Coverage of Behavioral and Experimental Economics in Undergraduate Microeconomics Textbooks
32 Pages Posted: 29 Jan 2008
Date Written: December 2007
Abstract
This paper analyzes to what degree 25 undergraduate microeconomics textbooks incorporate contributions from behavioral economics and experimental economics.
We find that ten of the 25 textbooks examined make no reference at all to behavioral economics; six dedicate less than 1% of total pages to it, six between 1% and 2.6%, and three between 6% and 11%. When behavioral economics is discussed, the focus tends to be on bounded rationality rather than on bounded self-interest or bounded willpower. Experimental economics is not discussed at all in ten textbooks, twelve textbooks dedicate less than 0.6% of total pages to it, while three dedicate between 2% and 10% of total pages.
We discuss the possible causes of the detected variation in the coverage of behavioral economics drawing from a variety of qualitative materials.
Keywords: behavioral economics, economics education and teaching of economics, experimental economics, microeconomics, psychology, textbooks
JEL Classification: A22, B49, B59, D01
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?
Recommended Papers
-
A Theory of Fairness, Competition and Cooperation
By Ernst Fehr
-
Understanding Social Preference with Simple Tests
By Gary Charness and Matthew Rabin
-
By Armin Falk and Urs Fischbacher
-
By Armin Falk and Urs Fischbacher
-
A Shred of Evidence on Theories of Wage Stickiness
By Alan S. Blinder and Don Choi
-
A Simple Mechanism for the Efficient Provision of Public Goods - Experimental Evidence
By Josef Falkinger, Ernst Fehr, ...
-
On the Nature of Fair Behavior
By Armin Falk, Ernst Fehr, ...
-
On the Nature of Fair Behavior
By Armin Falk, Ernst Fehr, ...
