12th Summer School in Behavioral Economics and Experimental Research

August 31 - September 1, 2026

Christian Zehnder

Prof. Holger Herz, UNIFR

Prof. Christian Zehnder, UNIL

Prof. Friederike Mengel (University of Essex)

General Information about the Doctoral Program:

The Doctoral Program in Behavioral Economics and Experimental Research (BEER) is financed by the CUSO (Conférence Universitaire de Suisse Occidentale). The aim of the program is to offer interdisciplinary courses including elements of economics, management, psychology, and the neuro-sciences. There are several events every year. We typically offer a winter school, a summer school, and a workshop. The program is open to all doctoral students in the above mentioned disciplines.

This year's summer school will be a slightly shorter event. It will take place in Fribourg over two days and will combine a series of interesting lectures with seminar sessions in which participants have the chance to present their own research. Participants can submit a proposal for a presentation. It is possible to present projects at any stage of progress (project ideas, research designs, completed projects). We strongly encourage you to sign up for a presentation, because it provides a great opportunity to get useful feedback from experienced scholars and fellow students. 

Our guest speaker will be Prof. Friederike Mengel (University of Essex). Her research is in behavioral economics, with a focus on social networks, learning, and evolutionary game theory. Among other things, her research has investigated opinion dynamics in networks, the emergence of social norms as well as social influence in networks, social identity, bounded rationality and discrimination.

Before, between and after the lectures the guest speaker and organizers will be available for personal meetings to discuss research.

The late afternoon of Monday, August 31, will be reserved for a social event that includes a short hiking tour (please bring good walking shoes and a rain jacket). If you don't like hiking, there will be alternative options.

Fribourg

Participants who would like to apply for credit at their home institution will have the chance to work on a personal project after the summer school, which will be graded by the organizers.

The summer school will be held as a two-day event in Fribourg. For participants who do not live in the region of Fribourg there will be the opportunity to stay at a hotel for the night.

Participation Fees and Admission Rules:

The summer school is open to all PhD students in economics, management, psychology and the neurosciences.

For students of the CUSO universities (Geneva, Lausanne, Neuchâtel, and Fribourg), IHEID and the University of Bern, expenses for accommodation and meals are covered by the CUSO. Travel expenses will be reimbursed based on a second-class half-fare return Swiss rail ticket between the university to which the student is attached and the location of the activity (also valid for travel in a private car).

Detailed information on the management directives can be found here:https://www.cuso.ch/structure-et-administration/directives-de-gestion

Participation fees (including accommodation in Fribourg) for PhD students affiliated with universities outside of the CUSO network: CHF 335

External participants also need to cover travel expenses themselves.

Application Procedure:

Application deadline: July 30. Acceptance decisions will be communicated by July 31 at the latest.

The website of our program is found here:http://behavioural-research.cuso.ch/welcome

You can sign up for the summer school directly on the website:http://behavioural-research.cuso.ch/activities

Important: If you would like to present in one of the seminar sessions, please submit also a title and abstract to Holger Herz ([email protected]).

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Questions:

If you have any questions about the summer school, please feel free to contact: Holger Herz ([email protected]).