MA Behavioral Economics

A first-of-its-kind MA program in the field of decision-making, which began to receive particular recognition after Kahneman (2002) and Thaler (2017) were awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for their related works. The program integrates aspects of economics and psychology, and provides insight into economic policy and social change, which attempts to answer questions that concern us all: What factors influence our decisions when we take economic risks? Do we use emotion or logic when making decisions? What are the forces that affect the way we make decisions under conditions of uncertainty?

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Thesis

Practicum

Head of Program

Prof. Guy Hochman

Faculty

About the Program

The MA program in Behavioral Economics is a joint program of the Tiomkin School of Economics and Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology. The aim of the program is to provide students with theoretical and applied knowledge in psychology, economics, and public policy. The program relies on the strong historical link between these three disciplines; its goal is to train behavioral economists and give them practical tools and hands-on experience with state-of-the-art policies and interventions aimed at improving decision-making processes.

The program is taught in English, by leading classical and behavioral economists. Our faculty members are doing cutting-edge and innovative research in behavioral economics, alongside their work in the field. The cooperation between the School of Economics and the School of Psychology creates a unique interdisciplinary program. We invite you to join us on a fascinating and enriching experience.

Program Highlights

Our program is designed for students from Israel and abroad who are passionate about human behavior and who are motivated to lead social changes and to help individuals and organizations to better manage their lives.
Our program is suitable for candidates from a range of academic backgrounds, including psychology, economics, sociology, law, computers, and more.
Applicants can have a bachelor’s degree in any field and must have a grade point average of at least 80
Our program includes both a research track (thesis) and nonthesis track (final project). Students will select their preferred track by the end of the 4th mini semester.
8 mini semesters (6 weeks each) over the course of two academic years.
The program offers behavioral economics internships for top students.
Courses will be given 2 days a week: Sundays from 16:00-18:50, and Fridays from 08:00-12:30.

For more information on the Thesis click here

For more information on the Practicum click here

What Are You Going To Study?

Introductory Courses - Mandatory
- Prof. Yaniv Kenat-Maymon
  
  This course is and advanced statistics course, focused on applications for Behavioral Economics. It will focus on basic and more advanced procedures in statistical analysis. We will start with basic parameters (e.g., proportion and mean) and move to more advance methods, such as advanced linear regression models and ANOVAs
- Dr. Michael Reifen-Tagar
  
  Students in this course will be presented with the central streams of research in social psychology and classic theories, as well as the main research methods utilized in this field .
- Dr. Carolina Silva
  
  This course aims to familiarize students with methods of data analysis in economics and advanced issues in econometrics. Students will be exposed to state-of-the-art statistical techniques and will learn how they can be applied when analyzing issues of social concern and public policy.
- Dr. Tali Regev
  
  This course introduces a the framework for understanding consumer behavior and decisions about saving and employment/leisure. It will cover topics such as uncertainty and equilibrium when agents play non-cooperatively or have asymmetric information.
- Prof. Guy Hochman
  
  This course deals with the emergence and development of the field of behavioral economics. We will examine how people make decisions , why these decisions lead to systematic biases, and how theory is applied to organizational and economic decisions.
- Ms. Liat Erel
  
  This course is designed to provide students with knowledge in one of the most useful programs, Excel, while emphasizing examples from the economics field.
- Dr. Avihai Lifschitz
  
  This course is designed to teach and programming in R, regarding data into R, accessing R packages, and data processing and statistical analysis using R.
Advanced & Applied Courses - Mandatory
- Dr. Ron Lazer
  
  This course provides theoretical and practical tools to analyze financial information , primarily information in financial statements, for the purpose of making investments decisions. The primary focus is on equity (share) valuation, with some attention given to credit analysis and the valuation of debt.
- Prof. Itzhak Gilboa
  
  The course will expose students to the basic ideas of decision theory , mostly under risk and uncertainty. Decision theory principles will be taught in a critical way, generating a dialog about the "right" way to make decisions.
- Dr. Amitay Kauffman
  
  This course aims to impart a critical perspective of, , and an empirical familiarity with, the range of methods available to behavioral researchers. The course will overview advanced and the state-of-the-art research methods in the fields of behavioral economics ,psychology, and decision making.
- Mrs. Anat Halevi
  
  In this course, students will be exposed to real-life applications of behavioral economics. The course includes lectures by people from different domains, who apply the principles and insights in their practice.
- Dr. Tali Regev
  
  Experimental economics is concerned with testing economic hyphoteses & policies in a laboratory setting. The course will examine the main topics in economics using experimental methods.
- Guest Lectures
  
  The Behavioral Economics seminar is a Colloquium that will take place three times in each mini- semester , for 2 mini-semesters. Each seminars involves a guest lecturer from leading universities in Israel and around the world and/or experts from the field.
- Prof. Orit Tykocinski
  
  The quality of our decisions, judgements, and choices, is often affected by psychological motives of which we are unaware . In this course we will discuss the role that emotions such as regret and disappointment play in our decision practices, and the way in which our judgements and actions are influenced by ingrained human motives and needs.
- Prof. Guy Hochman
  
  During the course, we will present different approaches to interventions, debiasing techniques , and environmental designs aimed at encouraging people to make optimal , moral, and pro-social decisions. Students will work in groups to propose different behavioral interventions designed to solve key societal issues.
- Prof. Shahar Ayal
  
  Behavioral Ethics is the study of the systematic and predictable ways in which individuals make ethical decisions and judge the ethical decisions of others. The course introduces this interdisciplinary topic, which is at the forefront of research today.
- Dr. Orly Idan
  
  The course focuses on the role and use of language in the realm of persuasion. It aims to provide students with a range of practical methods, tools, and approaches to leverage credibility and persuasiveness, and to find solutions that benefit all stakeholders.
- Dr. Chaim B. Weizmann
  
  Public policy affects the lives of all people. Any public policy at is a complex endeavor in which many and diverse factors participate. Each one of them has its own interests and its own goals, which differ from one player to another and can be inconsistent or even contradictory . The course will discuss taxation and regulation - two main tools used by goverment aiming at changing people's behavior through policy , and their impact , as well as privatization and new forms of governance.
Practicum in Behavioral Economics - Mandatory
- Dr. Ariel Tikotsky
  
  The practicum seminar introduces students to concepts and practices expected of them during their practicum experience and their professional lives. The seminar will set the ground for the actual work, with classes focusing on methodologies , best practices and case studies , and simulations.
- Dr. Ariel Tikotsky
  
  The practicum allows students to participate in a supervised work program, where they apply coursework knowledge in a practical setting. The practicum will include class discussions revolving around dilemmas encountered at the hosting organizations.
Elective Courses (minimum of 1)
- Dr. Inbal Stockheim
  
  This course focuses on how principles of behavioral economics may be applied to understand and predict consumer preferences, and how marketers can utilize such principles when designing new products and services, to maximize costumer satisfaction.
- Mr. Doron Frimer
  
  This course teaches students the basic concepts in finance, focusing on changes in the industry (Fintech and Regtech) as well as understanding the psychological aspects of financial decisions. We will analyze financial challenges in real-time case studies and review world economic events and their implications on both the micro and macro levels.
- Prof. Shimon Kogan
  
  This course investigates how individuals and firms make financial decisions, specifically savings and investments decisions, how these decisions deviate from the rational benchmark, and how these decisions impact financial markets. Policies and regulations to improve and transform these decisions will be discussed.
- Prof. Yona Rubinstein
  
  Taking advantage of recent research papers published in top outlets, this course focuses on how to formulate questions of interest in an econometric model, estimate the parameters of interest using a state-of-the-art menu of econometric methods, and structurally interpret the estimates using these tools.
Final Project & Thesis Tracks
- Dr. Aluma Dembo
  
  This seminar is set up to support students in their thesis work ,based upon the individual research they conduct, and to discuss the written works of the students and their progress. The seminar is open only to student who are doing the thesis program.
- Dr. Dalia Shilian & Ms. Maya Goldberg
  
  This seminar is set up to support students in their work on their final project . The seminar will guide students through key issues in research and critical reading. The seminar is open only to student who are not enrolled in the thesis program.

For the entire list of courses please refer to the Student Handbook
Students are required to take 45 credits and to submit a final project or thesis; 43 credits are from mandatory courses and 2 credits are from elective courses.
The academic administration of Reichman University reserves the right to make changes to the curriculum.

For Hebrew Click Here

Noy Shaul, Rishon LeZion

Economist

Studying Behavioral Economics was a transformative journey that bridged my passion for economics with a profound understanding of human behavior. It unveiled news lens through which I interpreted the world, Illuminating the intricate connection between economics models and complexities of Human Decision Making.

Lior Shem-Tov, Tel Aviv

Manager at IDeCision, the applied decision-making center & PhD student at Reichman University.

Thanks to the MA in Behavioral Economics at Reichman University I was able to turn my interest in human behavior into my profession. The program offers the triple toolbox of , theoretical background research skills, and practical experience, equipping you with real-life practitioners' tools and valuable knowledge regardless of your goal.

Chen Haryati

Chief Audit Executive

As a Chief Auditor, understanding the forces that motivate people and influence their decisions critical to bringing value to organizations. Therefore, enrolling in the MABE program has proven to be among my best decisions! Led by experts in the field, the program seamlessly integrates theory and practice and has equipped me with tools for my professional and personal life.

MA Behavioral Economics

About the Program

Program Highlights

What Are You Going To Study?

Introductory Courses - Mandatory

Advanced & Applied Courses - Mandatory

Practicum in Behavioral Economics - Mandatory

Elective Courses (minimum of 1)

Final Project & Thesis Tracks

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