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University of Cologne

Excellence Center for Social and Economic Behavior  

The Center for Social and Economic Behavior (C-SEB) at the University of Cologne (UoC) brings together Cologne-based researchers from economics, management science, and psychology. Together with internationally renowned scientists from Europe and the USA they investigate the fundamental principles and behavioral mechanisms that affect social and economic behavior.

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Social and economic behavior is shaping almost all aspects of our lives. But it does not only influence the actions of individuals. Behavior, and its underlying motivation and cognition, affects the success of societies, politics, markets, organizations, and individuals. Understanding its determinants, and how it can be ‘managed’, is thus of crucial importance for understanding and addressing major challenges to society and humanity.

The C-SEB aims to develop an empirically based theory of the institutions that define economic incentives and of the conditions that influence information processing in social and economic contexts.Using a behavioral economics and social cognition approach, the center examines how these mechanisms can be designed and manipulated. The C-SEB seeks to build a bridge between laboratory research and real-world contexts in order to contribute to solutions to contemporary challenges in the economy.

Our Aims

Scientific exchange

The C-SEB runs various programs to create a productive research environment and to promote interdisciplinary collaboration among scientists. In order to foster communication across disciplines and research units, the center regularly organizes workshops and conferences with international guests.
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Research funding

The C-SEB provides funding for outstanding individuals and excellent collaborative research projects in the field of behavioral economics and social cognition. There are seven funding lines at the moment that are designed to serve different purposes and target groups.
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Gender equality and junior researcher promotion

The C-SEB is strongly committed to promote gender equality in academia and to advance the careers of junior researchers. The center assists its members with career planning and with reconciling academic and family life.
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Press Releases

William D. Nordhaus and Paul M. Romer receive Nobel Prize for Economics

The Nobel Prize for Economics 2018 was awarded in equal parts to William D. Nordhaus for “integrating climate change into …

In-Mind is awarded for promoting psychology by the DGPs

In-Mind is awarded the prize for promoting psychology by the German Psychological Association (DGPs). Oliver Geschow and Jan Crusius accept …

FAZ Economics Ranking 2018 – C-SEB professor among most influential economists in Germany

Axel Ockenfels is among the most influential economists in Germany. This is evident from the recently published “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung …

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In the media

Die digitale Realität schert sich nicht um alte Lehrbuchweisheiten

Handelsblatt, 28.09.2018 | Bert Losse

“Durch die Digitalisierung werden sich die Preise vieler Güter künftig immer schneller verändern – und könnten womöglich für jeden Käufer unterschiedlich ausfallen. Das birgt Risiken für Transparenz und Wettbewerb. Aber auch ein paar Chancen. […] Allerdings warnen Ökonomen davor, die neue Preiswelt nur in düsteren Farben zu malen. Die Digitalisierung schafft auch neue Anwendungsmöglichkeiten, um mithilfe sekundenschnell veränderbarer Preise einzelne Märkte effizienter zu steuern. Die Ökonomen Axel Ockenfels, Peter Cramton und Richard Geddes etwa haben jüngst ein Konzept dynamisierter Mautgebühren vorgelegt, mit dem es “keine Staus mehr geben würde” (Ockenfels).”

Erst morgen will man ein besserer Mensch sein

TREFFPUNKT, Kundenmagazin der Sparkasse / Sonderausgabe 2.2018 S. 6-8, 12.09.2018 | Gunnar Erth

“Gute Absichten pflastern die Welt der Menschen. Auch beim Thema Geldanlage. Doch leider verhalten wir uns nicht immer rational, meint der renommierte Kölner Verhaltensökonom Professor Axel Ockenfels. […] ‘Ursache dieses Phänomens ist eine mangelnde Selbstkontrolle. Es gibt viele Dinge, die wir aufschieben, obwohl es gut wäre, sich gleich um sie zu kümmern. Das betrifft langfristige Dinge wie die Geldanlage und kurzfristige Versuchungen wie zu wenig Sport, ungesundes Essen oder zu viel Handykonsum.'”

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Events

  • Seminar in Applied Microeconomics

    23. October 2018 @ 12:00 - 13:00 Studierenden Service Center, Universitätsstraße 22a, 50923 Köln, Germany


    Speaker: Franziska Tausch (Sydney University)


    Title: „Dishonesty in Insurance Underwriting: Evidence from an Online Experiment”

  • Economic Engineering of Human Cooperation and Competition

    23. October 2018 @ 16:30 - 20:00 German House, 871 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY10017

    The University of Cologne New York Office, the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the German Center for Research and Innovation (DWIH) cordially invite you to a Leibniz lecture on: Economic Engineering of Human Cooperation and Competition Speaker: Prof. Dr. Axel Ockenfels (Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Award 2005, Professor of Economics, University of Cologne) Topic: What do climate change, shortage of organ donors, and traffic congestion have in common? They can all be addressed with behavioral economics. Join us for a lecture by Leibniz Prize recipient Professor Axel Ockenfels.Many economic and societal challenges can only be addressed with a change in human behavior. Market design can offer solutions because market rules affect our behavior in predictable ways. Traffic jams, for example, cost time, money and impact our health, while recent advances in technology would allow for the design of new markets for road use that promote cooperation and prevent congestion. Climate change is fundamentally a problem of insufficient cooperation that can be addressed if recognized as such and acted on accordingly in international climate negotiations. In his lecture, Professor Ockenfels will show how market rules can be engineered to promote cooperation and trust even in large communities and to encourage competition in small markets. Professor Ockenfels’ focus will be on human behavior in markets, which responds to market rules, but rarely in a fully rational way. He will show how market design can take on real-world challenges.
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Publications

Gürerk, Ö., Rockenbach, B. & Wolff, I. (in press).

“The Effects of Punishment in Dynamic Public-Good Games.”
doi: 10.2139/ssrn.1589362

Bolton, G. E., Ockenfels, A. & Werner, P. 2016.

“Leveraging social relationships and transparency in the insider game.” Journal of the Economic Science Association, 2, 127-143.
doi: 10.1007/s40881-016-0030-x
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Current research issues at C-SEB


Are people selfish and rational?

Individuals often have to decide whether to act compliant to rules or to seek their own advantage. Unethical or unfair actions, such as lying or cheating, can lead to disadvantages for others and affect economic life. Many persons are honest in such situations and waive their personal advantage, which for example could be achieved by lying. Other individuals, however, behave immorally when it benefits them. Whether a person behaves fair or not depends on a variety of social and economic factors, but generally on their personality and biographical experiences.

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Why do markets fail, and how can we repair them?

Markets are places where supply and demand meet according to certain rules. However, errors in market order or irrational behavior of market participants can lead to a malfunction or complete collapse of the distribution of goods in financial, labor, consumer and other markets. Since the effects of such crises can have disastrous consequences, it is important to design markets and other economic institutions on the basis of sound behavior research. In this process incentives for market participants are set in such a way that they achieve their goals and make the market work.

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How to design climate negotiations that work?

During the last 150 years the average global temperature has risen sharply caused by the increased release of greenhouse gases by humans. As global warming carries high risks for the environment and human life, it is important to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But so far, the countries were not successful in agreeing on a common climate target. To guide the climate negotiations to success, participants must be encouraged to make commitments. One requirement for this is a fair distribution of financial compensations between poor and rich countries through transfer payments. Such compensation can be achieved for example by introducing a global CO2 price that countries can implement through measures suited to their respective situation.

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When do we trust in others?

Trust in the honesty of another person is an essential prerequisite for social and economic interaction. Without trust fair and reliable socializing would be difficult to imagine. The extent to which we trust other people depends on a variety of factors, in particular on our assessment of the situation and how we perceive the other person. People who can look back on common positive experiences or who can identify with the values, goals and needs of their partner, trust each other more than people who do not know each other or who perceive themselves as being different.

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Why do we compare with others?

The knowledge of one’s own abilities is of great importance, not only in sports, but in many areas of work and everyday life. People can assess their performance through comparing themselves to others. Only by interrelating their own abilities and achievements to those of other individuals, their meaning can be determined. It surely can be painful, if somebody is better. But it can also provide us with valuable information about what we can do better and motivate us to make greater efforts.

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How can we resist temptations?

Often, our long-term goals, such as a healthy diet, are in conflict with short-term temptations like a delicious dessert. Whether we manage to resist these temptations depends on a variety of personal and situational factors. Thus, a social environment that encourages steadfastness can be of great help, whereas intoxicants like alcohol make a loss of control more likely. Psychological factors such as strength of will and frustration tolerance play a role as well. The easiest way to resist temptations is to avoid such situations from the outset.

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