GATE - Economic Theory and Analysis Group

The behavioral economics team at GATE-Lab studies economic decision-making and strategic interactions with information asymmetries to better understand how human behaviour emerges from the interplay of cognitive and emotional systems and incentive schemes. This includes the role of incentives, norms and emotions in cheating and trusting behaviour, monetary vs. non-monetary rewards, the evolution of social norms, boundedly rational behaviour and strategic reasoning, the assessment of preferences regarding risk and competitiveness, mechanism design in order to design efficient incentives in markets and organizations. The theoretical models are based on game theory and decision theory and tested experimentally. Neuroeconomics research uses neuroimaging and cognitive neurosciences to explore the neural correlates of economic decision-making in the presence of risk, uncertainty and social preferences. GATE-Lab  is a state-of-the-art experimental platform, including BehavLab (32 computers), PhysioLab (12 devices for electrophysiological measures), EyetrackLab and a mobile lab (20 tablets). It organizes the GATE-Lab, BEERS, and Behavioral Ethics seminars.