The researchers of the Behavioral Economics and Business Ethics Research Unit make use of findings from the fields of ethics, economics and psychology to conduct an interdisciplinary analysis of human behaviour in a business context.
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Behavioral economics and business ethics
Using experimental and other studies, behavioural economics helps to improve the decision-making architecture for economic policy. The measures proposed include changing default settings and other forms of green nudging to improve ecological sustainability.
The field of business and corporate ethics shows how conflicts can arise between entrepreneurial profit-seeking and the legitimate interests of society. However, our researchers also point out how constructive ways can be found to resolve such conflicts. Regulatory ethics, for example, shows how the state can intervene to provide an appropriate regulatory framework, business ethics points out how companies can assume voluntary responsibility and invest in trust and reputation, while personal ethics highlights how individuals themselves can behave in a more principled way.
Typical topics in business ethics are corruption, illicit employment, the shadow economy, corporate social responsibility, consumer protection, supply chain law and environmental protection. In addition, business ethics provides answers to the questions raised by post-growth theories and alternative measures of well-being such as life satisfaction. It also examines the importance of trust and social capital for the development of societies.
Contact Persons

Prof. Dr. Dominik H. Enste
Head of Behavioral Economics and Business Ethics Research Unit
Tel: +49 221 4981-730 Mail: enste@iwkoeln.de @DominikEnste

Lena Suling
Economic Research Consultant of the IW Akademie
Tel: +49 221 4981-816 Mail: suling@iwkoeln.de
Julia Wildner
Economic Research Consultant of the IW Akademie
Tel: +49 221 4981-818 Mail: wildner@iwkoeln.deAlle Beiträge

Behavioral Economics in Companies: Nudging green behavior
Climate change, the finite nature of natural resources, a growing world population and the quest for prosperity challenge society and policy to act responsibly and sustainably. The debate on climate change and the upcoming energy transition was recently intensified by the Ukrainian war.
Dominik Enste / Jennifer Potthoff IW

Does Nudging Help in the crisis?: Behavioral economic measures for freedom-preserving energy conservation
In view of the impending gas shortage, private households are called upon to reduce their gas and energy consumption. The moral appeals of those in power harbor the danger that people will react with reactance instead of the desired change in behavior.
Dominik Enste / Julia Hensen / Jennifer Potthoff IW
XI. Scientific Conference: The „Great Transformation”: New Rules of the Game?
Already before the Ukrainian War, Transformation seems to be everywhere. Almost 50 times it has been mentioned in the New „Ampel” Coalition Treaty of November 2021.
Dominik Enste IW

Behavioral Economics and Climate Protection: Better regulation and green nudges for more sustainability
Protecting the climate is one of the greatest challenges our society is currently facing. In view of the heated political and social discussions surrounding this topic, the question naturally arises as to whether behavioral-economic insights can be used to sensitize German society to the dangers of climate change and to motivate it towards more sustainability.
Dominik H. Enste / Jennifer Potthoff IW

Growth, Equity and Sustainability
In the last two decades, a debate has unfolded around the relationship between growth and well-being that has produced numerous new concepts, indicators and sets of targets. This increasingly includes an emphasis on sustainability concepts.
Dominik Enste / Hans-Peter Klös IW
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