Introduction to Neuroeconomics - Fusing Psychology with Economics

This autumn I have been given lots of practice interviews with and helping to support the reading of students interested in reading Economics at many UK and US universities, but also those keen to explore degrees including Human Sciences and Psychology. I have no background in the sciences but it has been fascinating to find out more as an interested lay person. Some of this has happened at the superb lectures and discussions at the RSA whose Social Brain Project is well worth following. Just recently I went to hear Andrew Oswald talk about the psychology of herd behaviour

Neuroeconomics brings together the disciplines of economics, psychology and neuroscience. I have put together a selection of recent articles that seem to me to explain what it might offer and I will happily add more links if colleagues have some other good resources to share.

What is neuroeconomics?
Jonathan Cohen, Eugene Higgins Professor of Psychology at the Yale School of Management

This is a really clear introduction to the subject - here is the link

“The problem is that the economic model assumes that we’re one person and that we evolved to deal with the circumstances that we’re in. Those are both bad assumptions.”

There is a related article on behavioural economics from the same edition of the Yale Management Journal - available here

Superb article by Tim Adams in the Observer from June 2011:
“Testosterone and high finance do not mix: so bring on the women”

Where economics meets neuroscience  (BBC, 2008)
See also: Business Life: Economics with brains (Tim Harford, October 2008)

The Neuroeconomics Revolution: Robert J. Shiller (Project Syndicate, November 2011)

The Dawn of Neuroeconomics (The Big Think)

Economist (July 2008): Do economists need brains?

You Tube

Institute for New Economic Thinking

Unit 2 Macro: Evaluation on Supply-Side Policies [21 May 2012]
Unit 2 Macro: Migration and the UK Economy [20 May 2012]
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Revision notes on unemployment [20 May 2012]
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Improving Evaluation Skills in Economics Exams [16 May 2012]
Unit 4 Macro: African Human Development Report 2012 [15 May 2012]
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Exam Technique for Economics - Weesteps to Evaluation [5 May 2012]
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Unit 4 Macro: Managing the Global Commons - Limits to GDP [15 Apr 2012]
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Ukraine Hotel ‘Bandits’? [12 Apr 2012]
Government Intervention in the Energy Market [11 Apr 2012]
Football Clubs to Pay for Negative Externalities [11 Apr 2012]
2012 Economics Revision: Ways to Improve your Paper [9 Apr 2012]
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Unit 1 Micro: Highest and Lowest Paid Jobs in the UK [26 Feb 2012]
Unit 4 Macro: King on the UK Economy [15 Feb 2012]
Competitiveness [8 Feb 2012]
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Unit1 Micro: Can a minimum wage create jobs? [16 Jan 2012]
Revision Presentation: Economics Evaluation Skills [10 Jan 2012]
Exam Advice: 10 Ideas for a Better Economics Paper [10 Jan 2012]
Unit 2 Macro: Factors Driving Business Investment [10 Jan 2012]
Unit 4 Macro: Natural Disasters and their Economic Impact [7 Jan 2012]
AS and A2 Economics - 10 Ways to Improve Evaluation [4 Jan 2012]
Unit 1 Micro: Prezi on the Economics of Negative Externalities [2 Jan 2012]
Resources on Keynes and Hayek [27 Dec 2011]
Rory Sutherland at Zeitgeist [1 Dec 2011]
Behavioural Economics: Herd Behaviour [28 Nov 2011]
RSA Animate: The Divided Brain [28 Nov 2011]
Stephen King - Great Article on Macroeconomics [22 Nov 2011]
Beyond the Bike - The Value of Money [19 Nov 2011]
LSE Lecture: Daniel Kahneman - Thinking Fast and Slow [15 Nov 2011]
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Behavioural Economics: Daniel Kahneman in town! [9 Nov 2011]
Behavioural Economics: Bittersweet Symphony - The Psychology of Food [8 Nov 2011]
Economics Resources - Week Ended 6 November 2011 [6 Nov 2011]
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Starter Video: The Slums of Manilla [11 Sep 2011]
50% tax rates - Chuck it George [7 Sep 2011]
NHS spending good, private provision bad? [5 Sep 2011]
Mixing with the Nobel Economists [4 Sep 2011]
Toilet rolls, soap and climate change [1 Sep 2011]
John Kay on the future of Economics [26 Aug 2011]
Unit 4 Macro: GDP per person since the credit crunch [19 Aug 2011]
Unit 1 Micro: The Price of Football [2 Aug 2011]
Keynes v Hayek - the BBC Debate [2 Aug 2011]
hiphopnomics [31 Jul 2011]
Tim Harford - Trial and Error and the God Complex [17 Jul 2011]
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Two new RSA Videos - Matthew Taylor and Tim Harford [27 Jun 2011]
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Poor Economics - Esther Duflo at the LSE [3 Jun 2011]
AS Macro: Preparing for Unit 2 (May 2011) [25 May 2011]
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AS Macro Key Term: Deflation [24 May 2011]
AQA A2 Economics - European Context [23 May 2011]
A2 Micro: Competition and Efficiency [19 May 2011]
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A2 Macro: Revealed Advantage [12 May 2011]
UK Economy Update: What Mervyn Said [11 May 2011]
Review of “Adapt” by Tim Harford [9 May 2011]
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AS Micro: Rising Global Food Prices [2 May 2011]
Video Clips on the Chinese Economy [1 May 2011]
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AS and A2 Macro Revision: Keynesian Economics [28 Apr 2011]
Economics Recommended Reading - Summer 2011 [26 Apr 2011]
AS and A2 Macro Revision: The China Effect [26 Apr 2011]
A2 Macro: Twin Deficits [22 Apr 2011]
AS Micro Revision: Public and Private Goods [21 Apr 2011]
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UK Economy at a Glance April 2011 [17 Apr 2011]
Key AS Micro Terms: Economic Efficiency [16 Apr 2011]
Unit 1 Micro: Information Failure [15 Apr 2011]
Online Economics Revision Help [13 Apr 2011]
Tracking the effects of the recession on GDP [5 Apr 2011]
AS Macro Revision - Key Term Revision Bank [1 Apr 2011]
AS Micro Revision - Key Term Revision Bank [1 Apr 2011]
Progress towards low carbon economic growth [18 Mar 2011]
Google Docs - Macroeconomic Performance [1 Mar 2011]
Intense focus on cutting emissions is dumb argues Lomborg [16 Feb 2011]
Mo Tanweer on Global Currency Wars [10 Feb 2011]
5 Fresh Links: Videos to attract FDI [4 Feb 2011]
EU Economics: Hopes for a low carbon future in Europe [3 Feb 2011]
How Much Do I Earn? [1 Feb 2011]
Adapt - Tim Harford’s new book [27 Jan 2011]
Variations in Regional Economic Growth [25 Jan 2011]

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