New associate dean to bolster behavioural economics at UTS

Professor Michelle Baddeley, a leading expert in behavioural economics and finance, has been appointed Associate Dean (Research and Development) at UTS Business School, bringing a wealth of experience and achievement to the role.

Professor Baddeley was previously Director of the Institute for Choice at the University of SA, a world-leader in the development of methodologies for understanding and predicting human behaviour, helping governments and organisations develop effective policy.

“I am excited to be joining UTS Business School as Associate Dean (Research and Development), especially because of all the terrific experimental work happening at UTS, as well as in Sydney more broadly, and the great behavioural experimental community here,” says Professor Baddeley.

“It is also wonderful news that UTS Business School is launching Sydney’s first Graduate Certificate in Behavioural Economics in 2020, led by economics Professor Lionel Page, which will expand to a Master of Behavioural Economics in 2021,” she says.

The new course will introduce students to the rapidly expanding field of behavioural economics, including an understanding of heuristics and biases in individual decision-making, and implications for financial decision-making, health, education, and the environment.

Professor Baddeley is an Honorary Professor with the Institute for Global Prosperity, University College London, an Associate Fellow with the Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy, and an Associate Researcher with the Energy Policy Research Group, University of Cambridge.

She is also President-Elect of the Society for the Advancement of Behavioural Economics and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Behavioral Economics for Policy. Her research focuses on social decision-making, behavioural macroeconomics, labour economics, energy and the environment.

She recently presented a paper ‘Behavioural insights for energy and the environment’ at the 2019 CPMD Workshop on Behavioural Insights for Policy and Business, hosted by the UTS Economics department.

“My interests are very much around the development of practical policy insights based on research, especially policy related to energy and the environment,” she says.

She is a research co-investigator on the 2017-22 UK Economic and Social Research Council Global Challenges Research Fund project RELIEF, a £4.1 million collaboration to illuminate barriers to employment and wellbeing for refugees and other vulnerable groups in developing economies.

Professor Baddeley has authored a number of books, including most recently Behavioural Economics and Finance, Copycats and Contrarians – Why We Follow Others and When We Don’t and Behavioural Economics – A Very Short Introduction.

Research in the field of behavioural economics has led governments in Australia, the UK and US to create teams that apply behavioural insights to public policy. Read more about projects undertaken by the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet Behavioural Insights team here.