Mice, bugs and hamsters are no longer the only way to study the brain. Functional MRI (fMRI) allows scientists to map brain activity in living, breathing, decision-making human beings. Read Montague gives an overview of how this...

There have been a lot of stories about using behavioral economics to change wide array of human behaviors. Studies have looked at adherence to treatments, weight control, and lots of other areas, and have found that trying to change...

There have been a lot of stories about using behavioral economics to change wide array of human behaviors. Studies have looked at adherence to treatments, weight control, and lots of other areas, and have found that trying to change...

It’s common to hear economists derided for being overly theoretical. But University of Puget Sound’s Wade Hands cautions that empiricism without theory isn’t enough.<br/>

Economists argue over how the economy works or what is the best fiscal policy to recover from the current crisis. Sheila Dow looks behind the curtain of these debates; she seeks to find out why particular theories are being advanced,...

This week on the HCT podcast, we're talking to Dr. Rachel Vreeman, who is going to tell us about her super cool job. She works on a partnership between a hospital in Indiana and a hospital in Kenya, and researches AIDS treatment in...

Economics is often thought of as emotion-less, but University of Southern California economist Daniel Benjamin argues for happiness as a vital indicator. Benjamin discusses how economists measure and understand behavior.<br/>

Xavier Gabaix argues that public policies should prioritize alleviating deprivation at the bottom over narrowing the rich-poor gap. Gabaix discusses why economies fluctuate, and postulates that firm-level shocks, meaning when a large...

Gerd Gigerenzer, Director, Max Planck Institute for Human Development speaks on panel entitled "What Can Economists Know: Rethinking the Foundations of Economic Understanding at the Institute for New Economic Thinking's (INET) Paradigm...

Economists have generally understood human behavior as either rational (the classical model) or irrational (the behavioral model). Robb argues instead for a third framework, the type of decisions that we do for their own sake—behavior...

The video is a lecture about bounded rationality and cognitive biases in the context of behavioral economics. The speaker discusses the limitations of human decision-making and how it differs from the idealized model of homo economicus....

Should the government regulate personal behavior, or are the irrational choices of people actually reasonable?



Behavioral economics has identified a myriad of cognitive biases that show that people do not behave rationally...

"If you want to make the world a more equal place, you need to understand the tools."



Contrary to popular belief, the dismal science has terrific power to help people. In this interview, Marina Gorsuch explains her...

To understand behavior and choice, we need to borrow from not just cognitive science but also sociology. University of Warwick economist Robert Akerlof explains how social interactions, identity, culture, and values underpin a new type...

The market for alternative investments has been a really exciting field in recent years, with everything from bitcoins, to beanie babies being touted as the next must-have to outperform the boring old stock market....

The kind of economics taught in graduate schools was the main contributor to the current crisis, claims Anatole Kaletsky - a statement that begs the question: Has economics teaching changed in response to the current crisis? "The Kids"...