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    • Behavioral Economics

    Behavioral Economics Courses Online

    Explore behavioral economics to understand how psychological factors influence economic decisions. Learn about biases, heuristics, and consumer behavior.

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    Explore the Behavioral Economics Course Catalog

    • J

      Johns Hopkins University

      Public Health Perspectives on Sustainable Diets

      Skills you'll gain: Nutrition and Diet, Food and Beverage, Environment, Public Health, Health Disparities, Environmental Science, Systems Thinking, Economics, Policy, and Social Studies, Policy Analysis

      4.8
      Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      187 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • Status: Free
      Free
      U

      University of Lausanne

      Doping : Sports, Organizations and Sciences

      Skills you'll gain: Laboratory Testing, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Culture, Social Sciences, Sociology, Arbitration, Cultural Diversity, Law, Regulation, and Compliance, Ethical Standards And Conduct, Governance, Behavioral Economics

      4.6
      Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
      ·
      361 reviews

      Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • Status: Free
      Free
      U

      University of Alberta

      Arctic Economy

      Skills you'll gain: International Relations, Socioeconomics, Global Marketing, Cultural Diversity, World History, Intercultural Competence, Economic Development, Economics, Environment and Resource Management, Governance

      4.6
      Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
      ·
      81 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • R

      Rice University

      Mindfulness and Well-being: Living with Balance and Ease

      Skills you'll gain: Growth Mindedness, Stress Management, Resilience, Mindfulness, Personal Development, Self-Awareness, Mental Health, Positivity, Emotional Intelligence, Behavioral Health

      4.8
      Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      355 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • U

      University of Michigan

      People, Technology and the Future of Mobility

      Skills you'll gain: Automation, Electric Power Systems, Policy Analysis, Socioeconomics, Social Justice, Economics, Policy, and Social Studies, Emerging Technologies, Disabilities, Transportation Operations, Health Equity, Technology Roadmaps, Social Sciences, Diversity Equity and Inclusion Initiatives, Environment, Human Factors (Security), Surveys, Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR), Artificial Intelligence, Information Privacy, Infrastructure Architecture

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      665 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free
      Free
      L

      Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU)

      Circadian clocks: how rhythms structure life

      Skills you'll gain: Biology, Life Sciences, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Medical Science and Research, Health Care, Pharmacology, Chronic Diseases, Psychology, Behavioral Health, Environment, Pathology

      4.8
      Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      225 reviews

      Mixed · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free
      Free
      U

      University of Geneva

      Genre : quels enjeux ? Violences, globalisation, biomédecine, sexualités.

      Skills you'll gain: Social Justice, Sociology, Social Sciences, World History, Anthropology, Cultural Diversity, Political Sciences, Public Policies, Research Methodologies, Economics

      4.8
      Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      357 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • U

      Universidad de los Andes

      Objetivos de desarrollo sostenible para América Latina y el Caribe

      Skills you'll gain: Socioeconomics, Environment, Environmental Issue, Social Sciences, Community Development, Economics, Policy, and Social Studies, Environmental Science, Cultural Sensitivity, Analysis, World History, Policty Analysis, Research, and Development, Environmental Policy, Public Policies

      4.9
      Rating, 4.9 out of 5 stars
      ·
      691 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free
      Free
      U

      Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

      Ciudades en crisis y nuevas políticas urbanas

      Skills you'll gain: Economics, Policy, and Social Studies, Public Policies, Community Development, Social Justice, Innovation, Socioeconomics, Social Sciences, Policy Analysis, Digital Transformation, Governance, Technology Strategies, Emerging Technologies

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      239 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • U

      Universidad de los Andes

      Entendiendo la depresión a lo largo del ciclo vital

      Skills you'll gain: Mental Health, Psychiatry, Mental and Behavioral Health, Mental Health Diseases and Disorders, Clinical Psychology, Pediatrics, Psychotherapy, Patient Treatment, Pharmacotherapy, Chronic Diseases, Child Development, Working With Children, Public Health, Patient Evaluation

      4.9
      Rating, 4.9 out of 5 stars
      ·
      147 reviews

      Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • Status: Free
      Free
      T

      The University of Melbourne

      How Music Can Change Your Life

      Skills you'll gain: Music, World Music, Cultural Diversity, Rehabilitation, Community Development, Behavioral Health, Psychotherapy, Mental Health, Rapport Building, Neurology

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      177 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • U
      S

      Multiple educators

      Applied Sustainability for Technical Managers

      Skills you'll gain: Sustainability Reporting, Corporate Sustainability, Environmental Social And Corporate Governance (ESG), Energy and Utilities, Business Reporting, Organizational Leadership, Strategic Leadership, Environmental Resource Management, Business Leadership, Product Engineering, Initiative and Leadership, Electrical Power, Business Ethics, Leadership Development, Product Development, Environment, Environmental Engineering, Industrial Design, Community Organizing, Waste Minimization

      Build toward a degree

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      78 reviews

      Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

    Behavioral Economics learners also search

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    1…303132…73

    In summary, here are 10 of our most popular behavioral economics courses

    • Public Health Perspectives on Sustainable Diets: Johns Hopkins University
    • Doping : Sports, Organizations and Sciences: University of Lausanne
    • Arctic Economy : University of Alberta
    • Mindfulness and Well-being: Living with Balance and Ease: Rice University
    • People, Technology and the Future of Mobility : University of Michigan
    • Circadian clocks: how rhythms structure life: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU)
    • Genre : quels enjeux ? Violences, globalisation, biomédecine, sexualités.: University of Geneva
    • Objetivos de desarrollo sostenible para América Latina y el Caribe: Universidad de los Andes
    • Ciudades en crisis y nuevas políticas urbanas: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
    • Entendiendo la depresión a lo largo del ciclo vital: Universidad de los Andes

    Skills you can learn in Finance

    Investment (23)
    Market (economics) (20)
    Stock (18)
    Financial Statement (14)
    Financial Accounting (13)
    Modeling (13)
    Corporate Finance (11)
    Financial Analysis (11)
    Trading (11)
    Evaluation (10)
    Financial Markets (10)
    Pricing (10)

    Frequently Asked Questions about Behavioral Economics

    Richard Thaler, the Nobel Prize-winning economist who is considered the founder of this influential field, defined behavioral economics as “the combination of psychology and economics that investigates what happens in markets in which some of the agents display human limitations and complications.” Whereas traditional economics (known as the “standard economic model”) assumes that people are rational actors whose decision-making in the market is based purely on calculations of costs and benefits in pursuing one’s preferences, behavioral economics identifies important ways that this theory is challenged in reality by cognitive biases.

    For example, individuals often lack the willpower to make choices in their long-run interest, even if they rationally understand the costs. People also often make altruistic sacrifices to help others, in contrast to purely rational actors that pursue only self-interest. These types of insights from psychology have been deepened in recent years by bringing in advances in our understanding of how the biology of the brain works, creating the closely related subfield of neuroeconomics.

    These insights may seem like common sense, but they have important implications for business. Behavioral finance has helped explain how the stock market is influenced by biases such as “loss aversion,” which leads investors to fear losing money more than they value gains. Consumer neuroscience has yielded marketing insights on how memorable branding builds associations in the brain that impact purchasing decisions.

    Behavioral economics and related fields can seem to some like an effort to “hack” the human mind for financial gain, particularly when used in marketing. However, leading theorists in this field such as Thaler have demonstrated that this experimental, science-based approach to economics can also help policymakers come up with policy interventions to “nudge” people towards making better long-term decisions such as eating healthier food and saving more of their money.‎

    A background in behavioral economics can give you an edge in many types of business and marketing careers, as it helps deepen your understanding of the biases that influence the choices of other investors and consumers - as well as your own economic decision-making. This field is also useful for public policy careers, as accounting for the real-world insights of behavioral economics in policymaking can help make legislation and regulation more effective in achieving its goals.

    If you want to dive deeper into this influential field and contribute to its fast-growing body of research, you can become an economist yourself. This career path typically requires an advanced degree such as a masters or even a PhD, but it can lead to work that is high paying as well as intellectually rewarding. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, economists earned a median wage of $105,020 per year in 2019, and these jobs are expected to grow faster than the average of the overall economy.‎

    Absolutely, Coursera offers courses in behavioral economics, behavioral finance, neuroeconomics, and related fields in business as well as psychology. By learning online, you can learn about behavioral economics topics remotely from great schools like Duke University and Copenhagen Business School at a significantly lower price than on-campus students.

    And, while your cognitive biases may predispose you to think that a lower price means lower quality, learners on Coursera get the same course materials and credits as on-campus counterparts, along with video lectures and live virtual office hours and collaborative projects. That means you don’t have to sacrifice the quality of your education to learn online, making this a very economically rational choice indeed.‎

    The skills and experience you might need to have before starting to learn about behavioral economics include an understanding of taxation, finance theory, and behavioral science. Work experience in product management or client management may be useful. Other skills include data analysis skills, such as interpreting data and statistical analysis. Some additional coursework in psychology can be helpful, especially classes about cognitive psychology or neuropsychology. Courses that include experimental design, statistical analysis, and programming languages like SQL can be advantageous. You also may find it beneficial to learn about brain function and the parts that play a role in the decision-making process.‎

    The people best suited for roles in behavioral economics are individuals who are passionate about understanding why people make economic decisions. They typically like to observe what others do, note trends in behavior, and develop hypotheses about why it’s happening. Behavior economists often enjoy applying their knowledge of experimental design to measure consumer behavior that organizations can use to inform decision making. For example, a company might want to know which features of a product are most important to its customers or why one particular model of a product does not sell as well as others.‎

    Learning behavioral economics might be right for you if you're interested in applied psychology and topics like game theory, ostrich effect, and anchoring bias. You may find that you like learning behavioral economics if you enjoy setting up experiments to identify why people make economic decisions and sharing your insights with companies and other groups like marketers and product managers who want to put their products in the hands of as many consumers as possible. Working as a behavioral economist may interest you if you enjoy working with data and applying your insights to develop policies and strategies that align with an organization’s mission, values, and financial goals.‎

    Online Behavioral Economics courses offer a convenient and flexible way to enhance your existing knowledge or learn new Behavioral Economics skills. With a wide range of Behavioral Economics classes, you can conveniently learn at your own pace to advance your Behavioral Economics career skills.‎

    When looking to enhance your workforce's skills in Behavioral Economics, it's crucial to select a course that aligns with their current abilities and learning objectives. Our Skills Dashboard is an invaluable tool for identifying skill gaps and choosing the most appropriate course for effective upskilling. For a comprehensive understanding of how our courses can benefit your employees, explore the enterprise solutions we offer. Discover more about our tailored programs at Coursera for Business here.‎

    This FAQ content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are advised to conduct additional research to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.

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