about

The institute promotes innovative thinking and research in the fields of behavioral economics and the sources of inequality. This research aims at improving individual opportunities and social cohesion. briq provides a platform for the exchange of novel ideas and an infrastructure for the cooperation of international, top-level researchers. We believe that scientific, interdisciplinary research is a precondition for evidence-based policy advice and the evaluation of economic and social policies.

The Scientific Council meets once a year to advise the institute on strategic matters. Its current members are Janet M. Currie (Professor of Economics and Public Affairs at Princeton University), James J. Heckman (Professor of Economics at The University of Chicago) and Ulrike M. Malmendier (Professor of Finance and Economics at University of California, Berkeley).

Research is all about collaboration. A close cooperation with the University of Bonn and its Department of Economics is essential for briq’s success. Armin Falk, Botond Kőszegi and Florian Zimmermann, all of them also professors at the department, are involved in teaching and PhD supervision. The briq Scholarship Program provides support to students from the Bonn Graduate School of Economics (BGSE). briq is an integral part of key department initiatives such as the Cluster of Excellence ECONtribute: Markets & Public Policy and the Collaborative Research Centre Economic Perspectives on Societal Challenges: Equality of Opportunity Market Regulation and Financial Stability – EpoS. Armin Falk is also director of BonnEconLab, the Laboratory for Experimental Economics at the Department of Economics. Beyond this intensive local cooperation, our researchers collaborate on a project basis with world leaders in their respective disciplines.

In addition to personal research projects, researchers at briq work on large-scale projects such as the Global Preferences Survey (GPS), the briq Family Panel (BFP), and the ERC project MEMEB on the role of memory for economic belief formation.

The Global Preferences Survey (GPS) is a globally representative dataset on risk and time preferences, positive and negative reciprocity, altruism, and trust. The project homepage describes the dataset, offers an interactive tool to compare preferences across countries, and allows researchers to download the questionnaires and access the data.

The briq Family Panel (BFP) tracks the impact of a mentoring program on children’s personality and skill development. The 9th wave has now been completed, with the 10th wave in preparation and about 500 families still participating. The project is supported by Eleven – Verein für Kinder- und Jugendförderung e.V. and the Cluster of Excellence ECONtribute of the University of Bonn. Within this project, briq cooperates with the SOEP of the DIW Berlin in terms of data collection.

The ERC-supported project MEMEB aims at enhancing our understanding of the critical role of memory on economic behavior. It is based on the assumption that when forming opinions and expectations, people frequently consult their memory about relevant prior knowledge and experiences. Belief-based decisions are not only relevant for individual economic outcomes but may also have important effects on the economy as a whole.