Behavioral Game Theory Summer School 2025

Game theory, one of the most widely used mathematical tools in economics and the social sciences, is built on a foundation of strong assumptions about agent’s preferences and how agents make decisions. Two decades of work by experimental economists has cast serious doubts on these assumptions. Theorists and experimenters have responded by developing new theories that incorporate behavioural elements. The goal of this course is to familiarize you with research related to some of the most important topics of current research in behavioural game theory and to help you start thinking about potential research projects in this area.

Topics we will cover include other-regarding preferences, bounded rationality, infinitely repeated games, and coordination games. We will stress understanding how the various papers, both old and new, relate to current topics of research. The main emphasis of the course will be on experiments related to behavioural game theory. We will also go through some theory, but only to the degree that understanding the theory is necessary to understanding the experimental literature.

The class will feature a mixture of lectures and group discussion. You will be working in groups to develop and present a research idea.

Attendees at the Summer School on Behavioural Game Theory are invited to attend the Online Workshop on Behavioural Game Theory on 10 / 11 July free of charge. Details of the Summer School can be found on the UEA Store.