findings.

It was not part of our charge to identify priorities for the specific policy goals that should be addressed using behavioral economics approaches, but three issues in policy implementation raise broad questions: equity of impact, attitudes about interventions, and commercial application of behaviorally based findings.

Equity of Impact

It is reasonable to ask whether behavioral interventions are reaching those most in need, and whether such interventions in some cases may have the negative unintended consequence of increasing inequalities ( Blumenthal-Barby & Burrough, 2012 ; Lunze & Paasche-Orlow, 2013 ; Lin, Osman, & Ashcroft, 2017 ). These are empirical questions and, as far as the committee is aware, there is limited evidence on them.

Attitudes About Behavioral Interventions

The use of behavioral interventions, such as nudges, can be perceived as paternalistic (as can many government interventions). That is, behavioral economics reveals that people’s behaviors and actions cannot be assumed to accurately reveal their preferences or reflect their conscious thinking about a decision. Thus, policy makers using behaviorally informed interventions are making decisions for people about what would be optimal for them. Thus, it is important to give close scrutiny to how the target of change is chosen and how certain policy makers are that the change will actually benefit the people who are induced to make it.

It is also important to consider how researchers and policy makers know that a particular outcome, which may appear to be desirable from a societal perspective, can be construed as beneficial to an individual, and that, in effect, manipulating a person to change their behavior is an unmitigated good ( Liscow & Markovits, 2022 ). Another important question is whether people’s attitudes about interventions affect their responses to them—that is, whether the perception that nudges and other behaviorally based interventions may be paternalistic might influence the way people respond when they recognize that they are the target of one. These issues may arise with any sort of incentive, but the possibility that some people may respond when they recognize behaviorally based strategies—such as an energy bill that compares one’s energy use with that of one’s neighbors—by determining to resist the desired behavior merits investigation.

Commercial Application of Behavioral Economics Knowledge

Ideas grounded in behavioral research are used in commercial contexts, usually to induce people to buy things. While it is not the job of behavioral economics researchers to police the applications of their ideas, they might profitably explore such understudied questions as how behavioral ideas are being used, how consumer responses may vary across business and policy domains, and when marketing that takes advantage of knowledge of biases crosses an ethical line.

All human decision making is influenced by the context in which those decisions are made. The influence of context on decisions often occurs in ways that consumers are aware of, through design, detectable nudges, and so on. But many factors have been shown to influence people’s decisions in ways that they are often unaware of and cannot control; moreover, even hypothetical questions can influence people’s subsequent decisions ( Fitzsimons & Shiv, 2001 ).

Advertising, of course, is a hugely profitable and effective means of shaping preferences, often in ways consumers are unaware of and unable to avoid. In a study offering loans to low-income borrowers, various features of the offer letter that had no economic implications were found to have a large effect on take-up. There is compelling evidence that television advertising influences children’s food and beverage preferences, requests, and consumption habits. One study found that a majority of Australian children ages 9–10 believed that Ronald McDonald knew best what children should eat ( Olfman, 2005 ). Another study found that the number of hours of television watched by children ages 3–8 correlated with their caloric intake and their requests for—and their parents’ subsequent purchases of—foods they see on television ( Taras et al., 1989 ). These peripheral and undetected effects on people’s decision behavior have been observed among novices and experts, in situations of intentional manipulation, in cases where people are not aware of the manipulation, and sometimes when the manipulating factors are altered without any human involvement.

Although researchers in the field of behavioral industrial organization, in particular, have examined some of these questions, there are no straightforward rules or answers (for a review, see, e.g., Heidhues & Kőszegi, 2018 ). It is important that researchers and those who apply and use research keep these questions in mind when making decisions, including in the design of research studies and selection of study populations. Empirical investigation of how behavioral economics findings are used by both public and private entities to influence consumer attitudes and behaviors could contribute to public policy thinking about the possibility of using regulatory mechanisms to limit actions that cross ethical boundaries.

Recommendation 14-6: Funders and university leaders should foster the development and application of behavioral economics by supporting training opportunities for public policy professionals. They should also support learning about practices for research transparency.

The successful development and implementation of policies that incorporate knowledge from behavioral economics depend in part on people who have been trained in behavioral principles and understand their application in policy making. Many policy schools are now including coursework on behavioral public policy; further progress in this area will be valuable for the field and for policy makers.

• CONCLUDING OBSERVATION

We close with a few reflections on the future of behavioral economics. As ongoing questions about whether research discussed in this report is more properly regarded as a domain of economics or a domain of behavioral science suggest, the field’s boundaries are not precise. From the committee’s perspective, this was less important than the benefits behaviorally based approaches can bring in the development of policy. It is also perhaps a reason to think about future aspirations for application of these ideas, however they are categorized.

Most of the research we identified investigated ways in which behavioral biases interfere with a desired policy outcome and how behaviorally based interventions counteract those biases. This analysis can be applied beyond the context of the individual behaviors that are the focus of most behavioral economics research to help explain nonrational responses to complex regulatory structures, for example. That is, there may be behavioral solutions to problems that are not primarily the result of individual behavioral biases, such as the externalities that are such important considerations in combating climate change.

Thus, it is important not only to consider a broader range of solutions to behavioral biases but also to consider applying behavioral solutions even when there is no clear problem of cognitive bias. It is likely that ideas not explicitly identified as coming from behavioral economics research, but that nevertheless take advantage of behavioral insights, have already influenced the development of policy. All of these are reasons to be optimistic about the future contributions of the field.

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See https://sites ​.google ​.com/view/bedi-university-of-pittsburgh ​/home and https://nudge4 ​.org

• Cite this Page National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education; Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences; Committee on Future Directions for Applying Behavioral Economics to Policy; Beatty A, Moffitt R, Buttenheim A, editors. Behavioral Economics: Policy Impact and Future Directions. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2023 Apr 20. 14, Advancing the Field of Behavioral Economics.
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Economics Dissertation Topics

Published by Alvin Nicolas at January 11th, 2023 , Revised On October 5, 2023

The field of economics has changed entirely in recent times. Today, the field holds an extremely important place in every economy, with individual choices, spending, borrowing, production, occupations, markets, trading, employment, and a lot more being predicted and planned by economists.

Today, economists view economics from a modern and slightly different perspective than traditional economics. Different approaches in economics include perspectives like anthropology, sociology, geography, and various institutions.

Studying economics involving these perspectives provides a clearer view of the issues and problems related to the modern economic world. In contrast, focusing on the traditional economic approaches while selecting a topic will result in vague outcomes according to modern economics.

The most difficult task with respect to economics dissertations involves the  collection of data . Mostly the data required by the researcher must be in quantitative form. However, once data is collected, the researcher can focus on performing the analysis.

There are a number of economic perspectives that can be studied in detail. As your final project, you will want to select the most recent and relevant economics topic for your dissertation.

To help you get started with brainstorming for economics topic ideas, we have developed a list of the latest topics that can be used for writing your economics dissertation.

These topics have been developed by PhD-qualified writers of our team , so you can trust to use these topics for drafting your dissertation.

You may also want to start your dissertation by requesting  a brief research proposal  from our writers on any of these topics, which includes an  introduction  to the problem,  research question , aim and objectives,  literature review  along with the proposed  methodology  of research to be conducted.  Let us know  if you need any help in getting started.

Check our  example dissertations to get an idea of  how to structure your dissertation .

You can review step by step guide on how to write your dissertation.

Check our  example dissertation to get an idea of  how to structure your dissertation .

2022 Economics Dissertation Topics

Topic 1: the influence of price and brand on consumer preference during an economic recession: a case of the clothing market in greece.

Research Aim: The research will aim to examine the impact of prices and brands on consumer buying behaviour during an economic recession in Greece’s clothing market. During an economic crisis, not all types of products suffer the same consequences. During a recession, people are more sensible in their buying decisions, and they frequently continue to choose known product brands that meet their demands. The study will look at the impact of the recession on consumer purchasing preferences, taking into account variations in spending on various apparel brands based on price.

Topic 2: The financial and non-financial support of the family members in the growth of a successful entrepreneurship

Research Aim: The research will aim to investigate the importance of financial and non-financial support of family members in the growth of successful entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is a driving force in economic growth, social transformation, and organizational change. Private businesses (entrepreneurship) not only support a state’s social and economic growth but it also develops intellectual competition and innovation. Family members who are involved in business ventures can influence individuals’ goals to start new businesses, and they can also be considered as a means of economic and motivational strength.

Topic 3: The impact of transaction cost on economic development

Research Aim: The research will aim to explore the impact of transaction cost on the economic development of a country. The study will try to find the impact by using different methods and analyses. This article will investigate the difficulties of economic growth as they relate to transaction costs and how the latter produce various sorts of market failures. The study also explores several major contributions to the field of economic development, including market failure and growth barriers. Alternative perspectives on the failure of government and the market-government duality will also be examined.

Topic 4: What effect does oil price fluctuation have on business activity in oil-importing and exporting states?

Research Aim: The research will aim to find the influence of oil rate fluctuation on businesses of oil-importing and exporting countries. Change has a significant influence on the production costs of oil-importing countries and changes in pricing levels changes. At the same time, oil price variations have a significant impact on energy export profits and government budget revenues in energy-exporting economies.

Topic 5: The impact of gender inequality on work productivity and economic growth: A case study on developing countries

Research Aim: The research will aim to find the impact of gender inequality on work productivity and economic growth in developing countries. Gender inequality is not solely a concern in developing countries. Males earn more than women in practically every society. Differences in health, education, and negotiating power within marriage, on the other hand, tend to be bigger in countries with low Per capita income. Gender inequality in the office contributes to females’ lower socio-economic standing. Furthermore, such gender inequality may be associated with human resource rules and human resource related decision-making.

Topic 6: Research to identify the impacts of Coronavirus on the economy

Research Aim: This study will focus on identifying the impacts of coronavirus on the global economy.

Topic 7: Research to study the impacts of Coronavirus on the real estate sector

Research Aim: This research aims at identifying the impacts of coronavirus on the real estate sector. Is real estate a better option for investment during COVID-19?

Topic 8: Research to study the impacts of Coronavirus on the stock market

Research Aim: This research aims at identifying the impacts of coronavirus on the stock market.

Topic 9: Research to identify the impacts of Coronavirus on banking and the future of banking after the pandemic

Research Aim: This research aims at identifying the impacts of coronavirus on banking and the future of banking after the pandemic. What are the predictions? What challenges may come across? How to overcome those challenges?

Dissertation Topics on Economics 2021

Topic 1: economic expansion in bioenergy: a case study.

Research Aim: This research aims to conduct a case study on the economic expansion in bioenergy

Topic 2: Factors responsible for job creation and job destruction in the UK

Research Aim: This research aims to identify the factors responsible for job creation and job destruction in the UK.

Topic 3: Impacts of wars on the economy of both nations

Research Aim: This research aims to address how do wars impact the economy of both nations?

Topic 4: The role of banks in the economy of a country

Research Aim:  This research aims to highlight the role of Banks in the economy of a country. Students can choose any country to conduct the study.

Topic 5: Is an unhealthy country considered an emerging country?

Research Aim:  This research will answer the question: Is an unhealthy country considered a poor country?

Dissertation Topics Related to Economic Geography

Economic geography studies human economic activities with respect to various conditions such as location, distribution, production, consumption, exchange of resources, etc. Thus, studying the availability of all these resources, their development, and utilization is the main subject matter of economic geography.

In addition to studying these resources and their relationship with human economic activities, economic geography also helps study the interaction of these resources and variables with respect to nature and economic activities.

Economic geography is studied within different regions and localities in order to assess various human economic activities. Here are some economic geography dissertation topics to help you explore this field.

Topic 1: Role of local ethics and culture in shaping entrepreneurial economic development in various businesses.

Research Aim: This study will talk about the role of culture and ethics in shaping economic entrepreneurial attitudes in different fields of business.

Topic 2: Diversity in entrepreneurial approaches brought up by emigrants in the economics of a place: A critical analysis

Research Aim: This research will discuss whether entrepreneurial approaches be exported when emigrants move to a new place.

Topic 3: Assessing factors involved in facilitating knowledge transfer in a specific locality or place

Research Aim: This research will understand the various factors that play a role in transferring knowledge from one place or locality to another.

Topic 4: Economic opportunities provided within local boundaries. A case study of any specific area

Research Aim: This study will talk about the economic opportunities provided by local boundaries. This dissertation can be customised according to an area/region of your choice.

Topic 5: To discuss the role of the “European regional policy” in shaping or modifying places in the UK

Research Aim: This study will talk about the role of European regional policy in shaping and modifying UK places.

Topic 6: Location of top IT firms in the UK, the role of location on economics linked to a particular firm

Research Aim: This study will assess the economic geography of top IT firms in the UK that are linked to different firms.

Topic 7: Causes of regional diversity. Analysis and comparison between the richest and poorest places of the UK

Research Aim: This will be a comparative study between the richest and poorest places in the UK based on regional diversity.

Topic 8: Economics and expansion in bioenergy: A Case Study

Research Aim: This study will talk about economics and expansion in bioenergy, and a specific case will be under analysis.

Topic 9: Economic modifications faced by emigrants, causes and impacts

Research Aim: This research will talk about the various economic modifications that emigrants have to face and will also assess its causes and impacts.

Topic 16: A critical analysis of diversity in entrepreneurial attitudes in rural and urban areas

Research Aim: This will be a critical study that will assess diversity in entrepreneurial attitudes in both rural and urban areas.

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ResearchProspect writers can send several custom topic ideas to your email address. Once you have chosen a topic that suits your needs and interests, you can order for our dissertation outline service which will include a brief introduction to the topic, research questions , literature review , methodology , expected results , and conclusion . The dissertation outline will enable you to review the quality of our work before placing the order for our full dissertation writing service!

Dissertation Topics on Microeconomics

This branch of economics deals with economic perspectives on an individual level. It takes into account the allocation of various resources that are limited in nature. Different theories of microeconomics can be applied to markets where different products are bought and sold out.

In order to complete your graduation program, you will have to select the right economics topic that not only interests you but is relevant in today’s world. The suggested topics for you to choose from are listed below:

Topic 1: Difference in consumer attitudes in the UK over the past 15 years – Critical analysis of customer behaviour trends.

Research Aim: This research will compare the consumer attitude in the UK over the past 15 years and will study the trends.

Topic 2: Understanding to what extent does the concept of oligopoly exists in markets of the UK – A critical analysis

Research Aim: This study will first talk about oligopoly, and will then build and critically discuss how this concept exists in the UK market.

Topic 3: Laws and their impact on British firms.

Research Aim: This study will talk about the various laws in the UK that have an impact on various industries as a whole.

Topic 4: “European regional policy” and its effects on British small and medium enterprises

Research Aim: This research will study the European regional policy and the impacts this has on SMEs in the UK.

Topic 5: To discuss specific traits of the UK innovation organisation

Research Aim:  This research will understand the various traits of UK organisations that innovate.

Topic 6: Study of the characteristics of the energy market in the UK – A microeconomic approach

Research Aim: This study will undertake a microeconomic approach in order to understand the characteristics of the energy market in the UK.

Topic 7: Common traits of the top internet technology firms in the US – Analysis of the approaches adopted by different successful technology firms

Research Aim: This research will talk about the various traits of leading internet firms in the US and will analyse their different approaches

Topic 8: How is the concept of “economic convergence” linked to salary levels in the United States? – A critical analysis

Research Aim: This study will critically discuss economic convergence and how it is linked to salary levels in the US.

Topic 9: A Discussion on the use and role of various “pricing models” in making investment decisions.

Research Aim: This research will analyze the various pricing models that companies use to make decisions with respect to their investment.

Topic 10: Analysing salary inequalities in the United States and the forces behind such inequalities? – A Critical analysis

Research Aim: This study will talk about an important issue, i.e., salary inequalities in the US, and will also discuss the various forces that drive such inequalities.

Dissertation Topics on Employment Economics

Employment is a very important aspect that is studied in economics. Employment is interconnected with other academic subjects as well and affects people’s finances, which further determines their type of relationship with their environment or society.

Moreover, with the passage of time, technological advancements in various fields have impacted the labor market, which directly influenced the employment rate.  Dissertation topics  related to the field of employment economics are listed as under:

Topic 1: Factors responsible for the job creation and job destruction in the United Kingdom

Research Aim: This research will talk about the different factors that are responsible for job creation and destruction in the United Kingdom.

Topic 2: Analysing to what extent the concept of self-employment prevails in the United Kingdom – Discuss the factors that determine it

Research Aim: This research will determine the extent to which the concept of self-employment prevails in the UK. Furthermore, the factors determining self-employment will also be explored.

Topic 3: Link between minimum wages and British employment. A critical analysis

Research Aim: This study will critically analyze the link between wages minimum wages and employment in Britain.

Topic 4: Understanding In what ways technological advancements have paved the way for a rise in British employment levels

Research Aim: This research will talk about the various ways through which technological advancements have helped increase employment in the British economy.

Topic 5: Exploring the value of labour in the United Kingdom– Skilled or unskilled labour? A Critical Analysis

Research Aim: This study will talk about the value of both types of labour, skilled and unskilled, in the UK. A critical analysis will be conducted as to which type of labour is more in demand in the economic system.

Topic 6: Analysing the levels and prevalence of self-employment in various parts of Europe. An Analysis of the United Kingdom

Research Aim: This research will discuss and analyse the levels and prevalence of self-employment in various parts across Europe. Special attention will be given to the UK in the study to understand the self-employment system.

Topic 7: In what ways does immigration affects British employment levels and productivity? Discuss

Research Aim: This research will talk about the various ways through which immigration affects British employment levels and productivity.

Topic 8: How can professional training impact British employment? Discuss

Research Aim: This study will talk about the impact of professional training on employment in the UK. The research will discuss if the impact was negative or positive.

Topic 9: Analysing the impact of gender inequality in employment on economic growth in the UK

Research Aim: This research will analyse the impact of gender inequality in employment on economic growth in the UK.

Topic 10: Economic productivity and Innovation – Are they both related? A study of the UK services industry

Research Aim: This research will help understand the relationship (if any) between economic productivity and innovation. The UK Services industry will be analyzed.

Dissertation Topics on Economic Sociology

This field refers to the study of sociological aspects from an economic perspective. Social networks are also one of the more important features in the economic world because they can contribute greatly to promoting a particular brand.

Different social gatherings are a source to highlight a particular industry, firm, and even a private setup. They can contribute greatly to building successful businesses. Following are some economic sociology dissertation topics for you to choose from:

Topic 1: Exploring Innovation Activities for the promotion of a particular firm/industry/brand

Research Aim: This research will talk about all the innovative activities that take place while promoting a brand or a company in an industry. This topic can be customised according to a brand/company of your choosing.

Topic 2: Understanding the role of families in funding a particular firm

Research Aim: This research will talk about the family funding of businesses, the whole process and how it takes place. You can choose an industry of your choice to base your dissertation on.

Topic 3: Can a blend of different cultures contribute to increasing the level of productivity? Evidence from a UK firm

Research Aim : This research will discuss how various cultures contribute to increasing productivity levels. A UK firm will be chosen for this research.

Topic 4: Social capital plays its role in the rural areas in the UK – A critical analysis

Research Aim: This research will talk about social capital and its role in the rural areas of the UK.

Topic 5: Youth as one of the biggest supports in the promotion of economic agents

Research Aim: This research will help understand the relationship (if any) between economic productivity and innovation. The UK services industry will be analysed.

Topic 6: Exploring the role of university networks in shaping entrepreneurial behaviours and actions

Research Aim: This study will help explore the role of university networks in shaping entrepreneurial actions and behaviours.

Topic 43: Role of social entrepreneurship in the United Kingdom

Research Aim: This study will talk about the role of social entrepreneurship in the UK and how it has emerged.

Topic 8: Diverse culture and productivity enhancement – How are the two related?

Research Aim: This study will talk about whether diverse culture has an impact on productivity enhancement in the UK or not.

Topic 9: Exploring the Impact of social networks on the success of Brands

Research Aim: This study will talk about the impact of social networks on the success of brands and how they impact businesses. You can choose a brand for this dissertation.

Topic 10: Understanding the ‘peer’ factor in setting up businesses

Research Aim: Setting up a business involves various factors, and an essential one is a support from peers. This research will explore this aspect of support when starting a business and the impact it has.

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Dissertation Topics on Institutional Economics

Institutional economics helps in understanding the role of institutions in shaping economic behaviour. Certain institutions promote certain values, beliefs and norms, and they impact the public in a certain way.

These institutions can affect the economics of a certain region and help shape economic life and behaviour. Institutional economics is still an emerging field. Following are some institutional economics dissertation topics that you can base your dissertation on.

Topic 1: Assessing the factors behind the power of a successful firm. How is it built?

Research Aim: This research will discuss the various factors that help companies build power in the industry and impact the economy.

Topic 2: Analysing the impact of cultural mix on the organisation of firms in the United Kingdom

Research Aim: This study will analyse the impact of diverse cultures on organisations in the UK.

Topic 3: Evaluating the role of bureaucracy in the productivity levels of the United Kingdom

Research Aim: This research will help in evaluating the role of bureaucracy on productivity levels in the UK.

Topic 4: Understanding various methods to ensure economic efficiency in the property markets of the United Kingdom

Research Aim: This study will understand the different ways through which economic efficiency is ensured in the UK property markets.

Topic 5: Impacts of transaction costs on economic development?

Research Aim: This research will evaluate how economic development is impacted by transaction costs.

Topic 6: Analysing the major forces operating behind the concept of control and ownership in the United Kingdom

Research Aim: This study will help analyse the major forces that control and own institutions in the UK and how they impact the economy.

Topic 7: Traits of British managers and investors. A Comparative analysis

Research Aim: This will be an interesting study as it will talk about the various traits of British managers and investors.

Topic 8: Role of educational aspects in entrepreneurship

Research Aim: This research will explore the role of education concerning entrepreneurship, i.e. how does education help build entrepreneurs, which in turn benefits the economy.

Topic 9: The concept of latent entrepreneurship – A comparison between the United Kingdom and Europe

Research Aim: This study will understand the concept of latent entrepreneurship by comparing the UK environment with that of Europe.

Topic 10: Is the profit of a firm dependent on its size? Evidence from the manufacturing firms in the UK

Research Aim: This research will help in understanding whether the profit of a company is dependent on the business’ size or not. The UK Manufacturing industry will be explored.

Dissertation Topics on Environmental Economics

Environment and economics share a unique and close relationship. The environment can affect economics in a good or bad way. There are various environmental economic issues that should be addressed. Following are some of the pressing issues pertaining to environmental economics that you can choose as your dissertation topic.

Topic 1: To what extent is the environment responsible for shaping business behaviours? A critical analysis

Research Aim: This research will talk about the extent to which the environment is responsible for building business behaviours.

Topic 2: Economics in relation to biodiversity and nature conservation. An evidence-based study

Research Aim: This research will discuss economics in relation to biodiversity and nature conservation.

Topic 3: Assessing the role of NGO’s and organizations to promote a healthy environment through fundraising programs

Research Aim: This research will help in assessing the role of NGOs and organisations in promoting healthy environments through various fundraising programs.

Topic 4: Willingness to pay for various recycling programs – A case study of the United Kingdom.

Research Aim : This research will help understand the different recycling programs by evaluating a UK-based case study.

Topic 5: Incentives regarding land and water management – A case study of the United Kingdom

Research Aim: This research will talk about various incentives relating to land and water management. A UK-based case study will be chosen.

Topic 6: Economic value of historical places: A critical analysis

Research Aim: This research will talk about the economic value of historical places and will present a critical analysis.

Topic 7: In which field is it cheapest to reduce or cut carbon emissions? Discuss.

Research Aim: This research will talk about the impacts of carbon emissions and will discuss in which field it will be cheapest to reduce or eliminate such emissions.

Topic 8: Ethanol production from an economic perspective. Discuss.

Research Aim: This research will help in exploring ethanol production with respect to economics.

Topic 9: Environmental improvements in regards to locational differences in communities Discuss in an economic approach

Research Aim: This research will present various environmental improvements with respect to locational differences in communities.

Topic 10: Climate change in relation to economics. Discuss

Research Aim: This research will talk about an important issue, i.e. climate change and the impact it has on economics.

Dissertation Topics on Regional Development

Economic growth can also be studied at a regional level. This field considers economic perspectives on a smaller level with a focus on trade between regions. Suggestions for dissertation topics in this field are listed as follows:

Topic 1: Evaluating the link between profit and regional development?

Research Aim: This research will evaluate the link between profit and regional development with respect to economics.

Topic 2: Assessing the “regional development policy” in the United Kingdom

Research Aim: This study will talk about the regional development policy in the UK.

Topic 3: Discussing the role of learning or knowledge gaining involved in regional development?

Research Aim: This research will explore the role of knowledge and learning that helps promote regional development.

Topic 4: Assessing the existence of location theories that contribute towards the development and understanding of regional development

Research Aim: This research will assess the existence of locational theories that help contribute towards the development and understanding of regional development.

Topic 5: Evaluating the role that technology plays in regional development? A UK case study

Research Aim: This research will evaluate the role that technology plays in promoting regional development.

Topic 6: Exploring entrepreneurship and its regional aspects in the United Kingdom

Research Aim: This research will help explore entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship network with respect to regional development in the UK.

Topic 7: Role of Institutional setups in regional development

Research Aim: This study will talk about the role of institutional setups in regional development.

Topic 8: Assessing the relationship between unemployment and entrepreneurship in the light of evidence from British relationship

Research Aim: This research will assess the relationship between unemployment and entrepreneurship in the UK.

Find 100s of dissertation topics for other research areas.

Topic 9: In what ways the UK and the European firms are different in terms of innovation – A critical analysis

Research Aim: This research will help in understanding the various ways in which the UK and European firms are different with respect to innovation.

Topic 10: Assessing the role of regional co-operation in developing sustainable advantage

Research Aim: This research will help in assessing the role of regional cooperation in developing sustainable advantage amongst regions

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Important Notes

As a student of economics looking to get good grades, it is essential to develop new ideas and experiment on existing economics theories – i.e., to add value and interest in your research topic.

The field of economics is vast and interrelated to so many other academic disciplines like civil engineering ,  construction ,  law , engineering management , healthcare , mental health , artificial intelligence , tourism , physiotherapy , sociology , management , marketing and nursing . That is why it is imperative to create a project management dissertation topic that is articular, sound, and actually solves a practical problem that may be rampant in the field.

We can’t stress how important it is to develop a logical research topic; it is the basis of your entire research. There are several significant downfalls to getting your topic wrong; your supervisor may not be interested in working on it, the topic has no academic creditability, the research may not make logical sense, there is a possibility that the study is not viable.

This impacts your time and efforts in  writing your dissertation  as you may end up in the cycle of rejection at the very initial stage of the dissertation. That is why we recommend reviewing existing research to develop a topic, taking advice from your supervisor, and even asking for help in this particular stage of your dissertation.

Keeping our advice in mind while developing a research topic will allow you to pick one of the best economics dissertation topics that not only fulfil your requirement of writing a research paper but also adds to the body of knowledge.

Therefore, it is recommended that when finalizing your dissertation topic, you read recently published literature to identify gaps in the research that you may help fill.

Remember- dissertation topics need to be unique, solve an identified problem, be logical, and can also be practically implemented. Take a look at some of our sample economics dissertation topics to get an idea for your own dissertation.

How to Structure your Economics Dissertation

A well-structured dissertation can help students to achieve a high overall academic grade.

• A Title Page
• Acknowledgments
• Declaration
• Abstract: A summary of the research completed
• Table of Contents
• Introduction : This chapter includes the project rationale, research background, key research aims and objectives, and the research problems to be addressed. An outline of the structure of a dissertation  can also be added to this chapter.
• Literature Review :  This chapter presents relevant theories and frameworks by analysing published and unpublished literature available on the chosen research topic, in light of  research questions  to be addressed. The purpose is to highlight and discuss the relative weaknesses and strengths of the selected research area while identifying any research gaps. Break down of the topic, and key terms can have a positive impact on your dissertation and your tutor.
• Methodology:  The  data collection  and  analysis  methods and techniques employed by the researcher are presented in the Methodology chapter which usually includes  research design, research philosophy, research limitations, code of conduct, ethical consideration, data collection methods, and  data analysis strategy .
• Findings and Analysis:  Findings of the research are analysed in detail under the Findings and Analysis chapter. All key findings/results are outlined in this chapter without interpreting the data or drawing any conclusions. It can be useful to include  graphs ,  charts, and  tables in this chapter to identify meaningful trends and relationships.
• Discussion  and  Conclusion: The researcher presents his interpretation of results in this chapter, and states whether the research hypothesis has been verified or not. An essential aspect of this section is to establish the link between the results and evidence from the literature. Recommendations with regards to implications of the findings and directions for the future may also be provided. Finally, a summary of the overall research, along with final judgments, opinions, and comments, must be included in the form of suggestions for improvement.
• References:  Make sure to complete this in accordance with your University’s requirements
• Bibliography
• Appendices:  Any additional information, diagrams, graphs that were used to  complete the dissertation  but not part of the dissertation should be included in the Appendices chapter. Essentially, the purpose is to expand the information/data.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How to find economics dissertation topics.

For economics dissertation topics:

• Follow economic news and debates.
• Study emerging areas like behavioral economics.
• Analyze policy gaps or challenges.
• Review economic theories and their applications.
• Explore data-driven research opportunities.
• Seek topics aligning with your passion and career aspirations.

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