Choice and Welfare: Beyond the Rational Agent

A substantial body of empirical evidence shows that human behaviour consistently goes beyond the homo oeconomicus model of a rational agent. Behaviour is shaped by a wide range of additional factors such as cognitive limitations, fairness concerns, reciprocity, social norms, identities, altruism, and spite. Although significant progress has been made in integrating these findings into economic theory, there remain many open questions.

We invite submissions from PhD and early career researchers for a one-day workshop on Choice and Welfare: Beyond the Rational Agent to be held on the 28th of April at Queen Mary University of London.

The workshop will feature six selected speakers across three sessions, with a keynote speech given by Professor Peter J. Hammond (University of Warwick). There will be no parallel sessions.

Shared accommodation, as well as partial travel stipends, will be provided for all speakers.

We welcome theoretical and empirical contributions seeking to incorporate insights from behavioural and experimental economics into economic theory. Submissions from the fields of choice and decision theory, behavioural and experimental economics, social choice and welfare theory, behavioural game theory, and behavioural finance are especially encouraged. Potential topics might include, but are not limited to:

• Influence of AI and digital technologies on economic behaviour, as well as the economy more broadly.
• Implications of boundedly rational consumers for market competition.
• Influence of social networks on strategic behaviour.
• Welfare analysis when agents are boundedly rational.
• Economic consequences of changing preferences.
• Unawareness in decision making.

This workshop is organised by PhD students in the School of Economics and Finance at Queen Mary University of London with support from the Young Scholars Initiative of the Institute of New Economic Thinking.

Submission

Submit your paper using the submission form above by 21 February, 2025.

Accepted papers will be notified by 7 March, 2025.

If you would like to attend without presenting, then please let us know by 28 March, 2025.

There are no registration fees.