12th Winter School in Behavioral Economics and Experimental Research

18-23 janvier 2026

Christian Zehnder

Prof. Christian Zehnder, University of Lausannne

Prof. Holger Herz, University of Fribourg

Prof. Ernst Fehr (University of Zurich)

Prof. Michael Kosfeld (Goethe University Frankfurt)

Prof. Manuel Grieder (UniDistance Suisse)

The doctoral program in Behavioral Economics and Experimental Research (BEER) is financed by the CUSO (Conférence Universitaire de la Suisse Occidentale). The aim of the program is to offer interdisciplinary courses including elements of economics, management, psychology, and the neurosciences. The program is open to all doctoral students in the above-mentioned disciplines.

Our guest speakers this year will be:

Ernst Fehr (University of Zurich)

Ernst's research focuses on the proximate patterns and the evolutionary origins of human altruism and the interplay between social preferences, social norms and strategic interactions. He has conducted extensive research on the impact of social preferences on competition, cooperation and on the psychological foundations of incentives. More recently he has worked on the role of bounded rationality in strategic interactions and on the neurobiological foundations of social and economic behavior.

Michael Kosfeld (Goethe University Frankfurt)

Michael's research employs methods from game theory and experimental economics (lab and field experiments) to answer questions regarding the determinants and consequences of human decision-making and social interaction. He is particularly interested in understanding why humans cooperate and under what conditions cooperation in teams and groups can be sustained. His recent papers study questions about measurement in economics, the role and impact of intrinsic motivation, the relationship between social preferences and collective-action outcomes, the functions of leadership, the determinants of institutions and organizational culture, as well the interaction between human and artificial agents.

Manuel Grieder (UniDistance Suisse)

Manuel's research investigates behavior and decision making in organizations and on markets. Based on theoretical models and empirical findings from economics, management and psychology, he applies a behavioral perspective to investigate important organizational and environmental topics, using experimental (and other) methods. This includes questions such as how to promote cooperative relationships between trading partners, how to avoid unethical behavior, and how to encourage sustainable decision making. 

The winter school includes a series of lectures from the three aforementioned external experts. In addition, there will be interactive sessions in which the participants can directly exchange ideas and insights with both the external speakers and the organizers, as well as scientific group work.

The winter school will start on Sunday evening, January 18 and will end at noon on Friday, January 23. There will be lectures on Monday, Tuesday (morning and early afternoon) and Thursday (morning). The rest of the afternoons after the lectures on Monday and Tuesday and the full afternoon on Thursday will be dedicated to group work and projects. In the afternoons and early evenings, the lecturers and organizers will also be available for discussions and office hours. There will also be dedicated slots for discussion of personal projects (e.g. dissertation papers) with the speakers. Friday morning will be reserved for the presentation of the group projects developed during the week. On Wednesday, the participants have the possibility to benefit from the fantastic winter sport environment in Champéry (Champéry provides direct access to the "Portes du Soleil". All participants are strongly encouraged to bring their winter sport equipment with them for this purpose.

Champéry

The winter school will take place in Champéry (Valais).

Participants will be hosted at:

Hôtel National Resort & Spa 
Rue du village 47 - 1874 Champéry 

Tel +41 (0)24.479.11.30

 

Arrangements will be made by the program coordinator for all the participants.

Participations fees:

- For PhD students of the CUSO universities (Geneva, Lausanne, Neuchâtel, Fribourg and IHEID) and of the University of Bern: CHF 100 (room and meals included)

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. This is equally valid for travel undertaken in a private car.

- For PhD students outside the CUSO network: CHF 1'514 (room and meals included but travel expenses not covered)

Detailed information on the management directives can be found here

The deadline for applications is December 3. Acceptance decisions will be communicated by December 15 at the latest.

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If you have questions about the winter school, please feel free to contact Bénédicte Moreira, the program coordinator at behavioural-research(at)cuso(dot)ch