Newcastle University Business School hosts second Experimental Economics Workshop

Newcastle University Business School recently hosted the second Newcastle Experimental Economics Workshop on 9 and 10 November 2023, attended by international academics.

The workshop was developed to connect researchers working in the field of behavioural and experimental economics at different universities across the North-East of England and beyond.

It was funded by the Royal Economic Society and Newcastle University Business School, and jointly organised by academics in Economics at Newcastle University Business School and Leeds University Business School: Irene Mussio, Melanie Parravano, Matt Walker and Till Weber.

Till, a Lecturer in Economics at Newcastle University Business School, explained, “In organising the Newcastle Experimental Economics Workshop, our aim was to build cross-university links, facilitate the exchange of ideas and foster new research collaborations in the field of experimental economics.

“As part of the workshop, academics were invited to submit their papers for presentation, so it’s a great way to share novel research, exciting results, and methodological advances across the discipline.”

Supporting research in Experimental Economics

This year’s workshop was focused on experimental research in economics, the psychology of decision-making, and applications to environment and health. It featured keynote lectures by Marie Claire Villeval from the French National Centre for Scientific Research, and the University of Lyon and Peter Martinsson from the Technical University of Denmark and the University of Gothenburg. It also featured 15 presentations given by researchers in the field of behavioural and experimental economics. The keynote lectures covered the subjects of ‘Selective information sharing and group delusion’, and ‘Cooperation and the role of institutions: some insights from public goods experiments’.

Showcasing PhD students impacting the field

As part of the event, two Economics PhD students were awarded with a PhD Student Travel Award, to allow them to attend the event and present their papers.

Reflecting on her experience of the conference, Claire Mollier a PhD student from Nanterre University, Paris, said: “I'm grateful for the generous funding – a meaningful support that will undoubtedly contribute to my ongoing work and projects. It enabled me to meet specialists I hadn't had the chance to meet at other workshops. I'm glad to have been able to present my paper to an international audience.”

Julien Picard, a PhD student from London School of Economics, reflected on his experience and added: “Receiving the travel award for the Newcastle Experimental Economics Workshop was both an honour and a thrilling opportunity. It allowed me to share my research with esteemed peers, sparking insightful discussions and invaluable feedback.”

The team are now looking forward to planning the next event, building on the success of this year, and bringing together more dedicated experts in this field.