The Department of Economics at Middlesex University offers a Behavioural Economics in Action MSc (BEiA MSc) and has a growing PhD programme in Economics. We offer our graduate students a rigorous and relevant training in economics, and provide a setting in which debate and research can flourish. Our graduate courses prepare students for a wide range of careers in academia, government, and business.
The BEiA MSc is a one-year programme. It is the first of its type in Europe and offers a focus on both the theoretical aspects and practial applications of behavioural economics. Those students awarded the Master degree will have acquired an excellent set of skills that will allow them to enter a PhD programme or to go into a technically demanding job.
The PhD programme focuses on the development of students’ research skills and critical thinking. The purpose of the PhD degree programme is to prepare students for careers in research and teaching at academic institutions, consulting or financial firms, and international organisations. Studying Economics at Middlesex University gives you the opportunity to become a part of an active research community.
Due to a high demand for practitioners of behavioural economics, we have launched a new MSc program Behavioural Economics in Action (BEiA) starting on October 2015. Our program has strong emphasis on real world applications, that is, in action. Applying behavioural economics to real-world problems is becoming increasingly widespread.
Over the past decade, techniques in behavioural economics have been applied by a large number of both private and public sector organisations. These include the Bank of England, Coca-Cola, the Financial Conduct Authority, Google, HMRC, Hyundai, HSBC, Oxfam, VISA and the NHS, while concepts from behavioural economics are widely used in areas such as marketing, organ donor framing, incentives to save, incentives to spend, exercise , education, health etc. There
does not seem to be an aspect of life in which applications from behavioural economics are not relevant
The main findings from behavioural economics are that individuals deviate from optimal behaviour in a consistent and regular manner. Recently policymakers are appreciating the relevance of behavioural economics tools in understanding the behaviour of individuals.
- Basic Stats by Dr. Ductor
- Behavioural finance by Dr. Joro Kolev
- Design of Experiments by Prof. Pablo Branas-Garza
- Econometrics by Dr. Ductor
- Experimental Markets by Prof. Praveen Kujal
- Games of Strategy by Dr. Ismael Rodriguez-Lara
- Individual decision-making by Dr. Quang Nguyen
- Lab Labour by Dr. Natalia Jimenez
- Programming in Z-tree by Balint Lenkei
- RCT (Field Experiments) by Dr. Ericka Rascon
- Social preferences by Dr. Joris Gillet
MSc Thesis: Promoting democracy within the youth: An experiment in Nigeria [download here]
MSc Thesis: Differences in Tipping between Thailand and the United Kingdom [download here]
MSc Thesis: Practical Applications of Behavioral Economics Research in Fostering Learning Effectiveness [download here]
MSc Thesis: The effect of behavioural messaging on response rates to marketing emails. [download here]
MSc Thesis: Who Volunteers? The Effect of Income and Post –materialistic values [download here]
The Economics Department at Middlesex University offers PhD supervision in areas of Experimental and Behavioural Economics, Banking & Finance, and Applied Economics (Networks, Labour, Industrial Organization, Randomised Controlled Trials, and Applied Trade). Our Department is host to the Behavioural Economics Group (BEC:).
BEC is composed of active researchers in experimental economics with an established international reputation. Based on research output (RePec) we are 8th in the UK.
Dr. Michela Vecchi
Associate Professor of Economics
- ECS2003 Econometrics [ML]
- ECS3870 Econometrics [ML]
- ECS4002 Data Analysis
Teaching:
- Labour Economics Productivity & Innovation Panel Data Econometrics
Research Interest:
MSc Thesis: [download here]
Teaching:
Research Interest:
Althenayan Faris Mohammed T
PhD student (year 2)
Supervisor: Dr. Gueorgui Kolev, Quang Nguyen, Pablo Branas Garza
MSc Thesis: Behavioral Finance and its application in the financial markets [download here]
MSc Thesis: Financial development, government debt and economic growth in China [download here]
MSc Thesis: The effect of children on gender wage gap in Vietnam [download here]
Balint Lenkei
PhD student (year 2)
Supervisor: Dr. Ericka Rascon-Ramirex, Michela Vecchi, Quang Nguyen
MSc Thesis: Essays on empirical behavioral economics [download here]
MSc Thesis: Social norms and reciprocity [download here]
MSc Thesis: Ethical consumerism: A critical perspective of family decision-making of ethical food consumption in the UK [download here]
MSc Thesis: Comparing the significance of income inequality drivers [download here]
Gurung Smriti
PhD student (year 4)
Supervisor: Dr. Chunxia Jiang, Gueorgui Kolev, Marian Rizov (University of Lincoln)
MSc Thesis: Banking development in South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries – Performance, Risk, and Capital regulation [download here]
MSc Thesis: The Perceived Trustworthiness of Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) in shaping purchase attitudes of dietary supplements amongst female adolescents in Saudi Arabia [download here]
Saira Saleem
PhD student (year 4)
Supervisor: Dr. Xufei Zhang, Gueorgui Kolev , Marian Rizov (University of Lincoln)
MSc Thesis: Financial Constraint and Investment: For the case of Pakistani non-Financial firms [download here]
Agni Dikaiou
PhD student (year 2) Visiting PhD students, University of Boston
Teaching:
Research Interest:
Agni Dikaiou
PhD student (year 2) Visiting PhD students, University of Boston
Supervisor: Dr. Tim Jackson (University of Surrey), Angela Druckman (University of Surrey), Michela Vecchi
MSc Thesis: In search of a ‘sweet spot’ in good work [download here]
Valentina Morretta
Graduated in December 2017! Now Jean Monnet Post-Doc Researcher, Department of Economics, University of Milan
Teaching:
Research Interest:
Valentina Morretta
Graduated in December 2017! Now Jean Monnet Post-Doc Researcher, Department of Economics, University of Milan
Supervisor: Dr. Stephen Syrett, Leandro Sepulveda, Michela Vecchi
MSc Thesis: Understanding the relationship between local resources and firm performance: an investigation actors Italian territories [download here]
Valentina Morretta
Supervisors: Stephen Syrett, Leandro Sepulveda, Michela Vecchi
PhdThesis: Understanding the relationship between local resources and firm performance: an investigation actors Italian territories
MSc Thesis: Comparing the significance of income inequality drivers [download here]
Lara Ezquerra
Graduated in October 2017 ! Now Visiting Lecturer, Department of Business Economics, University of the Balearic Islands
Teaching:
Research Interest:
Lara Ezquerra
Graduated in October 2017 ! Now Visiting Lecturer, Department of Business Economics, University of the Balearic Islands
Supervisor: Dr. Praveen Kujal, Pablo Branas Garza, Ismael Rodriguez-Lara
MSc Thesis: Experimental Essays on Labour Markets [download here]
Godhwani Pallavi
PhD student (year 3) Received Staff Award for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, 2017 – University of Dubai
Teaching:
Research Interest:
Godhwani Pallavi
PhD student (year 3) Received Staff Award for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, 2017 – University of Dubai
Supervisor: Dr. Xufei Zhang, Michela Vecchi
MSc Thesis: Determinants of FDI in a Three-dimensional Perspective & Case Study of India: Sector-wise Determinants of FDI [download here]