The Summer School on Behavioral Economics and Psychology brings to students of various backgrounds the state-of-the-art research on behavioral aspects of decision-making and experimental psychology. The program provides students with a unique opportunity to better understand the role of emotions in our “rational” decision-making and to learn about the implications of behavioral research for policy making, its practical applications in the realm of organizational management and how we can use the behavior insights at the individual level, e.g. helping us to cope with the flood of information in the current world.
The professors together with the students will address the following questions:
- How emotions impact “rational” decision-making
- How to stay honest under any circumstances
- Why do people consider certain behavior fair today and why almost identical one will cause a lynch tomorrow
- How to make your employer love you from the day one
- Why should you read newspapers you don’t like
- Why your Google account makes you dumber
Introduction
Over the past 10 years we have been witnessing a significant increase in a number of scientific studies which analyze day-to-day decision-making by using psychological tools and experimental designs. The purpose of this new approach, often called behavioral economics, is to enrich traditional economic conceptions of human decision-making employed by the currently dominant theory of rational choice. This new approach is providing descriptively more fitting accounts of human behavior by showing, for example, that when trying to follow our decisions we, as humans, are constrained by limited will-power.
Most of us want to go to the gym more often, stop eating junk food, quit smoking, reduce drinking, and live “better” in general. And so often we fail because our will power is limited, once we focus on one target, we fail even more in others. Those knowing that, try to boost their motivation or limit failing by participating in Christmas clubs or using iPhone apps that will share embarrassing pictures of them with their friends in case they fail to eat healthy. Similar limitations can be observed with respect to our rational decision-making that is “rational” only sporadically. We give higher tips to smiling waitresses with short skirts even in pubs we will never ever visit again (there is really no “economic” reason for that) and we follow our do-not-cheat principles even though no one is watching and we cannot get fined for doing so. And of course, we are generally nice to each other as we are self-interested and in many cases even altruistic.
Program History
The Summer School on Behavioral Economics and Psychology was launched in 2014 and since then brought over 120 outstanding students to Prague. It was organized in cooperation with the Institute for Behavioral and Economic Studies (INBES). The goal of the Institute is to utilize the knowledge of social and organizational psychology, behavioral economics, law and cognitive science when enhancing the functional efficiency of public and private entities.
Application Procedure
Although there are application deadlines, students are accepted on a rolling basis. In order to allow time to carefully review all student application materials, an email notifying the application status to Prague Summer Schools will be sent to applicants approximately 14 days after the application is received. Applications received by the Early Bird application deadline of June 31st will receive preference in admission decisions. Late applications may be considered. However, late applicants run the risk of finding the program full. All students will be informed about admissions decisions by May 1st. Participants will be selected according to the following three criteria:
- Educational Background (Year, Grade Point Average and Area of Study)
- Statement of Purpose
- Level of English (if applicable)
Approximately 30 students will be admitted to every program of Prague Summer School. We intend to restrict the class size to ensure interactive courses and discussions. We aim to create a truly international student body. Students must be currently enrolled in a college or university or be recent graduates. The Prague Summer Schools admits both undergraduate and graduate-level students. Priority will be given to students with at least some academic background related to the topics of Prague Summer Schools. Nevertheless, students of other academic backgrounds, but with strongly demonstrated interest in the Summer School topic, will be considered on an equal basis. Students admitted to Prague Summer Schools are expected to participate fully in the program by attending all classes, lectures and social events.
Program Cost
The program fee for students who submit their applications after January 31st: 790 EUR
The program fee covers:
- Tuition and reading materials
- Accommodation in double rooms for one week
- Half board which includes breakfasts, dinners and coffee breaks
- Prague public transportation tickets and maps
- Site visits, social program, and cultural and special events (e.g. boat tour on the Moldau River, tours of Prague by a local homeless and farewell dinner).
Students are responsible for their travel to Prague, dinners, and personal expenses. The individual deadlines for the receipt of payment will be stated in the official letter of acceptance. Payment plans can be arranged. The final deadline for receiving payments is the 1st of May.
Scholarships
Unfortunately, as a non-profit organization, SCHOLA EMPIRICA is not able to provide students with financial aid. Nonetheless, we do encourage students to explore funding opportunities available through their home universities, non-governmental organizations, and government sources. A good place to start the search is www.scholarshipportal.com.
Accepted students may ask for documents they need for their scholarship application(s).
For more information click "LINK TO ORIGINAL" below.