An Introduction to Behavioral Economics

This is a comprehensive approach to the study of behavioural economics, which provides an alternative approach to the standard economics model in understanding how and why economic decisions are made. It includes recent research and offers an overview of methodology as well as case studies in every chapter that elucidate the issues raised.

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Why is the return on stocks so much higher on average than the return on bonds? Why is a worker delighted to hear she is going to get a 10% raise in salary, and then furious to find out that a colleague is going to get 15%? Behavioral economics is one of the most influential and dynamic areas in economics today. Applying insights from psychological science to economic models in order to better understand economics decision making, the behavioral perspective has provided important new ways for economists to understand why people make the choices they do. An Introduction to Behavioral Economics provides a comprehensive overview of the field that assumes only an intermediate-level undergraduate economics background, making it an ideal core textbook for advanced undergraduate or master's degree courses in behavioral economics or related subjects. As a single-author text, it provides an ideal 'way in' to the subject and could serve as useful jumping-off point for explorations in the original research itself.