University of Cologne
Center for Social and Economic Behavior
The Center for Social and Economic Behavior (C-SEB), a Key Profile Area (KPA) of 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. Since its establishment in 2019, the Cluster of Excellence ECONtribute is an important partner.
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, also affects the success of societies, politics, markets and organizations. Understanding its determinants, and how it can be ‘managed’, is thus of crucial importance for understanding and addressing major challenges to society and humanity.
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. 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
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.Learn more
Research funding
C-SEB provides funding for outstanding individuals and excellent collaborative research projects in the field of behavioral economics and social cognition. There are six funding lines at the moment that are designed to serve different purposes and target groups.Learn more
Equal opportunity & junior researcher promotion
C-SEB is strongly committed to promote equal opportunities 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.Learn more
Press Releases
Mona Mensmann and her co-authors have been awarded the 2024 IGL Annual Research Prize in the category “Best Experimental Paper …
Junior Start-Up Grants Marius Barth (with Karoline Bading) – “The Role of US Probability in Evaluative Learning” Yael Ecker (with …
The ECONtribute Cluster of Excellence, associated with C-SEB as a key profile area of the University of Cologne, will continue …
The Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain) awards three honorary doctorates annually, alternating between the different faculties. In 2025, the renowned …
With its Research Prizes, the University of Cologne honors individual scientific excellence and outstanding achievements over the last six years …
C-SEB member Angela Dorrough wins the OECD Anti-Corruption Research Challenge for a study together with Jasper Siol from the University …
In the media
F.A.Z., 02.07.2025 | Louise Otterbein
“In Bäckereien müssen etliche Listen geführt werden. Wenn sich das ändert, blüht das Geschäft auf – aus überraschenden Gründen. […] Besagte Listen wurden von den Forschern mithilfe von Mitarbeiterinterviews zunächst einzeln auf Kosten und Nutzen untersucht und anschließend zwei als “besonders zeitaufwendig und wenig hilfreich” beschriebene Listen in zufällig ausgewählten Filialen über einen Zeitraum von zehn Monaten abgeschafft. Das Ergebnis ist positiv: Der Umsatz ist gestiegen, die Wartezeiten für die Kunden kürzer, und die Mitarbeiter sind zufrieden.”tagesschau.de, 25.06.2025
“Die EU will eine spätere Befüllung der Gasspeicher erlauben. […] Die bisher strikten Vorgaben hatten zu Preissteigerungen beigetragen: Steht zu einem bestimmten Datum die Befüllung der Speicher an, rechnen die Märkte in den Monaten davor mit einer höheren Nachfrage, sodass der Preis steigt. […] Wie eine Untersuchung des Wirtschaftswissenschaftlers Axel Ockenfels zusammen mit zwei Ökonomen des Beratungsunternehmens Frontier Economics zeigt, war Gas wegen des staatlichen Bewirtschaftungssystems zuletzt oft teurer als im Winter.”ECONtribute Wirtschaftspodcast, 05.05.2025 | Host: Carolin Jackermeier
“Was bewirken Transparenzregeln für das Nebeneinkommen von Bundestagsabgeordneten? Haben sie einen Einfluss auf ihr Verhalten? Und wie reagiert die Wählerschaft auf lukrative Nebenverdienste? Carina Neisser, Postdoc bei ECONtribute an der Uni Köln, forscht zu Finanzwissenschaften und angewandter Mikroökonometrie. In einer Studie hat sie die Effekte der 2005 eingeführten Transparenzrichtlinie für den Nebenverdienst von Bundestagsabgeordneten analysiert.”
Events
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ECONtribute and C-SEB Design & Behavior Seminar // Peter Katuščák (RWTH Aachen)
15. July 2025 @ 12:00 - 13:00 Room 3.206, Studierenden Service Center (SSC) (Building 102), Universitätsstraße 22a, 50923 Köln
Peter Katuščák (RWTH Aachen) - "Separating Contingent From Thinking: On Non-Truthtelling in Strategy-Proof Matching Mechanisms"
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ECONtribute and C-SEB Seminar // Ronak Jain (University of Zurich)
16. July 2025 @ 12:00 - 13:15 Room 3.206, Studierenden Service Center (SSC) (Building 102), Universitätsstraße 22a, 50923 Köln
Ronak Jain (University of Zurich) - "Prosocial Market Behavior and Children in Street Vending"
More Information here
Publications
Campos, F., Frese, M., Iacovone, L., Johnson, H. C., McKenzie, D., & Mensmann, M. (2025).
“Long-Term and Lasting Impacts of Personal Initiative Training on Entrepreneurial Success.” American Economic Review: Insights. Advance online publication.Weinmann, M., Schneider, C., & Valacich, J. (2025).
“The Digital Experiment Reporting Protocol (DERP).” Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 57(1).Kölle, F., Quercia, S., & Tripodi, E. (2025).
“Social Preferences Under the Shadow of the Future.” Experimental Economics, 28(1), 22–42.Freyer, T., Radbruch, J., Schaube, S., & Strang, L. (2025).
“The Effect of Task (Mis)matching and Self-Selection on Intrinsic Motivation and Performance.” Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 234, 107010.Kerkhof, A., & Münster, J. (2025).
“Strategic Complementarities in a Model of Commercial Media Bias.” Games, 16(3), 21.Huesmann, K., Ndiaye, Y. S., Waibel, C., & Wiesen, D. (2025).
“How the Design of Ranking Systems and Ability Affects Physician Effort.” Management Science. Advance online publication.Ockenfels, A., Bothe, D., & Janssen, M. (2025).
“Das Dilemma der Speicherverpflichtung im Gasmarkt: Optimiertes Marktdesign erforderlich.” Wirtschaftsdienst, 105(4), 273–281.Wu, J., Balliet, D., Yuan, M., Li, W., Chen, Y., Jin, S., Luan, S., & Van Lange, P. A. M. (2025).
“Social Class and Prosociality: A Meta-Analytic Review.” Psychological Bulletin, 151(3), 285–321.Strang, L., & Schaube, S. (2025).
“(Not) Everyone Can Be a Winner—The Role of Payoff Interdependence for Redistribution.” Journal of Public Economics, 243, 105320.Berger, L. M., Kerkhof, A., Mindl, F., & Münster, J. (2025).
“Debunking “Fake News” on Social Media: Immediate and Short-Term Effects of Fact-Checking and Media Literacy Interventions.” Journal of Public Economics, 245, 105345.
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