PUBPOL 3130

Behavioral Economics and Public Policy

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2026-2027 Catalog.

Standard economic theory assumes that individuals are rational decision-makers; however, that is often not the case in the real world. Behavioral economics uses findings from psychology to determine ways in which individuals are systematically irrational to improve upon existing models. The first part of this course reviews these theories, while the second part of the course focuses on how these findings have been used to design better education, health, and tax policies as well as many others.

Prerequisites PUBPOL 3100 or equivalent; PUBPOL 2000 or ECON 3030.

Enrollment Information Enrollment limited to: undergraduates.

Distribution Requirements (SBA-AG), (SSC-AS), (SBA-HE), (OCE-IL, QP-IL)

Last 4 Terms Offered 2026SP, 2025SP, 2024SP, 2023SP

Learning Outcomes

• Use the key findings in psychology that have important lessons for the field of economics.
• Apply economic insights from lab experiments to policy design.
• Interpret empirical results from research papers as they relate to policy.
• Identify areas of policy where taking behavioral insights into account could improve public policy in terms of implementation, efficiency, or redistribution.
• Identify assumptions in standard economic models that may not hold in real world settings and learn how economists test their validity.
• Present findings from top-tier journals in economics.

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