Welcome to the Chair of Political Economy (ECON)

The (In)Elasticity of Moral Ignorance
Look away and cash in?

The new study by Marta Serra-Garcia and Nora Szech shows that a great many people prefer to look the other way when it comes to a donation situation. However, as little as 10 cents reward can persuade half of these people to look into the donation opportunity after all - and possibly donate if necessary! The study is published as a featured paper in the top journal Management Science and presented on the Management Science Review Blog.

To the study
Manager
Female managers pay fairer wages

The recently published research paper by Nora Szech, Leonie Kühl and David Huber investigates the question of appropriate remuneration of work. "Our study shows that the respective incentive system, work experience, and especially gender have an influence on what wages managers set for their employees" explains Nora Szech.   

Bloomberg, Spiegel OnlineBusiness Insider.com, Financial Post, FortuneBusiness Insider.jpHaufe

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Tie-Breaks and Bid-Caps

In case of equal suitability, some candidates are preferred. This is often the case, for example, with disabled applicants. In sports, too, there are sometimes rules in favor of teams or candidates who may have had a more difficult time. For example, an away goal may be worth more than a goal scored at home. Or the lighter athlete wins in the event of a stalemate in weightlifting. What do such rules do for competition? Nora Szech shows in model-theoretical analyses that especially somewhat weaker candidates are spurred on by this. The whole competition can become more motivated and committed. The study was awarded the Reinhard Selten Award in 2011. Now empirical studies by Nora Szech with Aniol Llorente-Saguer and Roman Sheremeta prove this motivating effect.

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Modern slavery
Modern Slavery

Hannes Rau and Nora Szech document very worrisome and pressing data on consumption of products made by modern slaves compared to what consumers believe they consume. Please find the talk here and the corresponding slides here.

To the talk
Child Work
Nora Szech on Child Labor

Nora Szech is interviewed in the TV show alpha Demokratie. She talks about child labor and what politics could do. Another topic is why consumers often chose products made by children even if they are against child labor.

You can find the video in the ARD Mediathek
Nutri-Score
Info nudges and self control

Information nudges are designed to guide behavior in a particular direction without coercion. One example is the Nutri-Score, which suggests healthy eating. The team of authors around Nora Szech investigates how information nudges and self control work together. The research paper is accepted to be published in the top journal Management Science. 

 

Podcast

To the study
ECON
Money, gold and treasures (BR)

In this TV show, Nora Szech talks about management, diversity, and ethical consumption.

To the show
Research-KIT
Special Issue on Honesty and Moral Behavior

In Frontiers in Psychology, Steffen Huck, Agne Kajackaite and Nora Szech host a special issue on Honesty and Moral Behavior in Economic Games.

To the Special Issue
Research-KIT
Diffusion of Moral Responsibility

 

The top journal The Review of Economic Studies publishes Nora Szech's study on the diffusion of morality in groups and voting as a featured paper.

 

Frankfurter Allgemeine FAZ (Article)

Interview with the SZ (Video)

 

To the study (Restud)
CwiC
Unsettled by Certainty?

The Chair of Political Economy co-hosted a symposium on June 3, 2022 as part of the BMBF-funded interdisciplinary research project Coping with Certainty where we had the opportunity to discuss „normative challenges of AI generated prediction“ with colleagues from the Legal and Ethical sciences.

For more information
Szech-Romer-Interview
A depression worse than 1929?

 

Nora Szech talks with Nobelist Paul Romer about the crisis, second waves, and how to get through them.

 

Find the interview on YouTube
cover_image
Money or Life?

Make profit or kill a mouse, or better do without the money and save the mouse? Individually, the majority decides in favor of the mouse’s life. But it is completely different in group decisions, where moral responsibility is shared and diffused. Nora Szech’s behavioral study is published in the top journal Review of Economic Studies.

More about the study
Szech Podcast
Süddeutsche Zeitung: Gut to Head

In this podcast of the Süddeutsche Zeitung Gerd Gigerenzer, Malcolm Gladwell, Julia Rothhaas, and Nora Szech talk about the relationship of economy and gut feeling. Susanne Klingner is doing the interviews.

To the podcast
Research-KIT
Is "a little good" good enough?

In their study published in PLOS ONE, Jannis Engel and Nora Szech explore cheap excuses when shopping for fast fashion.

Daily news

n-tv

Helmholtz

FAZ

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Podcast-Szech
n-tv Podcast

On n-tv, Nora Szech gives an interview on moral ignorance.

 

 

 

To the podcast
Szech Interview
Three Questions with Nora Szech

The HCEO network at the University of Chicago connects cross-disciplinary experts to advance innovative thinking and approaches to fight inequality. In its format "3 Questions," it presents network member Nora Szech To the Interview.

To the interview
Podcast-Szech
Markets, Moral, and Corona

Nora Szech talks with Angela De Giacomo about the impact of the Corona crisis.

To the podcast
Impfprämie
Vaccinations and Testing

Marta Serra-Garcia and Nora Szech document that financial incentives can increase Corona vaccination and testing. An easy access helps, too. With these measures also educationally disadvantaged people are reached who are more likely affected by Corona.

 

DeutschlandfunkFAZSWR aktuellDer SpiegelThe TimesTagesschaun-tvWirtschaftsWoche, Spiegel Daily PodcastWDR 5SZ, tagesthemen

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Covid-Testing
Increasing the Support of Corona Testing

In a representative studyMarta Serra Garcia and Nora Szech find that 4 in 5 people demand a test if it is for free. Yet demand drops sharply in price. The topic is also pressing for willingess to test among travelers.

DER SPIEGEL

Mirage News

News Medical

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Covid Habits
Corona, Habits and Norms

In the following articles, Nora Szech discusses the roles of norms and habits in times of Corona, such as wearing masks.

Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ)

Staatsanzeiger

Spektrum der Wissenschaft

Beobachter

To the article (SZ)
Nora Szech KIT
Top Talents (Capital)

With these photos, the magazine Capital presents the elite under 40,  featuring representatives of industry and science. One of them is Nora Szech.

To the feature
Fakultätslehrpreisprivat
Faculty Award 2022

During the KIT anniversary celebration on May 17, the 2022 Fakultätslehrpreise were presented. Prof. Nora Szech and her team were awarded for their varied, research-oriented and particularly interactive digital teaching program. Despite the interactive concept, Szech's team has managed to deal with the difficult situation around Corona very well, so that the teaching did not suffer at all under the conditions. 

Teaching
Teaching Prize

Thank you so much, dear students! We are very happy about the teaching prize!

Jannis Engel and Nora Szech

KIT
School has started

Our interdisciplinary graduate school KD2 School, centering around the KD2Lab, has started. Both projects are funded by the German Science Foundation. Our research focus is on adaptive systems, AI, and morals.

Link to the KD2 School

Link to the KD2 Lab

Link to the KD2 School
MarketDesignSeminar
Workshop on Market Design

This workshop is a joint endeavor by the KIT, the Université Sorbonne-Assas (Paris II) and the ZEW. It brings together researchers on market design both from theory and from the experimental-empirical side as well as decision-makers from the industries. The last events were in October 2019 with Uri Gneezy (UCSD) as keynote speaker and in Paris in June 2022 with Keynote speaker Dirk Bergemannn (Yale University). The ZEW hosted the 2023 workshop in Mannheim.

Learn more
HeiKaMaX-Workshop
HeiKaMaX Workshop

The HeiKaMaX Workshop on Behavioral and Experimental Economics is jointly organized with the universities of Heidelberg and Mannheim and takes place twice a year.The last meeting took place in Heidelberg on April 13, 2023.

 

HeiKaMaX-Workshop
HeiKaMaxY Workshop for Young Researchers

The HeiKaMaxY Workshop for Young Researchers is a periodic workshop on Behavioral Economics and Experiments for young researchers, jointly organized with the universities of Heidelberg and Mannheim. Hannes Rau will be pleased to give you more information.

Learn more
MarketDesignSeminar
Virtual Seminar on Market Design

Talks by excellent researchers in the fields of market design. Jointly with colleagues from the universities of Bonn, Cologne, Sorbonne-Assas and ZEW, Nora Szech organizes the Virtual Market-Desgin Seminar. If you want to participate, please register here.

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Econ Finance Workshop
Workshop on Economics and Finance

The Workshop on Economics, Finance and Statistics is designed to cover topics of broad interest, and to offer a forum for exchange about recent research.

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Brown Bag Seminar
Brown Bag Seminar

You are welcome to join Brown Bag seminar series on Wednesdays at 11:30. The dates and details about the presentations you can find in the link below.

 

 

 

 

Learn more!